Remaking the bass synth from the 1982 song "Billie Jean " by Michael Jackson can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Billie Jean " 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
The bass synthesizer sound in Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” is a layering of synthesizers and an electric bass guitar. This layered approach gives the bassline its distinctive depth and interest. The sound starts at 0:05 and plays throughout the song, contributing to the iconic rhythm and groove of “Billie Jean.” The synthesizer elements were originally performed by Greg Phillinganes, with the final bass sound being a combination of his synthesizer work and Louis Johnson’s electric bass guitar playing. But we can get very close with just one synth patch.
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 "Billie Jean " by Michael Jackson, 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: 2850 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 190 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 40%
- Volume: 100%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 35%
- Resonance: 35%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 5%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 600 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 650 ms
Distortion
- Drive: 28%
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Notes And Observations
Made with layers of synths and a real bass, but we can get very close with just a synth.
Explore More
- Secrets Of Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ Bassline – Synthtopia
- It turns out that the Billie Jean chord stab sound is more complex… – MusicRadar
- How To Remake Your Favorite Synth Sounds – YouTube
- MJ’s Billie Jean Bass – It’s 4 Instruments – YouTube
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
