Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Calvin Harris Blessings guitar
Artists Calvin Harris reveals the unconventional method he used to record the guitar riff on new single, Blessings
Plugins
Plugins How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
Home studio
Music Theory And Songwriting You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
Calvin Harris and Chicane
Artists Calvin Harris slams claim that his new single Blessings sounds too similar to Chicane's Offshore
GForce Software Oddity3
Synths How to master virtually any software synth
bon iver
Music Production Tutorials "It’s simple enough to create the perfect hard-tuned and harmonised effects within our DAW, providing you have the right software": How to harness hard-tuned vocals
Fors Pivot
Synths Pivot is a ‘no-nonsense’ FM synth plugin from the designer of one of our favourite hardware instruments
  1. Tutorials
  2. Music Production Tutorials

How to make Calvin Harris Bounce-style synth sounds

Tuition
By Future Music ( Future Music ) published 22 September 2011

Recreate Harris' lo-fi intro hook

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Up and down

Up and down

It’s not all about high-fidelity when it comes to designing sounds for a chart-topping tune, as Calvin Harris proved with the cute-sounding lo-fi opening melody to his 128bpm dancefloor smash Bounce.

Mr Harris is emulating the legendary 4.19MHz processing Nintendo Game Boy’s 8-bit tones, first released in 1989 and running on four AA batteries.

Later in Bounce, the same lead melody completely contrasts with that intro and transforms the track, rolling into a fat, deep, rich, searing sawtooth lead. It’s these elements of light and shade that keep the listener interested, and you can borrow these ideas to spice up your own beats.

For this sound, we are using two opposing factors: a monophonic pulse-width lead that’s drenched in reverb and a completely dry square wave polyphonic lo-fi sound. Watch the video below and then check out our step-by-step tutorial.

NEXT: Making Calvin Harris Bounce-style synth sounds

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Lo-fi synth melody notes

Lo-fi synth melody notes

Step 1: the melody works in two sections, the high notes and the harmonising low notes, and there’s almost a baroque feel here. The low end fills out the audio spectrum and gels with the high lead licks to make a full sound.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Mono lead notes

Mono lead notes

Step 2: The mono lead is a call-and-answer, and at the end of each two-bar phrase there is a slightly longer note than the rest of the phrase that allows the synth’s modulated wobble to ring out and fill out the compressed reverb. These notes were pretty much copied and pasted from the lo-fi part, but with the lower notes removed and the phrase’s end notes lengthened.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Lo-fi synth programming

Lo-fi synth programming

Step 3: The ES2 synth fits the bill perfectly here. The fat square waves blended with a noise oscillator recreates that lo-fi Game Boy signature sound. The ES2 has warmth, fatness, and massive tweakability.

Don’t just use this example: tweak further to get your own Game Boy-style sound.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Mono lead programming

Mono lead programming

Step 4: For lead duties we have used the very capable ES1 synth. We’ve chosen the ES1 as the nasal pulse wave is perfect for cutting through the rolling beats and complementing the lo-fi ES2. On its own, it sounds pretty innocent, but add some plug-ins and the sound really opens out.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Lo-fi synth Post FX

Lo-fi synth Post FX

Step 5: There are two main reasons why this synth patch has a lo-fi sound. The first one is that there is a lot of noise created by one of the oscillators, the other reason is that the sound is deliberately dry, which brings the sound to the front of the mix – the compressor brings the sound even nearer.

We used the compressor to fully bring out all the elements of the lo-fi sound. We really wanted to hear the ‘noise’ in the mix but wanted to blend and flatten the square wave components too.

The Fat EQ has been employed to round off and fill out the low end of the sound with +10dB at 20Hz sloping off to 500Hz.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Mono lead Post FX

Mono lead Post FX

Step 6: During the creation of the lead synth sound in the video you’ll notice that the sound is dry. We did this to make sure the process was clear and exact, but it’s the reverb that really gives it life. The pre-delay gives the listener time to hear the note before the lush reverb wash comes in behind the note giving it that euphoric Ibiza hugeness.

The compressor squeezes the living daylight out of the synth and reverb combined. We’ve selected the kick drum as a sidechain to give the reverb that classic pumped vibe. Messing with the release, attack, ratio and knee, however, you get a variety of rhythmical changes which you can experiment with. The cross rhythms of the reverb pump really change the track’s rhythmic and dynamic feel.

Liked this? Now read: How to sound like a pro artist in your DAW

Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Future Music
Future Music

Future Music is the number one magazine for today's producers. Packed with technique and technology we'll help you make great new music. All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more. Every marvellous monthly edition features reliable reviews of the latest and greatest hardware and software technology and techniques, unparalleled advice, in-depth interviews, sensational free samples and so much more to improve the experience and outcome of your music-making.

Read more
Calvin Harris Blessings guitar
Calvin Harris reveals the unconventional method he used to record the guitar riff on new single, Blessings
Plugins
How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
Home studio
You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
Calvin Harris and Chicane
Calvin Harris slams claim that his new single Blessings sounds too similar to Chicane's Offshore
GForce Software Oddity3
How to master virtually any software synth
bon iver
"It’s simple enough to create the perfect hard-tuned and harmonised effects within our DAW, providing you have the right software": How to harness hard-tuned vocals
Latest in Music Production Tutorials
ableton
8 things you can do with Ableton Live's updated Auto Filter device
API
Our pick of the very best VCA compressor software emulation plugins for any music project
Native Instruments Raum
How to use reverb to build impressive-sounding filters, reverses, risers and pads
Uvi Phasor
How modulation effects work and how to use them
bon iver
"It’s simple enough to create the perfect hard-tuned and harmonised effects within our DAW, providing you have the right software": How to harness hard-tuned vocals
Plugins Future owns
Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins
Latest in Tuition
Plugins
How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
Plugin Chains
How to emulate a classic analogue recording system entirely with plugins
Odin 2
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: The Wave Warden Odin 2
ableton
8 things you can do with Ableton Live's updated Auto Filter device
Native Instruments Raum
How to use reverb to build impressive-sounding filters, reverses, risers and pads
mixing desk
“Learning how to mix is almost as important as hitting on your original musical idea”: New to the mixing process? Start here

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...