With the spooky season fast approaching, it’s time to relax on the sofa with some of your favourite horror classics.
You might ask yourself; what is it that’s so spine-chilling in our favourite slashers and ghost-flicks?
Over-zealous zombies, ghastly ghouls, and murderous mummies. They’re all just costumes without the correct ambience to set the scene.
Renowned for their ability to produce a practically limitless range of sounds, synths are perfect for the horror genre. So, capture some eerie inspiration and get ready for our list of spooky synths that you can buy right here from Gear4Music.
Behringer 2600 Analog Synthesizer
The ARP 2600 was recently featured in the smash hit Stranger Things, however, a vintage model can run you back thousands of pounds. The Behringer 2600 Analog Synthesizer is a faithful recreation of the classic ARP 2600 and a faithful recreation at a fraction of the price.
Inspired by the classic horror scores of John Carpenter and the like, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein used the ARP 2600 amongst a series of other synthesizers to produce the synth-heavy, experimental electronic music that saturates the nightmare landscapes of the Upside Down.
What does it include?
Featuring three VCOs complete with FM inputs and a semi-modular architecture, the Behringer 2600 delivers a diverse range of tones.
From there, an expansive range of modules and effects can shape, sculpt, or mangle sounds. There’s always room for evolution or even destruction with this versatile synthesizer.
With ultra-flexible sound-shaping capability, the Behringer 2600 Analog Synthesizer achieves amazing tones from huge basslines, stabbing leads, and a dreamy (or nightmarish) ambience.
Thanks to an intuitive design and versatile connectivity, the Behringer 2600 makes it easy to follow in the footsteps of your favourite horror composers, despite the Behringer 2600’s complex range of 73 buttons and faders.
Shop now | Behringer 2600 Analog Synthesizer
Behringer 2600-VCO Analog VCO Module
If you’re already something of a synth wiz and fancy integrating that signature spooky synth sound into your modular setup, the Behringer 2600-VCO Analog VCO Module is perfect for you.
Modular synthesis has been used in many of the classic horror films we know and love, but with contemporary technology, the spectrum of sounds you can achieve is wider than ever.
So, hook up the Behringer 2600-VCO Analog VCO Module to your modular setup and modulate, manipulate, and mangle your signal into some truly horrifying sounds.
What does it include?
Offering the same powerful oscillators as the full 2600 setup, the 2600 VCO module is a compact and versatile offshoot. It gives you four simultaneous waveforms and the ability to control a wide frequency band.
A frequency range of 10Hz to 10kHz, or 0.03Hz to 30Hz when switched to Low-Frequency mode, provides an immensely flexible launchpad to send your signal through your modules.
It also has a pulse width range of 10% to 90%, bringing a huge range of unique ways to shape your sound however you see fit.
Because the Behringer 2600-VCO Analog VCO Module fits into any standard Eurorack case, the choice of modules is yours, and the potential for horrific sounds is boundless.
Shop now | Behringer 2600-VCO Analog VCO Module
Moog Etherwave Theremini Miniature Theremin
The Theremin holds an esteemed place in the golden age of classic horror cinema.
With its range of signature eerie drones and tones of otherworldly dread, the Theramin has been tapping into the instinctual fears of horror fans since the mid-’40s in classic horror and film-noir psychological thrillers such as Hitchcock’s Spellbound.
Since then the Theramin has held its own, instantly recognised, and capable of striking a sinister chord that fits the dramatic settings of horror to a tee.
If you’re not just looking for any old spooky synth, but the original spooky synth, to add to your collection this Halloween, the Theramin is for you.
Vintage Theramins will set you back thousands, but there are plenty of contemporary options to choose from. We’ve selected the Moog Etherwave Theremini Miniature Theremin to keep things modern and on a budget.
What does it include?
The Moog Etherwave Theremini is everything you expect a Theramin to be.
It’s an invisible, untouchable instrument that allows you to control pitch and volume with a wave of your hands. And it’s been brought into the 21st Century with a slew of contemporary features.
Exhibiting as an easier-to-play interpretation of its predecessors, the Moog Etherwave Theremini features automated pitch correction. When in the maximum position, the Theramini will play every note in a selected scale perfectly, or turn the feature off and perform just as the original did to capture those classic spooky wails.
With a powerful sound engine featuring 32 sound presets, all boasting unique tonalities and timbre, the Moog Theremini is more expansive than ever.
Moreover, the Theremini also features a built-in stereo ping-pong delay, so you can build space, depth, and movement throughout your sounds.
Whether you require a live performance instrument or a studio piece, Theramini has you covered. With a built-in speaker and headphone port, as well as a USB MIDI connection, live sound and studio integration are made simple.
Shop now | Moog Etherwave Theremini Miniature Theremin
Roland Gaia 2 Synthesizer
If you’re after an endless array of sounds without being bombarded by overwhelming controls, the Roland Gaia 2 Synthesizer is ideal. Its hybrid engine, comprising wavetable and virtual analog synthesis, lets you explore sounds inspired by familiar vintage synths and newer game-changers; you can also use unique phase and shape modulation tools.
With the wavetable oscillator section, you can play around with various distinctive textures – perfect for creating eerie horror vibes, from subtle shifts to dramatic changes.
What does it include?
The Roland Gaia 2 Synthesizer boasts a user-friendly interface for an effortless workflow, a hybrid sound engine with a wavetable oscillator and a pair of virtual analog oscillators, and a Motional Pad for adjusting real-time sound adjustment.
There’s also a one-control-per-function, making it easy to program sounds. You can build modulation routings, assigning up to four parameters to each of the two LFOs, which are equipped with classic and modern wave shapes.
Finally, you have a free-flowing sequencer that offers real-time and step-recording features, and 53 MFX effects, including filters, phasers, chorus, reverb, and more.
Shop now | Roland Gaia 2 Synthesizer
Arturia MICROFREAK Paraphonic Hybrid Synthesizer
Hybrid synths also hold a place in the lineage of great horror synthesizers, and our recommendation is the Arturia Microfreak Paraphonic Hybrid Synthesizer.
John Carpenter held a classic Ensoniq SQ-80 in his studio for the composition of They Live, and it left quite an impression on many of those who heard it.
By piecing together digital and analogue pieces there have been some veritable Frankenstein’s monster synths that are capable of truly unique and alarming sounds.
There can be a huge variation in how hybrid synths works, but for an intuitive blending of wavetable and digital oscillators with analogue filters in a contemporary synth, look no further than the Microfreak.
What does it include?
Featuring 17 oscillator modes, including seven bespoke Arturia engines, seven modes from Mutable Instruments, and three modes designed with Noise Engineering, the Arturia Microfreak offers a comprehensive range of sounds to inspire your sound design.
Digital synthesis offers massive scope for possible sounds, and in combination with distinctive wavetable sounds, you can bring an abrasive edge to your synthesis that screams horror.
The sound from Microfreak’s hybrid synthesis is vibrant, deep, and full of character. Combined with an analogue 12db/Oct filter, the Microfreak truly has the range to screech or whisper. Alternatively, let this powerful state-variable filter self-oscillate, giving your sound design new realms to explore.
Shop now | Arturia Microfreak Paraphonic Hybrid Synthesizer
Cre8Audio West Pest Desktop Synthesizer
West-coast style synthesis offers exceptional sonic potential while maintaining a quick and easy workflow.
Revolving around additive synthesis, wave shaping, and dynamic depth FM synthesis, west coast synths reject an established musical tradition and demonstrate an against-the-grain philosophy saturated throughout their workflow.
These processes make for abrasive and radical sounds that fit the bill of horror nicely.
To make the most of west-coast style synthesis on a budget check out the Cre8Audio West Pest Desktop Synthesizer.
What does it include?
West Pest gives you all the potential of west-coast style synthesis in a neat desktop-sized package.
Utilise waveform contour to shape your sound, and increase the harmonic content of the oscillator by folding the wave in on itself.
The combined functionality of an envelope generator, VCA, and low-pass filter makes for a distinctive dynamics controller with comprehensive control.
It features eight different modules: oscillator, wave contour, dynamics controller, LFO, multi-mod tool, MIDI to CV converter, sequencer, and button keyboard that can be patched between a semi-modular format for unusual results.
Alternatively, integrate your West Pest into a Eurorack case to expand the reach of your sound design to no end, and really push the limits of your spooky synthesis.
All these sound design features make for a powerful little synth that will capture the sounds you need to make horror leads and ambiences with ease.
Shop now | Cre8Audio West Pest Desktop Synthesizer
Cre8Audio East Beast Desktop Synthesizer
On the other hand, East-coast style synthesis revolves around subtractive synthesis and a filter that removes specific frequencies to get your sound.
With powerful oscillators producing harmonically-rich waveforms, East-coast synths produce deep and powerful tones that then go through a series of effective modules.
Waveforms can be boosted with saturation or clippers and processed through a filter to subtract harmonics and sweep resonance to create shifting timbres.
The dynamic timbres of East-coast synths, sharp or dull, rich or delicate, offer the range and reach of synthesis that is required to truly capture the peaks and valleys of horror soundtracks.
Check out the Cre8Audio East Beast Desktop Synthesizer for a budget answer to your spooky synth needs.
What does it include?
As well as a PGH multi-mode filter with no dead spots, low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and combo modes offer a diverse range of subtractive potentials to mix up your harmonic content.
A custom envelope provides an exceptionally snappy attack, which, when combined with the dual-range LFO, offers all the dynamics and movement you need to raise hairs.
Much like its West-coast counterpart, the East Beast is a semi-modular synth with nine distinct modules that can be patched together to provide semi-modular control and sound-mangling capabilities. You’ll be able to create some truly synthesized monstrosities.
Again, just as with the West Pest, you can fully integrate the East Beast into a Eurorack case to push the limits of its synthesis above and beyond.
All this offers a distinct sound and tone when compared to West-coast counterparts but is well suited to the horror genre all the same, so you can get stuck into making unique horror sounds with plenty of options.
Final thoughts
Synthesizers utilise sharp, abrasive electronic sounds and eerie, haunting synth pads to create dark and ghostly atmospheres. Ethereal pads, thumping bass lines, and stabbing leads are staples in the horror genre, and horror films have soundtracks saturated with synthesizers for good reason.
Some of the most terrifying scenes come down to the score. Think John Carpenter’s score for Halloween, Jerry Goldsmith for Runaway, and Howard Shore for Videodrome.
A chilling ambience lays the foundations to keep your hairs on end, which then builds to a calamitous crescendo as a horrifying monster jumps from behind the curtain and huge synths stab, screech, and wail at you in shocking ways.
Next time you’re watching your favourite horror film, listen closely to the soundtrack and see if you can recognise any of these synths – there’s a good chance you will!
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