Definition
In electronic and pop production, synths replace entire sections of the orchestra and the band. To arrange well you have to think in roles, each with a typical envelope, register, and stereo position. The same roles can be built with any synth; in parentheses are the suitable instruments from the Arturia V Collection.
The main roles
| Role | Envelope (approx. ADSR) | Register | Stereo | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pad | A 200 ms–2 s, S high, R 1–3 s | C3–C6 | wide | harmony, bed, glue |
| Pluck | A 0–5 ms, D 100–400 ms, S 0 | C4–C6 | medium-wide | harmonic rhythm, hook |
| Lead | A 0–20 ms, S high, R short | C4–C6 | center (+ wide layers) | melody, hook |
| Arpeggio | A short, D short | C4–C7 | often moving | motion, energy |
| Bass | A 0–10 ms, S high or D medium | E1–E3 | mono | foundation |
| Stab/chord | A 0, D 150–300 ms | C4–C5 | medium | punctuation |
| FX | variable | full range | wide | transitions, atmosphere |
Pad
- Filtered saw or pulse waves (LPF 1–4 kHz), light detune, chorus (Jun-6 V, Jup-8 V, Prophet-5 V, CS-80 V for luxurious pads, Solina V for string machines).
- Open voicing, few notes, often without the root (left to the bass): over Am with the bass on A, the pad can hold C4–E4–G4 (Am7 without the root).
- HP at 150–300 Hz so as not to clash with the bass.
- A slow pad (long attack) should be placed a few ms early or given a shorter attack so it doesn't arrive late on the chord change.
Pluck
- Percussive envelope, filter with high envelope amount and short decay. Excellent with a tempo-synced delay (dotted 1/8) and reverb.
- Plays broken chords or figures in eighth/sixteenth notes; in tropical house and future bass it is often the protagonist.
- Synths: Prophet-5 V, DX7 V (FM plucks and bells), Mini V for mono plucks.
Lead
- Monophonic or in legato with glide (Mini V, ARP 2600 V, Korg MS-20 V for aggressive leads, Prophet-5 V for sync leads).
- In the EDM drop: layered supersaw (see Layering).
- It must sit in the center, with any stereo layers lower in volume; it must not compete with the voice: if there is a vocal, the lead plays in the pauses or in the post-chorus.
Arpeggio
- Arpeggiator at 1/16 or 1/8, range of 1–3 octaves, gate 50–80%, modes up, down, up-down, or random.
- Creates movement without adding harmony: ideal in verses and build-ups. A classic of synthwave and italo disco (Giorgio Moroder, I Feel Love, 1977, with sequences in sixteenth notes).
- Automate the filter cutoff during the arpeggio to make the section “open up.”
Bass
- Mono, clear fundamental; see Bass Lines and 808 Lines.
- A bass synth with a filtered saw (Mini V, SEM V) must have a single source below 100 Hz.
Combining the roles
- Verse: bass + pluck or light arpeggio + voice.
- Pre-chorus: the pad comes in, the arpeggio opens its filter.
- Chorus/drop: full pad, lead or pluck as protagonist, full bass.
- Breakdown: pad alone or pad + arpeggio.
Density rule: no more than 4 simultaneous functions (see Density and Space).
Common mistakes
- Three different pads in the same register.
- Lead and voice playing together in the same register.
- All synths with the same stereo width: no depth.
- Long reverb on all the synths: a muddy mix; better one heavily reverbed pad and the others drier.
Practical exercise
Over an A minor progression (Am–F–C–G) at 120 BPM, create: a mono bass, a pad with a 500 ms attack and filtered, a pluck with dotted 1/8 delay, a sixteenth-note arpeggio over 2 octaves, and a lead for the post-chorus. Assign each role to a different octave and build a 64-bar form by adding one role every 8 bars.
Related topics
Subtractive Synthesis, Envelopes, LFOs and Modulation, Layering: Arranging by Frequency and Stereo, Arranging an EDM Track, Density and Space.