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4. Creating synth pop

1

Let’s start with the beat – and yes, we can go full LinnDrum again! But also, any of the original wave of Roland drum machines is historically appropriate, and don’t forget that the free CM Plugin Instruments Suite contains the AudioRealism ADM CM plugin, which emulates Roland’s 606-alike techniques.

2

We must include a special mention for gated snares, as used by Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and eventually everybody else. Take your initial snare part, and add a reverb plugin, ideally with a longer halltype tail, then a noise gate to cut that tail off. Still weirdly cool.

3

The bass part might be a live player with their Wal strapped up high, or it could be a synth (an SH-101 like the one available from Roland’s Cloud as shown) playing a classic disco-style octave bass part. If your synth doesn’t have one, use an arpeggiator plugin to help achieve the desired effect.

4

At one point in the 80s, there was a definite trend where sampled orchestral stabs were getting used – and overused. But they’re still legit. Source the necessary samples from a Fairlight CMI, the Arturia version or the official iOS app, or map your own sounds to a MIDI keyboard – this is surprisingly effective.

5

Elsewhere we mention the Roland Juno-60, a classic analogue synth, but the 80s witnessed the rise of the coldertoned digital synths, and the best way to add that to your projects is with the sound of the Yamaha DX7. There are many plugins and sample packs available (including the freeware Dexed as shown).

6

Vocal takes might be spliced together, but there were no pitch correction or Auto-tune effects – so the final vocal tracks wouldn’t have the robotic perfection we take for granted these days. What you’d get is hardware reverbs, and more tracks of vocals, like double-tracked leads or backing harmonies.