Silent Hill music - how?

Mend · 21st July 2011

When I was a little younger I used to play the Silent Hill games a lot. Particularly the first three. The composer for the series managed to to turn the Silent Hill experience into a dark, but often very melancholic and almost dreamlike experience. I'd like to use a similar soundscape for my own music. I'm interested in recreating something like this:

I only have an Alesis Ion synth, so that's as far as my analogue gear goes. I do have quite a lot of softsynths. Would anyone happen to know how to recreate the sound heard in that youtube video?

Regards..

dhollmusik · 21st July 2011

That video is blocked here in Germany (as are most videos nowadays), but I too am a fan of the Silent Hill soundtrack (first game).

Recently one of my Polysix plays was compared to Silent Hill in another thread:

http://soundcloud.com/elseedier/helle

You have an Ion, I'm sure it's capable of similar stuff, especially with all those nice knobs.

Mend · 21st July 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhollmusik

That video is blocked here in Germany (as are most videos nowadays), but I too am a fan of the Silent Hill soundtrack (first game).

Recently one of my Polysix plays was compared to Silent Hill in another thread:

http://soundcloud.com/elseedier/helle

You have an Ion, I'm sure it's capable of similar stuff, especially with all those nice knobs.

How about this video?

dhollmusik · 21st July 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mend

How about this video?

also blocked...

Unfortunately, this SME music-content is not available in Germany because GEMA has not granted the respective music publishing rights.

vonsac · 21st July 2011

Ah! I love those soundtracks - Akira Yamaoka is awesome.

I just found this while looking him up:

Silent Hill Heaven • View topic - Samples used by Akira Yamaoka (updated 1/31)

sammytaters · 21st July 2011

This was the scariest game I've ever played.
I remember it was mostly drone samples and rock tunes, slow breakbeats. A lot of scratchy textures. Two other games with a great industrial soundtrack are Devil May Cry #1 and #3.

timbreman · 22nd July 2011

Portal 2 also had a few tracks that were creepy like this.

Mend · 22nd July 2011

Thanks guys, Postal 2 soundtrack was awesome too by the way. Does anyone have some advice on how to make my synth sound like the one in the first video I posted?

smokingrobot · 22nd July 2011

I mean - construct some pad type sounds, keep your attack somewhat slow with a long sustain and release, sounds like zero decay.

tones seems to rise in intensity and linger.

What other construction input are you looking for? Oscillators etc?

Sounds like some larger room/almost "theater" ish setting on a reverb and some delay on the reverb to provide the rhytmic decaying.

The rhytmic undertone can be achieved somewhat similarly probably a sine wave LFO supplying the pulsating rhythmic aspect of it.

Listening again there's most certainly an LFO on the "lead" synth as well or a more complicated ADSR envelope because i feel like im hearing two distinct swells about which could be simply modulating a cutoff filter on what could be a 1/1 setting if we say the notes played are whole notes roughly.

It might be much simpler than im describing, i'd have to go mess with what i suggested or maybe someone who is a lot better at this than i am can provide some critique of what im saying here.

Mend · 23rd July 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by smokingrobot

What other construction input are you looking for? Oscillators etc?

If you could tell me about oscillators, I'd like to hear your input.

djshire · 23rd July 2011

Lots of pads, single-shot sound effects, samples, and physical modelling.

Logic Sculpture, NI Absynth, and NI Evolve Mutations should be able to do most if not all of it.

monads · 24th July 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mend

Does anyone have some advice on how to make my synth sound like the one in the first video I posted?

Layering is obvious. 0-27sec you can hear the sustained drone pad. That pad has movement, either a slight tremelo, phaser or combo applied. The drone pad drops out 28sec and beyond as the other tonal/changes occur. Other effects I might try are chorus and a luscious spacious verb applied to all.

I need to pick up this soundtrack now

re_mute · 24th July 2011

Huge amounts of sample libraries -
Silent Hill Heaven • View topic - Samples used by Akira Yamaoka (updated 1/31)

21st July 2011	#5
vonsac Gear Head Joined: Jun 2010 Location: BC, Canada. Posts: 47	Ah! I love those soundtracks - Akira Yamaoka is awesome. I just found this while looking him up: Silent Hill Heaven • View topic - Samples used by Akira Yamaoka (updated 1/31) __________________ http://endophelion.bandcamp.com/ // http://vonsac.carbonmade.com/

22nd July 2011	#9
smokingrobot Gear maniac Joined: Apr 2011 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 196	I mean - construct some pad type sounds, keep your attack somewhat slow with a long sustain and release, sounds like zero decay. tones seems to rise in intensity and linger. What other construction input are you looking for? Oscillators etc? Sounds like some larger room/almost "theater" ish setting on a reverb and some delay on the reverb to provide the rhytmic decaying. The rhytmic undertone can be achieved somewhat similarly probably a sine wave LFO supplying the pulsating rhythmic aspect of it. Listening again there's most certainly an LFO on the "lead" synth as well or a more complicated ADSR envelope because i feel like im hearing two distinct swells about which could be simply modulating a cutoff filter on what could be a 1/1 setting if we say the notes played are whole notes roughly. It might be much simpler than im describing, i'd have to go mess with what i suggested or maybe someone who is a lot better at this than i am can provide some critique of what im saying here. __________________ smoking_robot : soundcloud

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21st July 2011	#1
Mend Gear Head Joined: Nov 2010 Posts: 66 Thread Starter	Silent Hill music - how? When I was a little younger I used to play the Silent Hill games a lot. Particularly the first three. The composer for the series managed to to turn the Silent Hill experience into a dark, but often very melancholic and almost dreamlike experience. I'd like to use a similar soundscape for my own music. I'm interested in recreating something like this: I only have an Alesis Ion synth, so that's as far as my analogue gear goes. I do have quite a lot of softsynths. Would anyone happen to know how to recreate the sound heard in that youtube video? Regards.. __________________ "Back to the world, the tourniquet knot is slipping apart. Bones left to pick, they radiate and splinter away."

21st July 2011	#2
dhollmusik Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2010 Location: Berlin Posts: 1,948 4 Reviews written	That video is blocked here in Germany (as are most videos nowadays), but I too am a fan of the Silent Hill soundtrack (first game). Recently one of my Polysix plays was compared to Silent Hill in another thread: http://soundcloud.com/elseedier/helle You have an Ion, I'm sure it's capable of similar stuff, especially with all those nice knobs.

21st July 2011	#6
sammytaters Gear maniac Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 254 2 Reviews written	This was the scariest game I've ever played. I remember it was mostly drone samples and rock tunes, slow breakbeats. A lot of scratchy textures. Two other games with a great industrial soundtrack are Devil May Cry #1 and #3.

22nd July 2011	#7
timbreman Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2008 Location: San Antonio Posts: 1,304	Portal 2 also had a few tracks that were creepy like this.

23rd July 2011	#11
djshire Gear addict Joined: Mar 2011 Location: Detroit, MI, USA Posts: 341	Lots of pads, single-shot sound effects, samples, and physical modelling. Logic Sculpture, NI Absynth, and NI Evolve Mutations should be able to do most if not all of it.

24th July 2011	#13
re_mute Gear interested Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 14	Huge amounts of sample libraries - Silent Hill Heaven • View topic - Samples used by Akira Yamaoka (updated 1/31)