The synth voice that carries the main melody — usually a bright, cutting sound that sits on top of the mix.
Definition
The lead synth is the voice that carries a trance track's main melodic hook — the riff or anthem that the listener remembers. Lead sounds are designed to cut through the mix: bright in the upper midrange, often with a heavily detuned supersaw character, sometimes with subtle distortion or analog-style saturation for warmth. Iconic trance leads include the supersaw stack (a chord of seven or more detuned saw waves running in unison, popularised by Roland JP-8000 and now found in every modern soft-synth), the plucked bell-like leads of late-90s Dutch trance, and the bright square-wave leads of Above & Beyond. The lead is typically introduced gradually — hinted at in the breakdown, asserting in the post-buildup drop, and dominating peak choruses.