There’s a distinct appeal when a synth takes on an organic quality, especially when it closely mirrors the nuances of a voice. However, an appreciation for such sounds does not necessarily equate to an understanding of their creation – at least not yet.

Looking at the original sound, we can learn a few things: The synth is monophonic, with a slight echo. It seems to employ a saw wave, heavily filtered to imbue it with that organic texture. Moreover, some notes appear to glide into each other, emulating the fluid transitions typical in vocal performances.

Now that we understand the basics of the sound’s design, let’s recreate the melody as closely as possible to the original.

I’ll use a piano for this task.

Next, I’ll use one of my synths to try and match the original sound as closely as possible. Zebra from u-He offers a range of excellent filtering options and a solid legato system. It should be fit for the job, although results might not be exactly like the original since different synths can produce different sounds.

The aim isn’t to make an exact copy. We’re here to understand how to create this type of sound; so we can make many variations of this recipe.

I ended up using a variety of filters with different levels of resonance, with a cutoff that follows an envelope. Thanks to how Zebra handles things, the filter does not reset when playing in legato.

A simple mono saw wave with a single voice works for the oscillator (OSC). The low-pass (LP) filters will handle the rest.

The important aspects are the glide and the motion of the filter. The unique thing about Megata’s synth is that it’s not constantly in glide/legato. It’s humanized to a certain degree, adding some variation.

Legato

And there we have it. It’s not perfect but it’s quite close.

Synced together with the original.

Here is a quick variation, using more voices and distortion.

And an original version I did for one of my tracks with 4 different variations of that gliding synth.

I’m captivated by simple compositions that solely utilize a string ensemble. Reproducing these arrangements is a valuable exercise, particularly considering the significant effort involved in production and managing virtual instruments.

Here is the original soundtrack from Sawano Hiroyuki. It’s a 3min54 strings piece, with a classical feel.

The first step to reproduce the piece was to get the main instruments and timing right. Starting with the violin as our leading voice.

I attempted to get as close as possible using Cinematic Studio Strings, but the ensemble is slightly larger than what was used in Aldnoah Zero’s soundtrack. They used a Japanese studio orchestra (Muroya Strings), which is likely half the size of what I’m currently using.

One method I discovered to compensate for this is to use solo strings alongside the ensemble. This gives the sound more definition.

Some more work on the Cello to get all the notes and timing right…

It’s getting there but it still feels a bit stiff. I used a convolution reverb alongside an algorithmic one to get the sound I wanted. Which consists of an MCO5 IR (Studio Room) with differents mics placements and some FabFilter Pro-R.

The colors may differ from the original, but I believe the production quality is on point for the intro. It sounds a bit more powerful, less intimate, likely due to the larger size of the libraries compared to a traditional Japanese orchestra.