Michael Jackson - PYT | Lead Synth Patch Remake

Remaking the lead synth from the 1983 song "PYT" by Michael Jackson can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "PYT" 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

The short, sawtooth lead that answers the chorus in Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” is a bright, horn‑style synth with a fast filter‑envelope attack, with subtle unison/chorus/phaser for slightly smeared timbre. You hear it as quick fills answering the vocal hook during each chorus. The part features an expressive and sharp pitch‑bend vibrato on one note. Programmers and session reports credit Jupiter‑series keyboards doubled with a Prophet‑5 on the Thriller sessions.

Original Performing Instrument

Roland Jupiter-6

Our Remake of The Lead Synth sound

This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the lead synth from the song "PYT" by Michael Jackson, 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
• Legato: On
• Glide Time: 0.008 s

Oscillator Setup

Oscillator 1

• Mix: 71%
• Wavetable: Default Saw
• Routing: Filter 1
• Random Phase: 1%
• Unison Voices: 3
• Unison Detune: 4%
• Unison Blend: 0.37
• Unison Stereo Spread: 19%
• Modulations:
• Lfo 1 → Transpose

Oscillator 2

• Mix: 29%
• Wavetable: Default Saw
• Routing: Filter 1
• Random Phase: 0%
• Transpose: 12 st

Envelope Settings

Envelope 1 (Amp)

• Attack: 6 ms
• Sustain: 100%
• Release: 101 ms

Envelope 2

• Attack: 5 ms
• Decay: 1.00 s
• Sustain: 80%
• Release: 70 ms
• Routed to:
• Filter FX Cutoff (80%)

LFO Settings

LFO 1

• Mode: Trigger
• Sync: Tempo Dotted
• Tempo: 1/32
• Shape: Triangle
• Destinations:
• Osc 1 Transpose (amount 0%)

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: 29%
• Cutoff: 2260.6 Hz
• Spread: 0.07

Phaser

• Mix: 38%
• Blend: Default (1)
• Center: 1028.0 Hz
• Feedback: Default (50%)
• Depth: Default (2400%)
• Phase Offset: 0
• Sync: Default (Tempo)
• Tempo: Freeze

Eq

• Low Mode: High-Pass
• Low Cutoff: 642.600 Hz
• Low Resonance: Default (32%)
• Band Cutoff: 2122.841 Hz
• Band Resonance: Default (45%)
• Band Gain: -4 dB
• High Mode: Low-Pass
• High Cutoff: 12432.170 Hz
• High Resonance: Default (32%)

Filter Fx

• Mix: Default (100%)
• Model: Analog
• Style: 12dB Slope
• Blend: Low Pass (0)
• Cutoff: 50% (332.666 Hz)
• Resonance: 26%

Reverb

• Mix: 26%
• Size: 0%
• Chorus Amount: 5%
• Chorus Frequency: Default (0.250 Hz)
• Time: -6.000 s

Modulation Matrix

• LFO 1 → Osc 1 Transpose 0%
• Mod Wheel → Modulation 1 Amount 12%
• Envelope 2 → Filter FX Cutoff 80%

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

Explore More

• P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (Wikipedia)
• How I Programmed the Lead Synth on Michael Jackson’s PYT (Anthony Marinelli) (YouTube)
• Greg Phillinganes recreates synth parts from Michael Jackson’s Thriller (MusicTech)
• Michael Jackson’s Keyboards (The Synthesizer Sympathizer)
• Here’s how the synth bass sound for Michael Jackson’s “PYT” was programmed (MusicRadar)

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