LA synthesis with Phase Plant

Let’s use Kilohearts’ modular plugin instrument to layer samples and synthesis

It’s simple to create a sawtooth pad in Phase Plant. From the initialised preset, start with an analogue generator (which defaults to a sawtooth), add a touch of unison for thickening, and increase the attack and release of the output envelope for a pad character. Next, add an LPF with reduced cutoff.

For the sampled layer, create a second group containing a Sample generator and Output object. Since we want to keep this element very bright, there’s no need for filtering. Once you have these components in place, you can further adjust the amp envelope, if needed. From there, balance the levels of each group.

Before you add the transient, take some time to familiarise yourself with the samples available in Phase Plant, as its library is extensive. The Transient, Decay, and Mallet folders include numerous options for layering. (Full disclosure: my company, Symplesound, designed and optimised many of the factory samples specifically for this type of layered synthesis.)

Once you have a blend of two elements that suits your goal, process their combined output using Phase Plant’s effects lanes. The classic method for LA synthesis is to add a chorus, followed by a large hall reverb. A very wet sound will give you a more iconic ’80s effect.