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3. Rhythmic synthwave arpeggios

1 The arpeggiated patterns in synthwave provide a melodic function, but also push the track forward with their rhythm. Here we’re using u-he Diva to create our sound – load it up and select the INIT Jupe-8 template. To get things going, lower the pitch of VCO 1 by turning the octave range control down to 16'.

2 It’s too bright, but we can shave off the super-high-end by moving the filter Cutoff slider to 130. It’s a little smoother, so we’ll shape the sound with the amplitude envelope. For this type of sound, it’s best if the notes don’t sustain and have a slightly trailing release. Head to Analogue Env 1 and move the Decay slider to 40, Sustain to 0 and Release to 40.

3 What synthwave arp would be complete without pitch modulation? Head to LFO 1 and move the Depth Mod dial to 0. This bypasses the mod wheel’s control over LFO1. To hear the vibrato, head to the tuning section and turn the Vibrato control to 15. It’s now time to process the synth with effects…

4 Drop in PSP cmDelay and select the Rich Doubler preset to give a slight chorusing effect. Finally, drop in a reverb – we’re using ValhallaDSP’s VintageVerb, but any reverb will do. We turn the Mix dial down to 25% to blend in more of the dry signal, tempering the reverb’s effect.