Remaking the lead synth from the 1984 song "Pearl In The Shell" by Howard Jones can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Pearl In The Shell" lead 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
Howard Jones’ “Pearl in the Shell,” released in May 1984 as the fourth single from his debut album Human’s Lib, epitomizes the sophisticated synthpop sound that defined the mid-1980s new wave era. The song features a distinctive bell-like lead synthesizer sound during the verses, created by layering a triangle wave one octave above a saw wave, producing the characteristic bell-like shimmer that cuts through the mix. This crystalline tone became a signature element of Jones’ technology-intensive approach to synthpop, which merged new wave’s electronic foundation with melodic accessibility. The bell lead can be heard prominently during the verse sections, starting around the vocal entry and providing harmonic support throughout the song’s melodic passages.
Original Performing Instrument
Unknown
Our Remake of The Lead Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the lead synth from the song "Pearl In The Shell" by Howard Jones, 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: 10000 ms
- Sustain: 50%
- Release: 20 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 20%
- Oscillator 2
- Waveform: Triangle
- Pitch: +1 Octave
- Volume: 80%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 2
- Detune Range: 5 Cents
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: Yes
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 70%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 10%
- Attack: 10 ms
- Decay: 700 ms
- Sustain: 0%
Delay
- Mix: 35% Wet
- Feedback: 10%
- Time: 1/8 Note
Reverb
- Mix: 20% Wet
- Size: Medium
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Pearl in the Shell (Wikipedia)
- Howard Jones : Pearl In The Shell (Synth cover) – Jupiter 8 and DX7 Recreation (YouTube)
- Synth-pop pioneer Howard Jones looks back on 40 years – Equipment Discussion (MyNBC15)
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
