Remaking the lead synth from the 1991 song "Dominator" by Human Resource can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Dominator" 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
Human Resource’s 1991 track “Dominator” is renowned for its aggressive hoover lead, a sound emblematic of early ’90s rave music. This distinctive timbre was crafted using the Roland Alpha Juno synthesizer’s “What the…” preset, notable for its unique pulse-width modulation capabilities. The hoover sound’s prominence in “Dominator” significantly influenced the hardcore techno genre. You can hear this iconic lead synth at the very beginning of the track.
Original Performing Instrument
Roland Alpha Juno - "What the..." 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 "Dominator" by Human Resource, 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 up to three challenge packs 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: 2900 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 70%
- Oscillator 2
- Waveform: Saw
- Pitch: +2 Octaves
- Volume: 30%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Triangle
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 100%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 4
- Detune Range: 36 Cents
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: No
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 55%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 35%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 300 ms
Modulation Envelope
- Destination: Pitch
- Modulation Amount: 8 Semitones
- Attack: 130 ms
- Decay: 1200 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 1200 ms
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Dominator (Human Resource song) (Wikipedia)
- Human Resource “Dominator” | Insomniac
- How to design a Dominator-style hoover sound with AudioRealism’s ReDominator (MusicRadar)
- Alpha Juno B86 What the aka hoover sound (YouTube)
- MV-8000: Create that famous Alpha Juno HOOVER sound! (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