Remaking the pluck synth from the 1995 song "Insomnia" by Faithless can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Insomnia" pluck 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 pluck synthesizer sound in Faithless’s “Insomnia,” starting at 2:18, is a defining element of the track’s energetic and driving rhythm. This sound is generated by a Roland JP-8000, giving its characteristic plucked, percussive quality. The sound is layered and textured, adding depth to the track’s dynamic build-up. We’ll recreate this sound with just a single synth patch by using techniques such as detuning oscillators, adding noise, and modulating the filter envelope to achieve the desired thickness and movement.
Original Performing Instrument
Roland JD-800 (pizzicato preset)
Our Remake of The Pluck Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the pluck synth from the song "Insomnia" by Faithless, 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: Poly
- Voice Count: 2
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 10 ms
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 15 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Volume: 50%
- Oscillator 2
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 50%
- Pitch: +1 Octave
- Volume: 50%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Triangle
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 45%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 40%
- Resonance: 45%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 50%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 250 ms
- Sustain: 0%
Modulation Envelope
- Destination: Pitch
- Modulation Amount: 3 Octaves
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 20 ms
- Sustain: 0%
Delay
- Mix: 25% Wet
- Feedback: 50%
- Time: 1/4 Note
Reverb
- Mix: 30% Wet
- Size: Big
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- The 40 greatest synth sounds of all time, No 33: Faithless – Insomnia (MusicRadar)
- How to play INSOMNIA – Faithless Piano Tutorial [main synth riff] (YouTube)
- Roland Keyboard Rigs with Sister Bliss of Faithless
- How To Recreate Faithless’ ‘Insomnia’ In 60 Seconds – Dailymotion (Dailymotion)
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