How To: Synth design from this specific song

Hello all, I'm fairly new to synth design and such. I have mostly recorded live or used presets in my software programs. But recently I have been looking into more sound design stuff and am trying to figure out how to make a synth that sounds similar to the one in this specific song, especially starting at the 2:07 mark of the song:

If y'all could at least get me started on it with where to start, that'd be great. I wouldn't be opposed to someone doing it for me and getting a logic session with the sound in it, if someone would be kind enough.

Thanks in advance!

I'm going to assume that the player isn't one-handing with the pitch bend lever, but of course that's one way to get those fluid "bends": actual musical performance. Another way is to use a VCO to generate a pitch-bend effect. I couldn't quite decide if the bends that I'm hearing are "following" the note track both up and down, and if the bends occur every single time. Very interested to hear what the truly-knowledgeable folks have to chime in.

Thanks for sharing a very enjoyable recording!

Could it also be that he just played the synth and then drew in the pitch bends using midi draw?

and yeah, there's a lot going on in this synth, with all the bends, sounds like there some form of echo/delay on it and obviously some reverb. And I just love the very soft dreamy type of sound to it that I'm trying to recreate.

I hear a simple soft sine wave as the patch, but yes, there is quite a bit going on here...the pitch bends sound as if they were played, but I think the entire performance was continuous, with some gating or cutoffs (maybe even stutter-like editing) automated in after the fact...same with the time-based effects. If it is a VCO creating the bend effect, I gotta believe that's continuous as well, but it might be edited here and there to create that trippy effect you hear.

Either way, I kinda dig it...

Yes, the sound seems to have a sign wavy quality, with a 2nd harmonic added. We can get very close with a simple "monophonic" one oscillator patch, there nothing else special going on except the ability to glide between notes. Alchemy synth in Logic has a waveform called Sine-Add12 (see right side of image below), it sounds very close to your video example. (my patch and fingering example is included in this attached project file)

OwlCity FuzzyBlueLights2.08.logicx.zip

The pitch bends can be done with "Legato Glide" fingering techniques. It takes some practice and the rule you learn is this: Notes that don't overlap will play normally, overlapping notes will glide. Take a look at the notes that overlap in the piano roll editor, they are the ones that glide.

I set up this patch for 1 voice mono. Legato is turned on and the Glide control is set to a medium low glide time. Also 'Rate' is selected below the Glide knob. This 'Rate' setting means that glides will take longer the more distance they have to travel (minimoog style).

So you can compare and hear both sounds at once, attached below is a Logic project that includes both the original poster's clip with the new Alchemy sound in the same timeline.

Starshootex FuzzyBlueLights2.08.zip

I made a couple changes to the patch:

- added a low pass filter to tone down the 2nd harmonic on the higher notes.

- softened the attack time a tiny bit.

I looked around the other video clips and noticed that the video poster "Starshootex" owns a Roli Seaboard which can perform all manner of slides and modulations. He may not have used it in this performance because, as my comparison project shows, the "Legato Glide" playing technique on a standard keyboard is very well suited in emulating Starshootex's original performance.