Remaking the lead synth from the 1972 song "Popcorn" by Hot Butter can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Popcorn" 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
Hot Butter’s 1972 synthpop hit “Popcorn” features a distinctive blippy lead synthesizer that emerges at 0:11, characterized by a staccato, percussive quality. The sound is generated using a square wave, played in upper octaves to emphasize its bright, piercing timbre. A short amp envelope (fast attack/decay) creates the sharp, plucked articulation. This iconic sound was likely produced on a Moog Minimoog.
Original Performing Instrument
Moog Minimoog
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 "Popcorn" by Hot Butter, 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
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
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 10 ms
- Decay: 10 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 15 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Volume: 100%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 60%
- Key Tracking: 100%
Reverb
- Mix: 0% Wet
- Size: Medium
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- KVR Audio Forum: Hot Butter Popcorn Sound Design Discussion
- KVR Audio Forum: Original “Popcorn” Synth Preset Search
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
