Kraftwerk - Neon Lights | Keys Synth Patch Remake

Remaking the keys synth from the 1978 song "Neon Lights" by Kraftwerk can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Neon Lights" keys 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

Those twinkly, plucky keys in Kraftwerk’s “Neon Lights” (original German title “Neonlicht”) enter at 1:59 and provide the song’s bright, melodic sparkle. The tone is made from two thin pulse waves an octave apart with a long release and a 16th-note amplitude LFO that creates delay-like repeition, allowing each note to stack on the previous, creating fading and morphing chords. A strongly resonant low-pass filter with sweeping movement gives the sound its phasey, sweeping character. The part sits high in the mix as the track’s distinctive plucked-key hook.

Original Performing Instrument

ARP Odyssey

Our Remake of The Keys Synth sound

This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the keys synth from the song "Neon Lights" by Kraftwerk, 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: Mono

Oscillator Setup

Oscillator 1

• Mix: 0%
• Wavetable: Basic Shapes
• Wave Frame: Thin Pulse (position 237)
• Routing: Filter 1
• Random Phase: 0%
• Unison Detune: 2%
• Morph:
• Wave Morph Amount: 0%
• Modulations:
• Lfo 2 → Level

Oscillator 2

• Mix: 0%
• Wavetable: Basic Shapes
• Wave Frame: Thin Pulse (position 256)
• Routing: Filter 1
• Random Phase: 0%
• Transpose: 12 st
• Unison Detune: 2%
• Morph:
• Wave Morph Amount: 0%
• Modulations:
• Lfo 2 → Level

Filter Settings

Filter 1

• Model: Analog
• Style: 12dB Slope
• Blend: Low Pass (0)
• Cutoff: 106% (21096.164 Hz)
• Resonance: 80%
• Modulations:
• Lfo 1 → Cutoff

Envelope Settings

Envelope 1 (Amp)

• Attack: 2 ms
• Sustain: 100%
• Release: 3.28 s
• Release Curve: Exponential

LFO Settings

LFO 1

• Mode: Sync
• Sync: Tempo
• Tempo: 4/1
• Shape: Triangle (custom)
• Destinations:
• Filter 1 Cutoff (amount 73%)

LFO 2

• Mode: Trigger
• Sync: Tempo
• Tempo: 1/16
• Shape: Triangle (custom)
• Destinations:
• Osc 1 Level (amount 9%)
• Osc 2 Level (amount 85%)

Effects Processing (Ordered)

Chorus

• Voices: 4
• 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: 19%
• Cutoff: 17047.0 Hz
• Spread: Default (1)

Reverb

• Mix: 19%
• Size: Default (50%)
• Chorus Amount: 5%
• Chorus Frequency: Default (0.250 Hz)
• Time: Default (0.000 s)
• High Shelf Cutoff: 82% (3635.136 Hz)
• High Shelf Gain: -6 dB
• Pre High Cutoff: 77% (2375.269 Hz)
• Pre Low Cutoff: 46% (237.309 Hz)

Modulation Matrix

• LFO 1 → Filter 1 Cutoff 73%
• LFO 2 → Osc 1 Level 9%
• LFO 2 → Osc 2 Level 85%

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

Explore More

• The Man-Machine (Wikipedia)
• Landmark Productions: Kraftwerk – The Man Machine (MusicTech)
• Equipment – The Kraftwerk FAQ
• Kraftwerk’s influential 1978 album The Man-Machine (Electronic Sound)
• Interview With Karl Bartos (Synth History)

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