Remaking the bass synth from the 1977 song "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "I Feel Love" bass patch and play this iconic sound on most hardware or software subtractive synthesizers (Serum, Vital, Pigments, Prophet, Korg, Moog, etc). We've included the preset download directly for your convenience, but we strongly recommend you use our programming tutorial to recreate it yourself.
Original Audio
Donna Summer’s 1977 hit “I Feel Love” features an iconic arpeggiating bass synthesizer sound that has become synonymous with disco music. The bassline, created using a Moog modular synthesizer, is characterized by its repetitive, pulsing pattern and distinctive double-note style. This sound was instrumental in pioneering the concept of electronic dance music and is widely regarded as one of the most influential basslines in music history. You can hear the arpeggiating bassline throughout the track, particularly prominent in the song’s intro and chorus sections.
We’ll recreate this sound with just a single synth patch.
Original Performing Instrument
- Moog Minimoog
Our Remake of The Bass Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the bass synth from the song "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer, giving you a reference point as you design your own synthesizer preset. Play it as often as you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the sound.
Synth Patch Programming Recipe
Remake This Sound Yourself
Learn how to program this synth preset with Syntorial, all by ear. Download the demo and try unlimited famous sound challenges for free.
Getting Started
- Start by initializing your synthesizer to a plain saw with no filter, modulation or effects. For soft synths use the "init"/"default" preset or the the button to reset all parameters to their default factory values.
- No two synths are exactly alike, so treat the values below as approximate, and use your ear.
- Percentage values (e.g. 50%) represent the relative position of a knob or slider within its full range. The full range of each parameter may differ from synth to synth, so use your ear.
Voices
- Voice Mode: Mono
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 650 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 220 ms
Oscillators
- FM Amount: 50%
- Carrier
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 100%
- Modulator
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 0%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Triangle
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 40%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 40%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 50%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 250 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 190 ms
LFO
- Destination: Pan
- Waveform: Pulse
- Amount: 60%
- Rate: 1/8 Note
Chorus
- Mix: 50% Wet
- Rate: Slow
Velocity
- Destination: Volume
- Modulation Amount: 100%
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- TB 03 Tutorial | Donna Summer – “I Feel Love” (YouTube)
- The Bass Line Of “I Feel Love” On A TB-303 (YouTube)
- How to create Donna Summer ‘I feel love’ bassline and pad sounds in DRC (Imaginando)
Preset Downloads
Don't want to learn synth programming now? Use our synth preset as your starting point and tweak it from there. Register an account with Audible Genius and download the presets for free for the following synths:
- Primer, our free synthesizer VST
