At the height of their popularity, synthesizers were featured in virtually all of the popular songs on the radio. In fact, the most memorable or catchy parts of many songs were actually the synthesizers. So, even if you know nothing about these incredible instruments, the chances are good that you have heard them in action. It has also become quite popular for synthesizer enthusiasts to try and figure out what synths were used in which songs, either for interest sake or to try and emulate these sounds in their own songs. Here are just a few of the most recognizable synth sounds you have probably heard in songs and which synths were responsible for them.
1. Europe - The final Countdown …show more content…
It is also one of the tracks that most capture the signature Prince sound of that era and helped the album become his breakthrough. The track itself was written in protest against nuclear proliferation and not only the first song on the album, but also it’s first single. Rumor has it that Prince was inspired by the future noir themes of the Blade Runner movie that was just released, which is why he also opted for synthesizers for the album. For the distinctive sound of the track, Prince made use of a combination of LinnDrum and Oberheim …show more content…
Numan later explained that the lyrics of the song were inspired by a road rage incident that he experienced in London. The distinctive sound of the track is due to the fact that instead of traditional guitars, it features a combination of drums, bass guitar and analogue synthesizers. The bass riff of the song is augmented by a Minimoog, while a Polymoog was used for the synthetic strings.
5. The Human League - Love Action (I Believe in Love)
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Love Action (I Believe in Love) was one of the first top ten charting singles for The Human League when it was released back in 1981. The track features a very unusual, but very catchy and distinctive synth sound, which was accomplished with a Roland System 700 modular synth. To create this sound, the band fed guitar strumming into the synth and made use of the pitch-to-voltage converter and envelope shaper for the output.
5. Faithless - Insomnia
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