Remaking the lead synth from the 1998 song "9PM (Till I Come)" by ATB can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "9PM (Till I Come)" lead patch and play this iconic sound on most hardware or software subtractive synthesizers (Serum, Vital, Pigments, Prophet, Korg, Moog, etc). We've included the preset download directly for your convenience, but we strongly recommend you use our programming tutorial to recreate it yourself.
Original Audio
The lead pluck synthesizer in ATB’s “9 PM (Till I Come)” features a distinctive pitch-bent guitar-like sound created using the Roland JD-990’s “meowing guitar” preset. This sound, central to the track’s trance identity, employs a smooth pitch bend, giving it a gliding, vocal-like quality. The melody begins prominently at 0:30, driving the song’s iconic hook with its bright, resonant timbre. The JD-990’s preset combines virtual analog synthesis with a filter modulation to mimic the expressiveness of a plucked guitar string.
Original Performing Instrument
Roland JD-990
Our Remake of The Lead Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the lead synth from the song "9PM (Till I Come)" by ATB, giving you a reference point as you design your own synthesizer preset. Play it as often as you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the sound.
Synth Patch Programming Recipe
Remake This Sound Yourself
Learn how to program this synth preset with Syntorial, all by ear. Download the demo and try unlimited famous sound challenges for free.
Getting Started
- Start by initializing your synthesizer to a plain saw with no filter, modulation or effects. For soft synths use the "init"/"default" preset or the the button to reset all parameters to their default factory values.
- No two synths are exactly alike, so treat the values below as approximate, and use your ear.
- Percentage values (e.g. 50%) represent the relative position of a knob or slider within its full range. The full range of each parameter may differ from synth to synth, so use your ear.
Voices
- Voice Mode: Mono Legato
- Portamento: 50 ms
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 0 ms
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 110 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 50%
- Volume: 100%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 55%
- Resonance: 45%
- Key Tracking: 50%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 25%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 130 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 10000 ms
Delay
- Mix: 20% Wet
- Feedback: 10%
- Time: 1/4 Note
- Stereo Spread (Time shift of Left or Right Channel): 9ms
Reverb
- Mix: 20% Wet
- Size: Small
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- 9 PM (Till I Come) Wikipedia page – Confirms the use of a synthesizer hook created on guitar and mentions the Roland JD-990’s role in the track’s production
- ATB ‘9 PM (TILL I COME)’ | The Making Of A Dance Anthem (YouTube) – Features ATB explaining the creation process, including the pitch-bent guitar sound and melody development
- ATB — 9 pm (Till I Come) blog analysis
- Serum Remake (Instagram)
Preset Downloads
Don't want to learn synth programming now? Use our synth preset as your starting point and tweak it from there. Register an account with Audible Genius and download the presets for free for the following synths:
- Primer, our free synthesizer VST
