Undertale - Hopes and Dream | Strings Synth Patch Remake

Remaking the strings synth from the 2015 song "Hopes and Dream" by Undertale can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Hopes and Dream" strings 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 strings at the start of “Hopes and Dreams” are a sampled orchestral string patch used as a soundfont in Toby Fox’s FL Studio project. But we’re going to attempt a synth recreation here utilizing multiple waveforms, a comb filter, and careful envelope modulation of various parameters. The tone is clearly a sampled string ensemble rather than a live orchestra, with the slightly synthetic attack and uniform vibrato typical of soundfont patches. Community-sourced sample lists commonly identify the patch as coming from SGM or the Saint James Orchestra soundfonts.

Original Performing Instrument

SGM Soundfont

Our Remake of The Strings Synth sound

This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the strings synth from the song "Hopes and Dream" by Undertale, 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: Poly 2

Oscillator Setup

Oscillator 1

• Mix: 0%
• Wavetable: Default Saw
• Routing: Filter 1
• Morph:
• Wave Morph Amount: 18%
• Wave Morph Type: FM <- Osc 2
• Modulations:
• Velocity → Level

Oscillator 2

• Mix: 0%
• Wavetable: Basic Shapes
• Wave Frame: Saw (position 114)
• Routing: Effects
• Transpose: 12 st
• Unison Voices: 16
• Unison Detune: 4%
• Unison Stereo Spread: 100%
• Modulations:
• Lfo 1 → Unison Detune

Oscillator 3

• Mix: 19%
• Wavetable: Default Saw
• Routing: Filter 1
• Transpose: 12 st
• Unison Voices: 5
• Unison Detune: 7%
• Unison Stereo Spread: 100%
• Modulations:
• Env 2 → Level

Sample Oscillator

• Sample: White Noise
• Routing: Filter 2
• Level: 51%
• Modulations:
• Env 2 → Level

Filter Settings

Filter 1

• Filter Mix: 100%
• Model: Analog
• Style: 12dB Slope
• Blend: Low Pass (0)
• Cutoff: 50% (324.802 Hz)
• Resonance: 8%
• Keytrack: 73%
• Modulations:
• Env 2 → Cutoff

Filter 2

• Model: Comb
• Style: Spread Comb
• Cutoff: 56% (523.251 Hz)
• Resonance: 94%
• Blend: 0.63
• Blend Transpose: 14
• Keytrack: 100%
• Modulations:
• Env 2 → Blend

Envelope Settings

Envelope 1 (Amp)

• Attack: 28 ms
• Decay: 176 ms
• Sustain: 60%
• Release: 132 ms
• Attack Curve: Logarithmic

Envelope 2

• Attack: 28 ms
• Decay: 349 ms
• Sustain: 15%
• Release: 172 ms
• Attack Curve: Logarithmic
• Decay Curve: Exponential
• Routed to:
• Filter 1 Cutoff (31%)
• Osc 3 Level (64%)
• Reverb Dry Wet (-17%)
• Filter 2 Blend (45%)
• Sample Level (33%)

LFO Settings

LFO 1

• Mode: Trigger
• Sync: Tempo
• Tempo: 1/2
• Shape: Triangle
• Destinations:
• Osc 2 Unison Detune (amount 14%)

Effects Processing (Ordered)

Eq

• Low Mode: High-Pass
• Low Cutoff: 130.598 Hz
• Low Resonance: 24%
• Band Cutoff: 603.787 Hz
• Band Resonance: 38%
• Band Gain: -5 dB

Reverb

• Mix: 68%
• Size: 68%
• Chorus Amount: 5%
• Chorus Frequency: Default (0.250 Hz)
• Time: 0.969 s
• Pre Low Cutoff: 39% (148.469 Hz)

Modulation Matrix

• Envelope 2 → Filter 1 Cutoff 31%
• LFO 1 → Osc 2 Unison Detune 14%
• Envelope 2 → Osc 3 Level 64%
• Envelope 2 → Reverb Dry Wet -17%
• Velocity → Osc 1 Level 94%
• Envelope 2 → Filter 2 Blend 45%
• Envelope 2 → Sample Level 33%

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

Explore More

• Hopes and Dreams – Undertale Wiki (Fandom)
• The UNDERTALE Music Sample List (Google Docs)
• UNDERTALE Music Sample List Archive (Scribd)
• Hopes and Dreams INSTRUMENTS (STEMS) – YouTube
• How Toby Fox Composed the Music of UNDERTALE – 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:

• Vital

Comments

This recipe is the result of a Syntorial community preset remake request. Need support remaking this sound? Have comments?