Future Bound - Liquid Groove | Pad Synth Patch Remake

Remaking the pad synth from the 1996 song "Liquid Groove" by Future Bound can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Liquid Groove" pad 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

Futurebound’s “Liquid Grove” opens with a swirling pad synthesizer that establishes the track’s atmospheric foundation. This sound features a lush, evolving texture combining multiple layered oscillators with various sources of modulation to generate its dynamic movement. The sound dominates the track’s introduction, heard prominently from the very first note as it sets the stage for the drum-and-bass rhythm to follow.

Original Performing Instrument

Unknown

Our Remake of The Pad Synth sound

This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the pad synth from the song "Liquid Groove" by Future Bound, 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 allx 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 7
• Tune: 0

Oscillator Setup

Oscillator 1

• Mix: 2%
• Wavetable: Basic Shapes
• Wave Frame: Square (position 158)
• Routing: Filter 1
• Stack Style: Style 9
• Unison Voices: 2
• Unison Detune: 8%
• Unison Blend: 0.90
• Unison Stereo Spread: 0%
• Modulations:
• Velocity → Level

Oscillator 2

• Mix: 0%
• Wavetable: Basic Shapes
• Wave Frame: Medium Pulse (position 193)
• Routing: Filter 1
• Transpose: 12 st
• Unison Voices: 2
• Unison Detune: 8%
• Unison Stereo Spread: 2%
• Modulations:
• Velocity → Level

Sample Oscillator

• Sample: Pink Noise
• Routing: Filter 2
• Level: 27%

Filter Settings

Filter 1

• Model: Analog
• Style: 12dB Slope
• Blend: Low Pass (0)
• Cutoff: 80% (3071.158 Hz)
• Resonance: 32%
• Modulations:
• Lfo 1 → Cutoff

Envelope Settings

Envelope 1 (Amp)

• Attack: 41 ms
• Sustain: 100%
• Release: 203 ms

LFO Settings

LFO 1

• Mode: Trigger
• Sync: Tempo
• Tempo: 8/1
• Shape: Triangle
• Destinations:
• Filter 1 Cutoff (amount 39%)
• Filter Fx Cutoff (amount 35%)
• Eq Band Cutoff (amount 37%)

Effects Processing (Ordered)

Chorus

• Voices: Default (16)
• Sync: Default (Tempo)
• Tempo: Default (4/1)
• Depth: Default (50%)
• Delay 1: Default (2.0 ms)
• Delay 2: Default (7.8 ms)
• Feedback: 0%
• Mix: 30%
• Cutoff: 938.6 Hz
• Spread: 0.63

Phaser

• Mix: Default (100%)
• Blend: Default (1)
• Center: 1445.8 Hz
• Feedback: 95%
• Depth: 4523%
• Phase Offset: 0
• Sync: Default (Tempo)
• Tempo: Default (8/1)

Eq

• Low Mode: High-Pass
• Low Cutoff: 315.759 Hz
• Low Resonance: Default (32%)
• Band Cutoff: 497.431 Hz
• Band Resonance: 59%
• Band Gain: 7 dB
• High Mode: Low-Pass
• High Cutoff: 7633.607 Hz
• High Resonance: Default (32%)

Delay

• Mix: 48%
• Sync: Default (Tempo)
• Delay: 1/4
• Feedback: 44%
• Filter Cutoff: 86
• Filter Spread: Default (100%)
• Style: Default (Mono)

Reverb

• Mix: 54%
• Size: 100%
• Chorus Amount: 5%
• Chorus Frequency: Default (0.250 Hz)
• Time: 1.938 s
• Low Shelf Cutoff: 21% (39.236 Hz)
• Low Shelf Gain: -6 dB

Modulation Matrix

• LFO 1 → Filter 1 Cutoff 39%
• Velocity → Osc 1 Level 97%
• Velocity → Osc 2 Level 53%
• LFO 1 → Filter FX Cutoff 35%
• LFO 1 → EQ Band Cutoff 37%

Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.

Explore More

• Future Bound – Liquid Groove (YouTube) – Original track release details
• Futurebound – Liquid Groove (1996) (YouTube) – Note: Missing pad synthesizer sound information
• Arturia Sounds (Arturia) – General synth sound design resources
• AA – Future Bound – Liquid Groove (YouTube) – Additional track version
• Future Bound – Sorrow / Liquid Groove (Discogs) – Track release information

*Note: None of the provided sources explicitly detail the creation of the pad synthesizer sound in “Liquid Groove.” For accurate recreation, consider consulting specialized synth programming tutorials or forums focused on 90s drum and bass production techniques.*

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:

• Vital

Comments

This recipe is the result of a Syntorial community preset remake request. Need support remaking this sound? Have comments?