Yazoo - Don't Go | Lead Synth Patch Remake

Remaking the lead synth from the 1982 song "Don't Go" by Yazoo can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Don't Go" 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

That brassy, squelchy lead that opens Yazoo’s “Don’t Go” is heard from the first second and drives the intro and verses. The chorus features stacked sawtooth layers that thicken the lead. The tone’s pulsating, fat-squishy character comes from modulating the filter cutoff with a fast filter-envelope attack and decay. This signature riff is the track’s main synth hook throughout the song.

Original Performing Instrument

ARP 2600

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 "Don't Go" by Yazoo, 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.

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

Explore More

• The 40 greatest synth sounds of all time, No 12: Yazoo – Don’t Go (MusicRadar)
• Yazoo – DON’T GO – Re-created w/ Sequential Circuits Pro-One Synth (Synthtopia, 2014)
• Yazoo – Don’t Go (40th Anniversary Analog Remake) (Synthtopia, 2022)
• Don’t Go (Yazoo song) (Wikipedia)
• Vince Clarke – Equipboard (gear reference)

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?