Welcome to Week 8 of Tonal Drop Thursdays!

This week, we are channeling the aggressive, machine-like textures of classic 90s industrial music. To do this, we are firing up the Moog Slim Phatty.

While Moog is famous for creamy, smooth bass, the Phatty series has a dirty secret weapon perfect for heavy electronic music: the Overload circuit. This isn't just high gain; it's a dedicated asymmetrical clipping stage placed before the filter that adds grit, compression, and nasty harmonics.

Our free patch, "Industrial Grind," combines this Overload circuit with hard Oscillator Sync to create a tearing, metallic bass sound that feels like it’s chewing through speakers.

Patch 8: Industrial Grind (Hard Sync Industrial Bass)

The Moog Slim Phatty uses high-resolution 14-bit internal processing for its control voltages. To replicate this sound exactly, we will be using the full 0-4095 range of values.

⚠️ CRITICAL: How to use Precision Mode The standard display only shows 0-127. To see and enter the precise 0-4095 values below:

1. Press the button for the parameter group you want to edit (e.g., OSCILLATORS).

2. Press AND HOLD the specific parameter button (e.g., FREQ).

3. While holding the button, turn the MASTER knob. The screen will show the exact 4-digit value.

Note: Start from an Initialized Preset (Master -> Advanced Preset -> Initialize Parameters).

1. The Oscillators (The Ripping Core)

We are using Oscillator Sync. Osc 1 provides the fundamental pitch, while Osc 2 is slaved to it and tuned higher. This creates the "tearing metal" timbre.

• OSC 1 Section:

  • Octave: 16'

  • Wave: Sawtooth (Value: 0)

  • Level: 4095 (Max)

• OSC 2 Section:

  • Octave: 8'

  • Wave: Sawtooth (Value: 0)

  • Level: 4095 (Max)

  • Freq: ~2675 (This is roughly +7 semitones. The exact detune against the sync creates the tension, so tweak to taste around this area).

• Hard Sync:

  • Go into the menu: Master button $\to$ Advanced Preset $\to$ Osc 2 Sync.

  • Set to ON.

2. The Filter & Overload (The Dirt)

This is where the Moog magic happens. We are crunching the signal with Overload and using a resonant filter to shape the grit.

• FILTER Section (Precision Mode Needed):

  • Cutoff: 1130 (Very low, dark start).

  • Resonance: 2420 (High resonance to emphasize the sync sweep harmonics).

  • Kb. Amount: 1290 (Tracks the filter slightly with pitch).

  • Eg. Amount: 2900 (A large positive envelope amount to snap the filter open).

  • Overload: 4095 (MAXIMUM). This is crucial. Crank it all the way up for that industrial growl.

3. Envelopes (The Impact)

We need a percussive shape for the filter to create a "hit," and a sustained amplitude for a grinding drone.

• FILTER EG Section (Precision Mode Needed):

  • Attack: 0 (Instant).

  • Decay: 1450 (Short, punchy "bite").

  • Sustain: 970 (Settles into a lower grumble).

  • Release: 650 (Short tail).

• VOLUME EG Section (Precision Mode Needed):

  • Attack: 0.

  • Decay: 1950.

  • Sustain: 4095 (Full volume sustain for heavy droning basslines).

  • Release: 500.

4. Modulation (The Movement)

To make the sound truly "rip," we need to sweep the frequency of the synced oscillator using the filter envelope.

• MODULATION Section:

  • LFO Rate: (Not used).

  • Source: Filter EG (Cycle through until F.EG shows on screen).

  • Destination: Osc 2 (Cycle through until OSC2 shows on screen).

  • Amount: ~1950 (Use Precision Mode. Adjust to taste. Higher values make the "rip" more dramatic during the attack phase).

Production Note: The Context

To fully capture the industrial vibe in our audio demo, we paired the Moog Slim Phatty with the organismic drums of the Soma Labs Pulsar 23. The glitchy, chaotic nature of the Pulsar is the perfect rhythmic counterpart to the Phatty's steady grind.

We also applied Valhalla Delay to the bass (using the BBD bucket brigade mode) to add metallic depth and widen the mono signal.

Record your industrial damage, tag @sonalsystem, and use #IndustrialGrind!