Dua Lipa broke into the pop world with her self-titled album in 2017. The London-based singer grew in popularity after the release of her breakout hit “New Rules,” and has since gone on to international success. With a sound heavily influenced by Prince, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Outkast, and Gwen Stefani, her music is labeled dance-pop, dark pop, or synth-pop. No matter how you classify it, Lipa has a knack for making infectious grooves fit perfectly with her distinctive vocal tone.
About ZENOLOGY
ZENOLOGY is a powerful software synth that brings fresh possibilities to any musical experience—including recreating the synth tones of “Levitating” by Dua Lipa. At the heart of ZENOLOGY is the ZEN-Core Synthesis System. It allows users to design large and complex sounds using a wide range of detailed parameters.
ZENOLOGY Pro gives you full access to all the tools you need to take your sound design game to the next level. Each tone contains four distinct synthesis voices called “partials” that can be used simultaneously. (Model Expansions may contain fewer partials.) In each partial, you can select the oscillator waveform and adjust parameters for the dual low-frequency oscillators (LFOs), filter, amplifier, and EQ. Choose from thousands of waveforms. In addition, there are 10 types of modeled filters, 11 LFO shapes, and 90 audio effects.
Infectious Grooves—Distinctive Vocals
Dua Lipa’s latest, Future Nostalgia, is the perfect marriage of retro-inspired dance tracks, modern production, and catchy melodies. Standout single “Levitating” is a funky jam featuring rising rap star DaBaby. Throughout, the song finds the singer gliding over lush pads, hard-hitting drums, punchy bass, and tight guitar lines. Using ZENOLOGY, let’s unpack how to recreate some of the track’s essential elements.
"The song finds the singer gliding over lush pads, hard-hitting drums, punchy bass, and tight guitar lines."
Vocal Pad
“Levitating” opens with a muted vocal pad. To recreate this sound, use the ZENOLOGY factory preset, “VP/330 Choir.” In fact, by adjusting just a few parameters, you can get close to the sound. To that end, set the Cutoff to 10 o’clock, the Reso to 10 o’clock, the Attack to 2 o’clock, and the Vibrato to 11 o’clock. Additionally, use the menu next to the virtual knobs to add portamento to the sound. This gives the synth a bendy tone that was popular in the late ’70s and early ’80s. From there, expand the edit window and proceed to edit all four partials. (The default sound has only two partials selected).
PCM Mode
For each partial, adjust the oscillator to PCM mode. Short for Pulse Code Modulation, this form of synthesis is standard in software instruments and digitally represents sampled analog sounds. Thus, you can combine various instrument presets that will shape your sound. For each partial, use a different choir preset combined with another choir preset or a keyboard/synth.
Main Melodic Pattern
The melodic pattern itself is a simple riff in B minor that provides the basic harmonic structure for the rest of the song. Open the MFX tab, add a phaser to the sound, and use an external filter to filter out some high-end. This will add an extra layer of retro-nostalgia to make your version of Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” feel like it was plucked from the ’80s.
"Phaser and an external filter add a layer of retro-nostalgia that makes the sound feel like it was plucked from the '80s."
Bass, Strings, and Synth
ZENOLOGY’s ZEN-Core system is a powerhouse of synthesis possibilities. For the next few sounds, use the presets with little to no modification. “Levitating” kicks into gear once the bassline and drums enter. To recreate this bass sound, which may have been a live bass player, use two ZENOLOGY bass presets: “Finger Bass” and “Perc Bass.” Lastly, after recording the bassline, group these tracks together and add a bit of EQ and compression. The tone should be close to the original track.
Additional Elements
On the chorus of the song, two other synth elements enter. These new additions are a string lead and a synth pad reinforcing the main vocal pad. For the string sounds, use the “AX 60s Strings” preset, and for the pad, try “Saw Keys 3.” Without any adjustments, both sounds should fit perfectly into the track and provide surprisingly close approximations.
ZENOLOGY gives you the tools you need to emulate the tones in Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and much more. Furthermore, it’s an instrument that can help you create new sonic worlds. With deep sound design capabilities plus Model Expansions and Sound Packs, the sky is the limit. Listen to all the elements together and see how they measure up to the actual song.
DOWNLOAD
"Levitating" Patches for ZENOLOGY
Try out the patches from this article in ZENOLOGY Pro, ZEN-Core-compatible Roland hardware, and the ZC1 Synthesizer* in the Zenbeats music creation app.
DOWNLOAD: “Levitating” Patches for ZENOLOGY
*ZC1 does not support patches using sample packs
