Remaking the lead synth from the 1980 song "Enola Gay" by OMD can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Enola Gay" 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
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s 1980 single “Enola Gay” features a piercing lead synthesizer sound that dominates its melodic structure. Its sharp, piercing quality is achieved by combining a heavy use of resonance with a wide-open low-pass filter. This distinctive lead enters prominently at 0:07, forming the track’s signature motif that persists throughout the arrangement.
Original Performing Instrument
Korg Micro-Preset
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 "Enola Gay" by OMD, 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: Poly
- Voice Count: 2
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 0 ms
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 20 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 70%
- Volume: 100%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 2
- Detune Range: 3 Cents
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: No
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 85%
- Resonance: 85%
Reverb
- Mix: 20% Wet
- Size: Big
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- The Synths Behind OMD’s Enola Gay – YouTube
- Enola Gay by OMD | Keyboard Synth Sounds Patch Library Eighties
- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: How To Sound Like OMD
- The 40 greatest synth sounds of all time, No 39: OMD – Enola Gay
- OMD ‘Enola Gay’ – Electronic Sound
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
