Remaking the lead synth from the 1990 song "Policy Of Truth" by Depeche Mode can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Policy Of Truth" 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
Depeche Mode’s “Policy of Truth,” released in 1990 as the third single from their acclaimed album *Violator*, features one of the band’s most distinctive lead synthesizer sounds. The metallic, airy lead that enters at 0:13 was created using a single guitar note that was sampled, looped, and processed to achieve a built-in vibrato effect, then played back from a keyboard. Here, we’ll recreate it using just a synth, utilizing FM for the metallic guitar-tone.
Original Performing Instrument
Emulator III
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 "Policy Of Truth" by Depeche Mode, 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
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: 350 ms
Oscillators
- FM Amount: 25%
- Carrier
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 100%
- Modulator
- Waveform: Sine
- Pitch: +16 Semitones
- Volume: 0%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 4
- Detune Range: 8 Cents
- Stereo Spread: 20%
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: No
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 70%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 15%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 550 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 10000 ms
Chorus
- Mix: 50% Wet
- Rate: Slow
Reverb
- Mix: 40% Wet
- Size: Medium
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Notes And Observations
Likely made with a guitar sample, but we’ll try to get close with just a synth
Explore More
- Policy of Truth (Wikipedia)
- Policy Of Truth – Depeche Mode Live Wiki
- DX5 Playing DM “Policy of Truth” (updated) – YouTube
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
- Vital
