Chappell Roan "Good Luck, Babe!" Breakdown: Synths in Serum

"Good Luck, Babe!" is a standout single by Chappell Roan, released in April 2024, after her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (September 2023). Like the album, it blends indie pop with a hint of retro vibes, and it's a perfect example of her knack for songs that are catchy and emotional at the same time.

In this tutorial we're recreating the sound of "Good Luck, Babe!" in Serum. If you've ever been hooked by the mix of instruments and textures in this song, you're in the right place: we'll go through the lead, the bass, the chords and the strings one by one and show you exactly how we built them. Let's give it a listen.

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The Lead

The first thing you'll notice in the song is this incredible lead synth that grabs your attention right away. To create it, we start with two Basic Mini waveforms, one in each oscillator. Next, we use LFO 1 to modulate the phase of both oscillators at a rate of one bar, which gives the patch a more analog feel.

After that, we bring in Envelope 2 to control the filter's cutoff. The key is to set the attack of Envelope 2 to around 55 ms, which adds a nice brassy vibe to the sound. For Envelope 1, which is the main amplitude envelope by default, go with a short decay time between 200 and 300 ms.

Finally, head over to the FX tab and load up on reverb and delay to give the sound some space and depth. And there you have it!

The Bass

This funky bassline really drives the groove of the track. Using a technique we've covered before, we're using Serum as our sampler. First, we record a C note on our Fender Jaguar Bass and load it into Serum's noise oscillator. Turning on one-shot mode and pitch tracking makes the sample play in tune with whichever MIDI note we trigger. Also turn on Mono and Legato so the notes slide into each other.

To give the sound more warmth and body, we add a sine wave wavetable on oscillator A and a Sweep 20 wavetable on oscillator B. These layers make the bass tone thicker and richer. In the FX tab, we added some compression and distortion for extra upper harmonics.

The Chords

Making the chords for this song is a breeze! Start by setting oscillator A to a Basic Shape and oscillator B to SQR_SAW_Wrd, both with 5 slightly detuned voices. Next, use Envelope 2 to modulate the filter cutoff, which filters out everything above 5 kHz and gives the sound a slightly darker tone.

For Envelope 1, which controls the synth's volume, set the attack to 25 ms for a smooth, brassy effect and, more importantly, keep the decay short, around 220 ms. That gives the chords a nice, tight feel.

The Strings

This string sound comes in during the bridge and carries on into the chorus, adding a rich layer to the track. To create it, start with a Basic Shape in oscillator A and the ICanHasKick waveform in oscillator B. For that staccato feel, use LFO 2 to modulate both the oscillator level and the filter cutoff, synced to a quarter note.

The real trick to making this patch sound like a string instrument is in the FX tab. Turn on a filter and select the Reverb type, then set the cutoff between 30 Hz and 100 Hz. This filter mimics the resonance of vibrating strings by creating peaks at specific frequencies, bringing out harmonics in a way that gives the sound an organic, string-like quality.

The FX Tab

Make your own Good Luck, Babe!-style track.

You've heard how the lead, the bass, the chords and the strings are built. The Indie Pop Pack has them ready to load in Serum, along with the rest of its 115+ presets.

Want the whole palette? The Indie Pop Bundle adds our Dreampop and Bedroom Pop packs: three packs for $39.90.