How to Write Synthwave Songs

You want a song that sounds like driving under neon, late at night, with equal parts nostalgia and future fever. Synthwave is not just a sound. It is a mood. It is chrome and sweat. It is VHS grain and a promise that the night will last longer than your regrets. This guide is for musicians, producers, and wannabe cinematic loners who want to write synthwave songs that feel authentic and modern. We will cover mood, chord choices, synth programming, drum choices, sound design, arrangement, vocal treatment, mixing tips, and a practical workflow you can use today.

Everything here explains terms as if your cousin who plays guitar asked you what the acronyms mean. Expect real life examples and jokes. Expect blunt edits. Expect templates that get songs finished. This is long form and useful. Keep your coffee close and your reverb dial closer.

What Is Synthwave and Why It Works

Synthwave is a music style that borrows heavily from 1980s film scores, pop, and game music. It blends lush analog synth textures, gated or punchy drums, big reverbs, and melodic hooks that feel cinematic. The style is rooted in nostalgia for a specific era while using modern production techniques. The genre often carries themes like highway solitude, neon romance, cyber noir, and triumphant synth anthems.

Why people love synthwave

• It taps into a collective memory without requiring literal references.
• The sound is instantly visual. Listeners imagine streets, arcades, cars, and sunsets.
• It balances warm analogue textures and crisp modern mixing for emotional clarity.

Real life scenario

You are on a late train at 2 a.m. The carriage light blinks like a cheap LED. You are texting someone you should not text. You play a track that is all pads and a melodic lead. Suddenly you are in a movie scene. That moment is what synthwave sells. The production is the location. The melody is the emotion.

Core Elements of a Synthwave Song

Synthwave songs are built from a small set of elements that work together to make the listener feel transported. Master these parts and you can mix and match to make your own synthwave identity.

• Pads and Atmosphere for the background landscape.
• Arpeggios and Sequence Patterns for rhythmic motion and drive.
• Two or Three Distinct Synth Leads for hook and counter melody.
• Punchy Analog Style Drums or sampled drum machines for groove.
• Warm Basslines that lock with the kick.
• Vocal or Instrumental Topline that carries the emotional message.

Essential Vocabulary Explained

We will use a few technical terms. Here are plain English explanations.

• DAW means Digital Audio Workstation. This is the software where you record, arrange, and mix. Examples are Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, and Cubase.
• VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology. It is a plugin format for virtual instruments and effects. A VST synth is a software synth you load inside your DAW.
• MIDI means Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is the digital sheet music that tells software instruments what notes to play and how to play them.
• LFO stands for Low Frequency Oscillator. It is a control source that moves parameters over time. Use it to create subtle vibrato or wobble.
• ADSR stands for Attack Decay Sustain Release. It is an envelope shape that controls how a sound starts and ends.
• EQ means equalizer. It changes the balance of frequencies in a sound.
• BPM means beats per minute. It is the tempo of your song.

Choosing the Right Tempo and Keys

Synthwave tempos usually sit between sixty five and one hundred and fifty BPM depending on the mood. Slower tempos around sixty five to eighty five BPM fit nocturnal slow drives and ballads. Mid tempos around ninety to one hundred and ten BPM suit danceable retro pop. Faster tempos up to one hundred and fifty BPM can feel outrun or electro metal when the energy is high.

Choose a key that suits your topline voice or the synth lead. Minor keys often feel nostalgic and cinematic. Major keys can feel triumphant and heroic. The most common choice for synthwave is a minor key for mood with occasional modal borrowing for brightness. Modal borrowing means taking a chord from the parallel major or a related scale to lift emotion at the chorus.

Chord Progressions That Sound Neon

Good synthwave chords are simple and cinematic. They often use sustained pad voicings, sevenths, and added tones for color. Here are a few palettes that work.

Classic Minor Progression

i vi VII VI. In A minor that is A minor, F major, G major, F major. This loop feels melancholic but proud. Use it for verses and build to a big chorus.

Suspended Motion

i iv v iv. Using suspended chords or add9 on the iv chord creates motion without full resolution. Try A minor, D minor add9, E minor, D minor add9.

Lift Into the Chorus

Borrow a chord from the parallel major to lift. If your verse is in A minor try switching to C major chords for the chorus. The contrast feels like sunlight breaking through neon rain.

Real life scenario

You have a verse loop that feels like a memory. For the chorus you want air. Swap the bass from the minor third to the tonic of the relative major and add a brighter pad. The listener feels relief even if they can not name why.

Sound Design Essentials

Sound design separates a good synthwave track from a forgettable imitation. You do not need expensive gear. You need choices that sit well together and tell a story.

Pads and Atmosphere

Pads create the sky. Use lush analog style waveforms like saw and triangle. Add slow filter movement with an LFO and a long ADSR release. Layer a low pass filtered pad under a brighter pad to give depth. Consider adding subtle noise for grit.

Use reverb that is big but not mushy. Plate reverb and hall reverb are classic choices. Use pre delay to keep the pad off the vocal space. Pre delay means a small time before the reverb starts so the original sound remains clear.

Arpeggios and Sequences

Arpeggios are patterns that play chord tones in repeating sequences. They create motion without drums. Use an arpeggiator plugin or draw MIDI manually. Slight swing and off grid timing make an arpeggio feel human. Route an arpeggio through a low pass filter and automate the filter cutoff to create tension and release.

Leads and Toplines

Lead synths are the singers if your track is instrumental. Classic lead tones are brighter saw waves with a bit of detune to create width. Use subtle chorus or a small amount of tape saturation for character. For a more vintage vibe, add a tiny bit of pitch modulation with an LFO to imitate unstable analog oscillators.

Bass Design

Analog style sub bass with a rounded saw or sine is common. Layer a clean sub sine under a mid bass with some filter resonance for character. Keep the sub mono and center. The mid bass can be stereo but keep low frequencies summed to mono for club friendly mixes.

Drum Sounds and Groove

Drums in synthwave often reference drum machines from the 1980s while keeping a modern punch. Use samples of classic drum machines or modern reimagined kits. Emphasize a solid kick and crisp snare or clap. Gated reverb on the snare can create that iconic 80s snap when used tastefully. Add hi hat patterns that either keep strict eight note motion or add swung sixteenth fills for groove.

Vocal Choices and Treatment

Vocals in synthwave work two ways. They can be full front and emotive like a pop delivery. Or they can be textural and atmospheric like a character in a movie. Decide early which role the vocal will play.

Lyrics and Themes

Common themes are late night city life, longing, neon romance, escape, and heroism. Keep language concrete. Mention streets, dashboard lights, cigarettes, and motel rooms. Specific details make nostalgia feel lived in rather than copy pasted.

Relatable line example

I keep your mixtape in the glove box and the tape still smells like your jacket. This is better than saying I miss you. The image is tangible and cinematic.

Vocal Effects

Common treatments are plate reverb, long delay with a lowpass filter, chorus, and subtle vocoder or talkbox for special sections. Doubling vocals helps in choruses to widen the sound. Use a slap delay or a short dotted delay to create bounce. For a retro android voice try a vocoder lightly under the lead vocal rather than fully replacing it.

Vocal Processing Chain

A typical vocal chain looks like this

1. High pass filter to remove rumble.
2. Light compression to even out dynamics.
3. EQ to remove boxiness and add presence.
4. De-esser if sibilance becomes harsh.
5. Reverb and delay on sends for space.
6. Doubles and harmonies on a separate bus for chorus thickness.

Arrangement Templates You Can Steal

Arrangements give your song forward motion. Here are three maps to use and tweak.

Night Drive Template

• Intro with pad and arpeggio motif, eight bars
• Verse with bass and vocal, sixteen bars
• Pre chorus with rising filter and drum fill, eight bars
• Chorus with full drums, lead, and doubled vocal, sixteen bars
• Verse two with added arpeggio variation, sixteen bars
• Bridge instrumental with lead solo and modulation, eight to sixteen bars
• Final chorus with extra harmony and a short outro tag

Anthem Template

• Cold open with chorus hook for immediate identity, four to eight bars
• Verse with minimal instrumentation, eight bars
• Chorus with big pads and stacked vocals, sixteen bars
• Breakdown with only pads and vocal ad libs, eight bars
• Final double chorus with full arrangement and payoff

Instrumental Cinematic Template

• Intro establishing two motifs, eight bars
• Build with arpeggio and percussion, eight bars
• Main theme with lead and bass, sixteen bars
• Middle modulation and counter melody, eight bars
• Return with variation and extended outro

Practical Songwriting Workflow

Here is a practical, repeatable workflow for writing synthwave songs. Follow these steps to get a demo that can be finished or pitched.

1. Choose tempo and key. Set BPM and pick a minor or major feel.
2. Create a two chord or four chord loop with pad and bass. Keep it simple. This is the emotional bed for the song.
3. Add an arpeggio pattern for motion. Keep it audible but not overpowering.
4. Design or pick a lead patch for your hook. Hum into your phone and try melodies for four minutes without judgment.
5. Program drums. Start with kick and snare and add high hats. Lock kick to bass for groove.
6. Write topline lyrics or choose an instrumental hook. Record a guide vocal or lead synth line.
7. Arrange into sections using one of the templates above. Keep the first chorus within the first minute if you can.
8. Treat vocals with reverb and delay sends, then add doubles on the chorus to widen.
9. Mix rough. Balance levels, add EQ to create space, and use compression for glue. Keep low end clean.
10. Listen on multiple systems and sleep on it. Return and fix one thing per day until you feel the song tells one clear story.

Mixing Tips for the Neon Sound

Mixing synthwave is about managing richness without mud. You want warmth and clarity. You want shimmer and transients. These tips are practical and not boring.

Low End Control

Keep your sub frequencies tight. Highpass everything that does not need low end. Typically that is everything above around one hundred Hertz for pads and leads. Keep the kick and bass occupying separate but complementary ranges. Sidechain the bass lightly to the kick to avoid clashes. Sidechaining means using a compressor or ducking that lowers the bass volume when the kick hits so both are audible.

Stereo Space

Keep the low frequencies mono. Pan arpeggios and high pads wider. Use chorus and subtle delays to give movement. Be mindful of phase issues when summing to mono for club or radio play.

Reverb and Delay Use

Use different reverb sizes for different instruments. A large plate on vocals plus a shorter room for percussion keeps things clear. Use tempo synced delays for leads and vocals so repeats fit the groove. Add a lowpass on delay returns to avoid cluttering the top end.

Saturation and Tape Warmth

Small amounts of saturation or tape emulation add glue. Use it on pads and bus to bring elements together. Avoid using heavy saturation on vocals unless you want a grittier texture.

Production Tricks That Make People Stare at Your Instagram

• Automate Filter Cutoffs during builds for motion.
• Use Sidechain Reverb so big reverb tails do not blur the verse. Send to a reverb bus and sidechain it to the dry vocal or lead.
• Reverse Cymbal Rises to lead into chorus hits. This is classic film tension.
• Glide and Portamento on solos for a vocalized lead that feels human.
• Vocoder Layering under a chorus vocal for a modern retro texture.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

New producers hit the same traps. Here is how to avoid sounding like a cheap homage and instead sound like a new classic.

Mistake: Too Much Reverb

Fix: Use shorter reverb on rhythmic elements. Use pre delay and lowpass the reverb return.

Mistake: Muddy Low End

Fix: Highpass non bass elements. Use subtraction EQ. Sidechain the bass to the kick. Check in mono.

Mistake: Copying Iconic Patches Exactly

Fix: Use similar waveforms but change filter behavior, add noise, modulate pitch slightly, or layer an unexpected element like a brass stab or guitar grain to make it yours.

Mistake: Static Arrangement

Fix: Introduce or remove a layer at key moments. Automate filter and volume. Use call and response between lead and counterlead.

Gear and Plugin Recommendations

You do not need hardware to make great synthwave. Many software tools emulate vintage gear extremely well. Here is a short starter kit to get the sound without selling a kidney.

Soft Synths and VSTs

• Arturia Analog Lab for classic analog emulations.
• Luno by Xfer or Serum for custom wavetable leads and wide sound design. Serum is a popular wavetable synth. Wavetable means it can morph wave shapes for complex timbres.
• Tal-U-No-LX for Juno style pads and chorus. The Juno was a famous hardware synth from the 80s and its chorus effect is iconic.
• U-He Diva for warm, thick analog style tones that feel alive.

Effects

• Valhalla VintageVerb for dreamy plates and halls.
• Soundtoys EchoBoy for tape style delays and character.
• FabFilter Pro Q3 for surgical EQ and broad tone shaping.
• Decapitator or Saturn for analog style saturation and grit.

Sample Packs and Drums

Look for drum samples from classic machines or modern kits labeled retro or 80s. You can layer modern punchy kicks under vintage snares for the best of both worlds.

Exercises to Level Up Fast

Spend an hour on each exercise to build skill and taste. These are easy to do in any DAW.

Exercise 1: Two Track Challenge

Create a track using only two elements: one pad and one lead. Make a chorus with a hook. This trains melody and texture economy.

Exercise 2: Arpeggio Variation Drill

Write one arpeggio pattern and make five variations by changing rhythm, octave, swing, filter envelope, and note order. Save the best for a song.

Exercise 3: Vocal Treatment Lab

Record a short vocal phrase. Make three versions: dry and intimate, huge plate with delay, and vocoder doubled. Compare which fits different parts of the song.

How to Finish a Synthwave Song

Finishing is an art. Use this checklist to avoid last mile chaos.

1. Confirm one emotional idea. Can you state the song feeling in a single sentence like you would text a friend?
2. Check arrangement timing. Is the first chorus by the end of the first minute? Do repeated sections add new elements?
3. Lock the main hook melody and repeat it in at least two distinct contexts.
4. Simplify. Remove any part that does not deliver mood or motion.
5. Rough mix for balance. Check on phone speakers and cheap earbuds. If it works there it will work everywhere.
6. Export demo and listen in a car or hands free. Does it create a scene?

Branding Your Synthwave Identity

Your music will live in a sea of neon. Create a signature by choosing one recurring sound or theme. It could be a gated choir hit, a specific lead patch, a lyrical motif, or a certain drum fill. Use it across songs to build recognition. Think of it like a sonic logo.

Real life example

One producer always begins songs with the same short arpeggio motif. Fans hear it and instantly know who made the track before the melody starts. It becomes a brand more effective than a logo.

Licensing and Sync Opportunities

Synthwave is beloved by film and ad supervisors who need a specific mood. Make instrumental versions of your tracks and keep stems available. Stems are separate files for drums, bass, pads, and vocals. They help music supervisors build edits and clear mixes for picture. Consider registering your work with a performing rights organization to collect royalties when your music is played on TV or streamed.

Quick definitions

• Sync means synchronization license. It is the right to use a song with picture or video.
• Stems mean isolated groups of audio tracks exported for remixing or editing.

Common Questions Answered

What tempo is best for synthwave

There is no rule. Classic synthwave sits around ninety to one hundred and twenty BPM. Night drive tracks often sit slower around seventy to eighty five BPM. Choose tempo to match the mood. Slower means more introspective. Faster means more energetic or heroic.

Do I need analog hardware

No. You can achieve excellent results with software synths and good samples. Hardware can bring tactile joy and small imperfections that inspire ideas. If you can afford a small analog keyboard or a vintage drum machine sampler that is great. If not, focus on sound design and arrangement within your DAW.

How do I avoid sounding like a clone of the 80s

Add modern mixing clarity, fresh songwriting, and unique textures. Use subtle modern percussion, contemporary vocal phrasing, and new harmonic twists. Personal details in lyrics or unique instrumentation will distance the track from mere pastiche.

Synthwave Song Checklist

• One clear emotional idea for the song
• Main chord progression locked
• Arpeggio or sequence that drives motion
• Lead hook that the listener can hum
• Punchy kick and balanced low end
• Vocal or instrumental top line with treatment
• Arrangement with clear contrast between sections
• Rough mix that translates on phone and car

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