The Weeknd "How Do I Make You Love Me" Breakdown: Synths in Serum

After "Moth to a Flame" in 2021, Abel and Swedish House Mafia have now officially worked together on a second song. They also worked on the remix of "Sacrifice", another Dawn FM song. This whole album is a great example of how good The Weeknd is at mixing and blending genres, and this tutorial in particular was difficult because of the wide variety of synth sounds. So let's dive in.

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The Verse Bass

There are three main bass sounds in "How Do I Make You Love Me". This one plays throughout the verses. The patch uses an ICanHasKick in oscillator "A" with 6 voices and a Basic Shape in oscillator "B" with seven voices. Envelope 3, which has an attack of 60 ms, is modulating the cutoff, and we're using LFO 1 to modulate the cutoff too, to give it some movement.

The Bridge Bass

This plucky bass enters in the bridge and is made of two layers, both relatively simple patches, so let's start with Layer 1.

Layer 1

This first layer is giving all the high end and upper harmonics. You need a Basic Shape in its second position in oscillator "A" and a saw wave in oscillator "B". The real trick is finding a sweet spot for the filter to be modulated by envelope 2, and you need envelope 2 to have a short decay to make it sound plucky.

Layer 2

This layer gives all the low end. It's full of body and warmth, but also quite simple to make. Use a Basic Shape in its second position for oscillator "A" too, and an ICanHasKick for oscillator "B". Here the difference is that envelope 2 has a higher sustain, which makes it less plucky, and the filter is cutting everything above 200 Hz.

The Chorus Bass

Now for the final bass we need an SQR_SAW_Wrd in oscillator "A", with some frequency modulation coming from oscillator "B" at around 20%, and a Basic Mg in oscillator "B". Envelope 2 is modulating the filter cutoff, but it's also modulating the wavetable position of oscillator "A".

The Dreamy Keys

The keys that play the chords are quite dreamy. First we need an ICanHasKick in oscillator "A" with nine slightly detuned voices. In oscillator "B" we're using an SQR_SAW_Wrd with some frequency modulation coming from oscillator "A". LFO 1 is modulating the fine-tuning of both oscillators to give a little of that analog vibe (analog synths run on circuits, and sometimes electromagnetic interference or temperature makes them fluctuate), and LFO 2 is modulating the pan at a quarter-note rate so it sounds a little wider. Envelope 1 has an attack of 80 ms and is routed to the filter cutoff.

The Bridge Arp

The bridge introduces a synth arpeggio. Although it's a rather straightforward sound, the patch is fun to play. You need a Basic Shape in oscillator "A" and an SQR_SAW_WRD in oscillator "B". All the magic of this preset is in the FX tab: you need the compressor in multiband mode and the EQ boosting at around 2 kHz, then add reverb and delay to taste.

The Wide Bridge Synth

The bridge features the main synth of the track, and this patch has a wide stereo image. From the default settings, choose a Basic Shape in its second position for oscillator "A", with several voices and some detune so it sounds wider, and choose a Basic_Wrd in oscillator "B" with frequency modulation from oscillator "A". The noise oscillator is fundamental in this sound, so turn it on, pick the J60 noise, then use Direct Out mode so it doesn't go through the filter.

The Brass Lead

This preset was one of the hardest to recreate, but we can say with certainty that we got the sound we were looking for. In oscillator "A" you need an ICanHasKick wavetable, and in oscillator "B" a Basic Shape in its second position with ASYM +/- at 100%. You need envelope 1 to have an attack of around 50 to 70 ms for that brass sound, and the main character of this sound comes from LFO 1 modulating the fine-tuning of both oscillators.

The Distorted Pluck

This glitchy sound is introduced for the first time at the end of bar eight, around the fifteen-second mark, and it works as a transition to introduce the next element or part of the song. We used a Misfit wavetable in oscillator "A" and an ICanHasKick in oscillator "B". Envelope 3 is modulating the filter cutoff and the wavetable position of oscillator "B". In the FX tab you need heavy distortion, a compressor in multiband mode and an EQ cutting everything below 200 Hz and lifting around 2 kHz.

The Transition Pluck

We've reached the final part of this remake. This pluck-type sound enters for the first time at the end of the first bridge, and it works as a transition into the chorus. We used a Basic Shape in its second position in oscillator "A" and a Basic Mg in oscillator "B" with some frequency modulation. For this preset we used a High 18 filter cutting everything below 300 Hz, and you need envelope 1 to modulate your levels to get that pluck sound. Then we added reverb and delay to taste, and that's it.

Make your own How Do I Make You Love Me-style track.

You've heard how the basses, the dreamy keys and the brass lead are built. The Synthpop Pack has sounds like these ready to load in Serum, along with the rest of its 125+ presets.

Want the whole palette? The Special Synthwave Bundle adds 9 more packs including Synthwave, Retrowave and Outrun: 10 packs for $49.90.