Creating Lead Sounds

One of the things that FabFilter One excels at is producing great lead synth sounds of any type. You can create anything from the smoothest seventies analog sounds to the hardest techno sounds.

The Oscillator
Especially the sawtooth and the square wave forms are suitable for lead synthesizer sounds. With the sawtooth wave form as a starting point, you can create smooth and soft lead sounds as well as more techno-oriented sounds. The square waveform is great for electro stuff.
The Envelope Generator
Most lead sounds use a fairly short attack, a short decay, a high sustain and a noticable release. This will give your sound just that little bit of attack at the start and a good full sound while holding down a key.
The Cut-off Filter
Adjust the frequency and peak values to get the timbre that you're after. Modulating the cut-off filter is not essential when creating lead sounds. However, it can give your sounds that extra rawness and body they need, especially when modulating the cut-off frequency.
Modulation
Use the modulation generator to achieve great vibrato or tremolo effects by modulating the oscillator's frequency or the filter's cut-off frequency. It also works really well to use a bit of cut-off frequency modulation by the EG. When using the oscillator's square wave form, you can also modulate the pulse width using the patching features. Modulating it with the EG or with the MG can both get you awesome results.
The Finishing Touch
One thing that will definitely give wonderful results with almost all your lead sounds, is FabFilter One's great and smooth portamento. Even using it just a little bit really brings your sounds alive. Experiment with it!
To get those awesome raw seventies synth sounds, push your filter to the limit, using high peak values and combining different types of cut-off frequency modulation. Try changing the cut-off frequency while playing, to really adapt it to your play. (See MIDI controller messages to change the cut-off frequency with the slider on your keyboard.)

Next: Creating Drum Sounds