Kate Bush's synth sound

Recreating a synth sound from an '80s classic? Stranger things have happened, and that's the hill we're attempting to run up this month

- Dave Gale

Even if you don't regard yourself as much of a sci-fi fan, it's been difficult to avoid the rise and return of one of the most talented singers, songwriters and producers of the last 40 years. Kate Bush's album The Hounds Of Love has been enjoying the most extraordinary renaissance, thanks entirely to the use of its opening track Running Up That Hill as part of the soundtrack and storyline for the latest hit series from Stranger Things.

The track is heavily reliant upon two classic pieces of '80s music technology, the drums being provided by the LinnDrum, with many of the other sounds being drawn from a cello sample, which formed part of the factory library on the Fairlight CMI. This was a Computer Musical Instrument (CMI) which was championed by many artists of the day, with a price tag which was not for the faint hearted. (It was about the same price as a house!) Even so, armed with this sample and some creative intent, Kate Bush managed to create an utterly unique soundscape, perfect as the musical backdrop for her evocative vocals.

Here, we're going to explore how we can create a similar lead sound using our Zebra CM plugin, which while not exacting, demonstrates some creative intent, by using an envelope for pitch modulation and a healthy layer of effects.

Step by step

Create Kate Bush's classic synth sound

1 We'll begin with an initialise; open the plugin window and move to the central display at the top of the window, click to reveal the dropdown, and select 'init' from the bottom. This will initialise the patch. Also, reduce the Master Volume pot to a value of 40. Remember, values are displayed in the upper menu window, as you make alterations.