Roger & Zapp 80's synth sounds

Smellhound · Post by **Smellhound** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:16 am

I'm trying to figure out as many different ways as possible to get the nice vibrato-heavy 80's synth chord sounds.

this is a good modern example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-QLrnTemto

listen to the big chord on every 4th beat. I know a lot of soft-synths can imitate that, but I don't think I've ever heard one with that much stereo width and thickness. any ideas?

aqua_tek · Post by **aqua_tek** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:40 am

Haven't listened to the track, but for those old 80's chords it's all about detuned oscillators + vibrato + chorus. The chorus is what gives them width and thickness. Try some low-pass filter envelopes too.

I also sometimes like to transpose one of the oscillators an octave, or a 5th above the other. In a way, the chord covers more spectral space (i'm making this up but it makes sense to me) so it sounds fuller. This transposition thing is just something I play with and vary to my liking, really. Sometimes I'll transpose one oscillator an octave above, or below, or a 5th, etc. And with synths that have more than 2 oscillators you can have a combination of these, to make it more interesting. But anyways, nowadays we're all a little guilty for overproducing our stuff.

Back then they kept it basic

and the basics are still detuning + vibrato + chorus.

Smellhound · Post by **Smellhound** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:02 am

cool thanks for the tips...i haven't tried chorus too much but maybe that's what i'm lacking

SolutionG · Post by **SolutionG** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:24 am

It's all about VIBRATO. Learn how to funk it up on the modwheel!

Roger & Zapp 80's synth sounds

Roger & Zapp 80's synth sounds

Re: Roger & Zapp 80's synth sounds

Re: Roger & Zapp 80's synth sounds

Re: Roger & Zapp 80's synth sounds