https://gearspace.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/947201-pink-floyd-quot-wish-you-were-here-quot-synth.html

Creating this yourself:
My guess is this is two Saw wave forms detuned with a slow attack on both Filter and Amp EG
Start with an Init AWM patch
Choose a Saw wave of your choice. Just one element to start with
Filter: Set Cut off and resonance to zero. Set Cutoff/Key to somewhere around 100% to make high notes brighter.
Mould the sound with the EG's
Amp and Filter EG: adjust attack time until the slow attack feels about right by ear.
adjust release time until there is just enough
Maybe lower Decay 2 level (sustain) a little on the Filter?
Add some vibrato with the part LFO

When the above is complete copy element 1 to element 2 and detune slightly
Sprinkle with reverb and the analog delay FX

I have put my experiment on Soundmondo called 'Shine Challenge'. you could look at that. (its not perfect but close enough for jazz)

I would also recommend a look at preset 'Singleline 2'

Thanks for replies so far.

Regards Floyd folklore... I have read a lot of it, and people love to argue about it.

The EMS VCS3 was used mainly for backdrop sound effects, or very simple melodic lines.
It is fairly well established "fact" now that the Minimoog was used for the various Brass Leads on Shine On YCD.

There are still some who think Richard Wright used a Yamaha CS80 Prototype, not a Moog, based on the timbre. But this has never been proven AFAIK. Maybe BM could ask one of his colleagues and put the Rumour to rest (Album Release 1975, CS80 Official Release, variously quoted as 1976 or 1977). FWIW... Animals Album, Sheep - long instrumental "synth" section - many believe this is a CS80, you be the judge.

@Graham... your suggestions certainly coincide with my suspicions... especially regards FEG. I will certainly try them all. Do you know which Filter most closely resembles a Moog Ladder? I have been experimenting with the LPF24D, LPF24A, LPF18 & LPF18s. I also used a HPF/LPF, forget which, sounded plausible, which cut out the low end growl... but couldn't figure out the FEG interaction.

Anyway, as per OP, please keep any suggestions or insight coming... I will try anything.

Thanks

@anthony
On paper i would say the closest is LPF24A (analog), however i programmed my quick version with LPF12+HPF12, without thinking. To me it works on such a delicate sound, so i didnt change from that. The HPF Cutoff is set to 0. Raising 'Cutoff/Key' helps.

Within the Misc Effects, there sits 'VCM Mini Filter' which i believe is a virtual Moog filter. Unfortunately it is in the effects engine, and not in the synth engine, so does not respond to FEG etc, which is a shame but, I can't always get what I want.
Writing this, i am thinking there may be a way that works with this Effect using the envelope follower

@Graham.... thanks for Mini Filter tip, I will try it.

Generally speaking, if YamahaSynth is not a good place to go for general "sound design/building" advice... what would be a good forum to use? (i.e. where am I likely to find a load of MiniMoog experts?).

Thanks

The closest I can find is 'Latin Flutist' in the Woodwind section. But you may need to knock the vibrato down some.

This video might have some helpful info - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plLZe-BXCdU

It says the sound wsa made with an EMS VCS 3 - other videos mention other instruments.

@Bill.... Thanks for the video... I'm not entirely convinced by his theories. There are a few other "recreation" videos... but none I've seen capture that "flutey" sound, and are otherwise "generic Analogue Brass". I hate to sound picky... I do appreciate their collective efforts. I think I may have a 30 year old OCD on this song. I have the Guitars sorted out, but only opened the keyboard doors around 14 months ago.

I have been listening to it again through headphones and wondered if the part is overdubbed with an "Organ Flute".... it sounds very "pipe-y" whatever it is. However, this doesn't explain how he gets the FEG type effect on an Organ sound.... ? unless... CS80 Prototype? YC45? Probably not his B3.

I know they had quite a few "synthy" gizmos at their disposal... one of which (I forget the name) was used for the Tremolo effect on the Guitar in "Money". That effect was basically an Envelope Follower Filter Envelope Generator for "other" instruments... don't quote me, but its why no guitarist can ever quite match that sound with a standard trem.

Thair-Uh-Min

2nd LFO Delay=0 (or closer to 0)
Pitch Mod Depth scaled back to 8 perhaps

If the tone isn't there for you - you can try adjusting the carrier levels to get some variation.

OPs 7+8 are there for a "breath" kind of noise sound and is subtle. That is, if I'm not looking at this Performance as a Theremin. 7+8 is more like maybe speaker buzz of an RCA theremin.

I wanted to see if something quickly got there on the FM front. And this seems close enough to me. We have different success thresholds however.

The Performance is a bit wet. Might want to dry out the effects a bit.

I wanted to restrict the solution to FM-X and see what's out there.

I thought about adding drift. It can be done a number of ways. I don't miss the lack of drift - but it may help the sound to have this error added.

Bill,

Elements are part of AWM which the sample-based engine. MODX also has FM-X which names its oscillators operators (not elements). In my previous comments - I abbreviate operators to "OPs".

How do I get to the screen with '2nd LFO'?

Part 1, Edit, "Common" button to left of OP1, "Mod/Control" -> "2nd LFO" screen

And my comment:

Thair-Uh-Min - I wanted to restrict the solution to FM-X and see what's out there.

Is saying I wanted to offer up an FM-X only solution to throw in the mix.

@J.... thanks for the suggestion, I will look at it tonight.

@Bill... OP's means FM-X, not AWM2. In any given FM-X Part, you may consider each "Carrier" OP as an Audible Oscillator (VCO) in the "FM-X emulating Analogue Synth" type Presets. Like VCO1, VCO2, VCO3 which are then mixed in an Analogue Synth. A MiniMoog had 3 VCOs... I believe.

"Carriers" are the "bottom row" of OPs in an FM-X Algorithm.

If you care to look you will often find FM-X "Brass Type" Analogue Synth Algorithms comprise of the following "common" arrangement:-

Op1 - Single Carrier - Off
Op2 - Single Carrier - Off
Op7 (Feedback = 7) Modulating Op8 - 2 Op Stack - "Saw Wave"

Then you have Ops 3, 4, 5 & 6 in various arrangements providing "the detail". There is an example Preset in Perf Cat Search "Brass - Synth" where 3,4, 5 & 6 provide the "blat" sound of a hard blown trumpet.

Algorithm #10 is one example.

You will find LFO1 and LFO2 in the Edit - Part - Common area. The LFOs affect different aspects of FM-X.

Like J... I am finding good mileage in FM-X parts these days. AWM2 is somewhat dependent on the supply of "correct timbre" Elements.

No problem. I'd be interested to learn how close or far off this FM-X starting point is for you. For me, I would probably end my search here but I (likely) have different general sensibilities. There's a run in the original recording where the timbre gets "dirtier" when playing notes closer to each other. This doesn't do that - and there are some slight other nuances not captured. However, I feel the core sound is close enough to carry playing this in a gig or even reimagined studio take.

Oh - one other edit I did was to turn off portamento.

As a matter of interest, the Analog Xperience package from EasySounds has a performance "Wishing Lead" which is probably what you're trying to achieve 🙂

@John... thanks for the tip.

I had been meaning to anyway, but I bought the Easy Sounds "Analogue Xperience" and "Nostalgia" expansion packs.

"Wishing Lead" is the brief Synth lead from the song "Wish You Were Here".

I think I found the secret sauce.

Ironically, discovered on the MODX after buying EasySounds "Analog Sample" libraries. The new libraries caused me to check and compare "Synth Lead" behaviour. The MODX Performance I randomly chose from the Syn Lead - Analog category was "Wind Synth". Not 100% but "distinctive enough". A quick mod to the AEGs and FEGs, add another Element for detune... and the sound started to emerge.

Secret Sauce = 2 x Saws and a Sine Osc. I added another detuned Sine to get beat modulation.

I think I'll carry on working on this.

Thanks everyone for their help.

btw... @J... I tried Thair-Uh-Min, it was close once all the pitch mods were removed. The FM structure was very similar to a lot of the Brass Presets with a few extra quirks... like the hint of breath and hollowness, but I couldn't see the logic in how/where that originated. I will carry on working with that and see if I can swap in some "Dirty Sine" wave carriers.

Update:-

Sine = Close
Triangle = Better... in fact, I think that's it.