synth from “what is love” by haddaway | ToneDB

what is love

haddaway

synth

75% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A classic early 90s synth lead sound, characterized by its bright, resonant, and slightly detuned quality. It's a quintessential synth sound of the eurodance era.

The Story

The classic synth lead on Haddaway's "What Is Love" was recorded at Coconut Studio in Cologne, produced by Dee Dee Halligan with Gary Jones engineering. The sound was created using a Roland Juno-106, a popular analog synthesizer known for its warm sound that was widely used in eurodance productions of the early 90s. The characteristic bright, resonant tone comes from a sawtooth wave with resonant filtering and the Juno's built-in chorus effect.

Production Credits

Producer: Dee Dee Halligan

Engineer: Gary Jones

Recorded at: Coconut Studio, Cologne

Signal Chain

Instrument: Roland Juno-106

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a sawtooth waveform on a Roland Juno-106 (or a similar analog synth).
  • Adjust the filter cutoff and resonance to achieve a bright and resonant tone.
  • Add a slight chorus effect to thicken the sound.
  • Experiment with detuning one of the oscillators to create a wider stereo image.
  • Adjust the ADSR envelope for a quick attack and moderate sustain.

Original Gear

Substitutions & Recommendations

Roland Juno-X$1200-$1400

Alternative to: Roland Juno-106

Direct modern successor with authentic Juno-106 modeling plus the original's sawtooth waves, resonant filter, and chorus that defined the Haddaway lead sound

Alternative to: Roland Juno-106

Compact hardware recreation of the Juno-106 using Roland's ACB modeling, delivering the same sawtooth oscillators and resonant filter characteristics

Alternative to: Roland Juno-106

Software emulation specifically modeling the Juno-106's analog characteristics including the resonant filter sweep and chorus that create the eurodance lead tone

Alternative to: Roland Juno-106

Detailed Juno-106 emulation with enhanced features while maintaining the original's sawtooth waves and filter resonance essential for 90s dance leads

Frequently Asked Questions

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