Remaking the lead synth from the 1981 song "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Don't You Want Me" 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
The Human League’s 1981 hit “Don’t You Want Me” from the album *Dare* features a signature lead synthesizer sound that dominates the track’s opening moments. This expansive, smeared timbre was primarily created using a Roland Jupiter-4. The sound combines oscillators tuned to fifths, a sub oscillator for low end bass, and liberal use of unison and chorus effects to achieve its characteristic width and richness. The lead enters prominently at 0:04, providing the track’s iconic melodic foundation before the vocal exchange begins.
Original Performing Instrument
Roland Jupiter-4
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 "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League, 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
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 300 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 50%
- Oscillator 2
- Waveform: Saw
- Pitch: +7 Semitones
- Volume: 50%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 45%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 4
- Detune Range: 17 Cents
- Stereo Spread: 100%
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: No
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 60%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 50%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 750 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 8000 ms
Chorus
- Mix: 50% Wet
- Rate: Medium
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- The Synths Behind Don’t You Want Me – YouTube
- Human League – Don’t You Want Me Synth Discussion – Gearspace
- Classic Tracks: Human League ‘Don’t You Want Me’ – Sound on Sound
- The Synths Used On ‘Don’t You Want Me’ – Sonicstate
- The 40 Greatest Synth Sounds: Human League ‘Don’t You Want Me’ – MusicRadar
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
Comments
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