Sound design

Mahadeva Melody and Lead Sound Design

By Psiger · Updated July 2026

Watch the full breakdown

Mahadeva by Astral Projection, especially the Faders remix, has one of the most recognisable leads in Goa trance. Recreating it teaches two things at once: the melody and scale that make it hypnotic, and the sound design that gives it that gritty, psychedelic character.

In the video Psiger breaks down the MIDI note by note, then builds the lead patch in both Sylenth1 and Serum 2 so you can follow along in whatever synth you have. Here are the sections.

Key takeaways

Start with the melody and scale. The Goa scale is what makes the line hypnotic.
A great patch on a weak melody still sounds weak. Notes first.
The Sylenth1 version shows the classic subtractive supersaw-and-filter approach.
The Serum 2 version reaches the same sound with a modern wavetable synth.
The technique, filter movement and harmonic content, matters more than the plugin.

The melody, note by note

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The lead is broken down note by note, with the Goa scale it uses. Understanding the actual notes and the scale shows you why the line feels so hypnotic and how to write your own melodies in the same spirit.

Start here, because a great patch on a weak melody still sounds weak. The notes come first.

The patch in Sylenth1

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Step by step, the gritty psychedelic lead is built in Sylenth1. This shows the classic supersaw-and-filter approach that defined the era, and it works in almost any subtractive synth you already own.

Sylenth is a great teaching synth here because the signal path is simple and the character comes through clearly.

The patch in Serum 2

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The same lead is then rebuilt in Serum 2, so you can see how a modern wavetable synth gets to the same place. Comparing the two makes the underlying technique obvious: it is the filter movement and harmonic content that matter, not the specific plugin.

Learn it in both and you can pull this sound out of whatever is in front of you.

Common questions

Psytrance production FAQ

What scale is the Mahadeva melody in?

It uses a Goa trance scale that gives the line its hypnotic, slightly exotic feel. The video breaks the melody down note by note so you can see exactly which notes and intervals are used, and apply the same scale thinking to write your own Goa-style leads.

Can I make the Mahadeva lead without Serum?

Yes. The tutorial builds the same lead in both Sylenth1 and Serum 2 precisely to show it is not plugin-specific. Any subtractive or wavetable synth with a saw source, a resonant filter and filter movement can produce it. The character comes from the technique, not from owning one particular synth.

What makes the Mahadeva lead sound psychedelic?

A combination of the Goa scale, a gritty saw-based tone, and filter movement that keeps the sound evolving. The harmonic content and the way the filter opens and closes give it that swirling, psychedelic quality. Recreating it teaches you how those elements combine rather than just handing you a preset.