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pads from “midnight city” by m83 | ToneDB

midnight city

m83

pads

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Tone Profile

Lush and dreamy synth pads, with a strong emphasis on reverb and modulation to create a sense of vastness and movement. The sound is bright and ethereal, providing a harmonic foundation for the other elements.

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The Story

According to Sound on Sound, the lush pad sounds on M83's "Midnight City" were built around a Roland Juno-106 synthesizer. The signal was processed through an Eventide H3000 for chorus and pitch modulation effects, then sent through a Lexicon 224 reverb unit to create the expansive, ambient space that defines the track's dreamy atmosphere.

Production Credits

Producer: Justin Meldal-Johnsen

Engineer: Unknown

Recorded at: Unknown

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a Roland Juno-106 or a similar analog polysynth.
  • Create a basic pad sound using sawtooth or pulse waveforms, detuned slightly for thickness.
  • Apply a generous amount of chorus using a plugin like the Eventide H3000.
  • Add a long, lush reverb using a plugin modeled after the Lexicon 224.
  • Experiment with subtle pitch modulation for added movement and interest.

Original Gear

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Substitutions & Recommendations

Roland JU-06AShop on Reverb$400-$450

Alternative to: Roland Juno-106

Boutique recreation of the Juno-106 with the same oscillators, filter, and chorus that created the original pad sound

TAL-U-NO-LX PluginPlugin Boutique$60-$80

Alternative to: Roland Juno-106

Software emulation of the Juno-106 that captures the characteristic warm analog pad sounds and built-in chorus

Eventide H3000 Factory PluginPlugin Boutique$179-$199

Alternative to: Eventide H3000

Official plugin recreation of the H3000 with the same pitch shifting and modulation algorithms used on the original track

Universal Audio Lexicon 224 PluginPlugin Boutique$149-$199

Alternative to: Lexicon 224

Faithful emulation of the 224's lush hall algorithms that created the spacious reverb on the pads

Strymon BigSkyShop on Reverb$450-$479

Alternative to: Lexicon 224

Hardware reverb pedal with vintage digital algorithms that can recreate the expansive 224-style reverb character

Sources

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