Remaking the lead synth from the 1991 song "Charly" by The Prodigy can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Charly" 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 lead synthesizer sound in The Prodigy’s “Charly” is a classic example of the iconic ‘hoover’ sound, which starts at 0:02. This sound is reminiscent of the “Dominator” patch by Human Resource and is characterized by a distinctive, aggressive timbre.
Original Performing Instrument
Roland Alpha Juno
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 "Charly" by The Prodigy, 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: 20 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 50%
- Volume: 70%
- Oscillator 2
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 50%
- Pitch: +2 Octaves
- Volume: 30%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Triangle
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 200%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 4
- Detune Range: 21 Cents
- Stereo Spread: 10%
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: No
- Noise Volume: 10%
Filter
- Type: Band Pass
- Cutoff: 65%
- Resonance: 40%
- Key Tracking: 70%
Pitch Bend
- Range: +/- 5 Semitones
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- The Prodigy’s Charly: The story of the cartoon-sampling rave hit (MusicRadar)
- How to sound like The Prodigy: “The organ style intro stab of No Good… Start Here” (MusicRadar)
- Easy Hoover Synth Tutorial – YouTube
- How to design a Dominator-style hoover sound with AudioRealism’s ReDominator (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:
- Primer, our free synthesizer VST
