Remaking the pad synth from the 2002 song "On The Run" by Tillman Uhrmacher can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "On The Run" 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
That wide, lush pad in Tillmann Uhrmacher’s “On The Run” is most prominent at 2:30 in the Ocean To Shore Club Extended mix. It sounds like a unisoned sawtooth pad with stereo detune, a rounded low-pass filter and long release for a smooth fade out. The patch is mixed wide to create a spacious bed under the lead and arpeggiated elements. The pad anchors the breakdown and provides harmonic warmth beneath the melody.
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 "On The Run" by Tillman Uhrmacher, 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 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: Poly
- Voice Count: 6
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 1900 ms
- Sustain: 80%
- Release: 1650 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 100%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 4
- Detune Range: 12 Cents
- Stereo Spread: 50%
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: No
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 65%
- Resonance: 35%
- Key Tracking: 50%
Reverb
- Mix: 10% Wet
- Size: Medium
Velocity
- Destination: Volume
- Modulation Amount: 100%
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Tillmann Uhrmacher – On The Run (Discogs master release)
- Tillmann Uhrmacher – On The Run (Discogs release, 2002)
- Tillmann Uhrmacher – On The Run (Discogs release entry)
- Trance charts listing that includes Tillmann Uhrmacher – On The Run (Juno)
- r/trance discussion mentioning Tillmann Uhrmacher – On The Run (Reddit)
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
- Vital
Comments
This recipe is the result of a Syntorial community preset remake request. Need support remaking this sound? Have comments?
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