Synthwave Bassline

A synthwave bassline is a sequencer that never stops: 8th-note octaves or running 16ths on the chord root, perfectly even, with a chorused pulse tone. Here are five patterns in F# minor at 106 BPM. Veena, a free AI DAW with a personal music producer built in, has the sound on its own synth, Retro Pulse Bass, and CoProducer writes the lines for you.

Every pattern runs over the same four bars, F#m, D, A and E, one chord per bar: the i–VI–III–VII loop synthwave keeps coming back to. Note names are what you draw in Veena's piano roll. Retro Pulse Bass sounds an octave below the drawn note, so the F#2 in these grids is the 46 Hz F# under your ribcage and every root lands between 37 and 55 Hz.

Five synthwave bassline patterns in F# minor

1. The octave bass · verses

8ths    1     &     2     &     3     &     4     &
F#m     F#2   F#3   F#2   F#3   F#2   F#3   F#2   F#3
D       D2    D3    D2    D3    D2    D3    D2    D3
A       A2    A3    A2    A3    A2    A3    A2    A3
E       E2    E3    E2    E3    E2    E3    E2    E3

Root on the beat, octave on the "and". It sounds like a sequencer because it was one: every note the same length, the same velocity, no swing. The upper octave carries the pitch on small speakers while the lower one moves the air.

2. The 16th pulse · choruses

16ths   1   e   &   a   2   e   &   a   3   e   &   a   4   e   &   a
F#m     F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2
Accent  X   .   .   .   X   .   .   .   X   .   .   .   X   .   .   .

Sixteen even notes a bar on the root, the first of every four a little louder. Same chords, twice the motion, which is why it belongs in the chorus after an octave-bass verse. Move it to D2, A2 and E2 as the chords change.

3. The gallop · darksynth, 118 BPM

16ths   1   e   &   a   2   e   &   a   3   e   &   a   4   e   &   a
F#m     F#2 —   F#2 F#3 F#2 —   F#2 F#3 F#2 —   F#2 F#3 F#2 —   F#2 F#3

Long, short, short on every beat: an 8th, then two 16ths, the last one jumping the octave. Speed it to 118 BPM and turn EDGE up for the grit, and the pulse turns into a chase scene.

4. The arp bass

16ths   1   e   &   a   2   e   &   a   (repeat for beats 3 and 4)
F#m     F#2 C#3 F#3 C#3 F#2 C#3 F#3 C#3
D       D2  A2  D3  A2  D2  A2  D3  A2
A       A2  E3  A3  E3  A2  E3  A3  E3
E       E2  B2  E3  B2  E2  B2  E3  B2

Root, fifth, octave, fifth on every beat. The fifth is the one interval that never clashes with a major or minor chord, so the line moves constantly and still sits under everything. This is what Retro Pulse Bass was built for.

5. The walk-down turnaround

8ths    1     &     2     &     3     &     4     &
F#m     F#2   F#2   F#2   F#2   F#2   F#2   F#2   E2
D       D2    D2    D2    D2    D2    D2    F#2   G#2
A       A2    A2    A2    A2    A2    A2    G#2   F#2
E       E2    E2    E2    E2    E2    E2    E2    E3

Straight 8ths on the root, but the last one or two of each bar step to the next chord: F#, E into D; F#, G# up into A; G#, F# down into E; and an octave pop that throws the loop back to F#. It makes a four-chord loop sound composed rather than sequenced.

Build a synthwave bassline with CoProducer

At daw.veena.studio, sign in with Google and paste:

Make a 106 BPM synthwave track in F# minor over F#m, D, A and E, one chord per bar: an 8th-note octave bassline on Retro Pulse Bass in the verse that switches to a 16th-note pulse on the root in the chorus, a 16th-note Bright Pluck arpeggio an octave and a half above it, Warm Pad chords, 80s drums on the Electronic kit with a big, roomy snare on 2 and 4, and a Bright Saw Lead hook in the chorus. 8-bar intro, 16-bar verse, 16-bar chorus, 8-bar breakdown, 16-bar final chorus.

Name the tempo, as this prompt does. In Veena's own data only 9.4% of first requests give a BPM; give yours and CoProducer writes every part to it. It sets 106 BPM and F# minor, writes first the parts others depend on, then the bass and arpeggio against the notes actually placed, and offers 3 options for each part. Pick with Enter; change your mind while the carousel is still open.

Dial in the pulse

Retro Pulse Bass is a square-wave pulse with a quieter saw blended in and a chorus that is part of the sound, not an add-on. Its four knobs:

• BRIGHTNESS: the filter, from a muffled 300 Hz thump to a 4 kHz buzz. Pull it down for the verse and up for the chorus by giving each section its own clip; the knobs live on the clip.
• MOVEMENT: a slow swirl in the pulse's width, the 80s shimmer. Push it for a dreamier bass under a breakdown.
• BODY: more square and less saw. Up for weight, down for bite.
• EDGE: drive. The gallop wants it high; the octave bass sounds most 1985 with it low.

In the piano roll, snap to 1/2 Beat for 8ths or 1/4 Beat for 16ths, and use Ctrl or Cmd with the up or down arrow to move a whole section an octave. Keep velocities flat: the machine feel is the point. Or ask in words: "make the bass pulse in 16ths from bar 17", "add a walk-down into every chord change".

Where synthwave bass goes wrong

1. Humanizing it. Swing and loose timing turn a sequencer into a bass player. Keep it on the grid.
2. Drawn too low. An F#1 on Retro Pulse Bass sounds at 23 Hz. Draw octave 2.
3. Bass and arp in the same register. Keep the arp an octave and a half up.
4. A new pattern every bar. Pick one per section and let it run.

For the full track, see how to make synthwave. The disco octave cousin of pattern 1 lives in house bassline grooves, and the 8-bit side of retro is in chiptune melody patterns. The bassline generator writes any of these against your drums, and the chord progression generator writes the loop underneath.