The Synth Sounds of John Carpenter: Halloween, The Fog, Assault on Precinct 13

Published on Oct 27, 2016 Reverb.com

"John Carpenter has been a master of horror, suspense, and science fiction for 40 years, Directing cult classics such as Halloween, The Thing, and Big Trouble In Little China. But many do not know that Carpenter was also the man behind the soundtracks for nearly all of his films, often using synthesizers and keyboards of the day to craft sounds that are now synonymous with Horror and Science Fiction.

In this video, Justin DeLay shows us how to approximate three classic Carpenter themes on synthesizers of the day, and gives tips and suggestions on how you can be inspired to experiment at home, all while getting followed by a mysterious Shape...

0:00 - Intro
1:04 - "Halloween" Main Piano Theme
3:04 - "Halloween" Pads, Drums
4:45 - John Carpenter's Synthesizers
5:55 - "The Fog" Theme on Juno 106
9:00 - "The Fog" Pads and Bass on Moog and Prophet
10:55 - "Assault on Precinct 13" Theme
13:30 - The Shape Closes In on Mr. DeLay

Read More about John Carpenter and download our John Carpenter MIDI clip pack at: http://bit.ly/2eJO84L

Synthesizers Used:
Ensoniq ESQ-1: http://bit.ly/2eRPcAX
Roland Juno 106: http://bit.ly/2bORcHQ
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5: http://bit.ly/2bPIooc
MiniMoog Model D: http://bit.ly/2bD3ClM
Ableton Live: http://bit.ly/2coU2Zo
Roland 606: http://bit.ly/2dX7wtE

Hosted by Justin DeLay
Directed and Edited by Michael Lux
Photographed by John Gagen & Michael Lux
Eric Slager as The Shape
Sawyer Hildebrandt as School Buddy #1
Titles and Pumpkin by Eric Slager"

John Carpenter Prophet 6 patches by Everett Dudgeon, Prophet-5 Comparison & Tips

Published on Jun 8, 2018 EverettDudgeon138

Playlist:
John Carpenter Prophet 6 patches by Everett Dudgeon Part 1
John Carpenter Prophet 6 patches Vol 2 by Everett Dudgeon
John Carpenter Prophet 6 patches Vol 3 by Everett Dudgeon

Stop turning up your Prophet 6 by Everett Dudgeon

Published on Aug 17, 2018 EverettDudgeon138

"Some criticism the Prophet 6 and OB6 received is they sounded too harsh. As it turns out a lot of people are unknowingly driving the filter way too hard. I learned about it through some feedback with my John Carpenter patches. By default when the VCO's volume is maxed out in the mixer section and the Amp Envelope's amount is maxed out it's automatically driving the filter hard. Backing them off to 50% gets you a warmer and smoother sound, closer to the original Prophet-5 territory."

The original 48 Prophet 5 Patches In The Prophet 6 by Everett Dudgeon

Published on Aug 21, 2018 EverettDudgeon138

"Going through the original Prophet-5 presets that were re-created by John Bowen for the Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet-6.

I go through all 48 (I thought it was only 40 my mistake) and I recognize them from various soundtracks and songs.

These are located in bank 400 and start at 411.

Marcus V Warner's channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/Official..."

Happy Halloween!!!

YouTube via Legiaking16.

"The theme song from the movie "Halloween" by John Carpenter." The film was released in 1978. John not only wrote and directed the film but he composed the music for it. The following is an image of John Carpenter in the studio from this earlier post.

Be sure to see these posts on John Carpenter. Note that this image is most likely from the Halloween III session. From the earlier post, "the music for the original Halloween movie was recorded at Sound Arts, Los Angeles and featured Moog modular programming by Dan Wyman." Update: A non synth related interesting side note: I was taking a look at John Carpenter's IMDB page and noticed that the full movie The Thing appears to be available for streaming. The Thing was another classic horror film from John Carpenter from 1982. Have a great Halloween folks!

Dave Smith & John Carpenter at the Fox Theater, Oakland at the John Carpenter Tour

via @dsiSequential

"John Carpenter @TheHorrorMaster & Dave at the Fox Theater, Oakland
...johncarpenter.com/tour #johncarpenter #80shorror"

Two synth legends. How cool is that.

Click here for more posts featuring John Carpenter, including a recent interview.

John Carpenter shares his love for Korg!

Published on Jun 20, 2016 Korg

"We stop by the Hollywood home studio of American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and composer John Carpenter. The legendary director talks of scoring low budget student films, composing influences and his new album of entitled 'Lost Themes'."

Update:

John Carpenter - The Fog (Snippet) Performed live on the Kronos

Published on Jun 24, 2016 Korg

"We stop by the Hollywood home studio of American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and composer John Carpenter. The legendary director talks of scoring low budget student films, composing influences and his new album of entitled 'Lost Themes'."

Sequential Prophet 5 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer Signed by John Carpenter?

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this listing, also on Reverb

"The triumphant return of Sequential Circuit's Prophet 10, signed by the Horror Master himself, Mr. John Carpenter.

[The Story] I purchased this synthsizer direct from Sequential in 2020, shorly after it's initial release and have owned it ever since. Being a massive John Carpenter fan, and noting he created a lot of his famous score work on the original Prophet 5, I sought out to have him personally sign this keyboard. This autograph was aquired on August 12th, 2022 at the Monroeville Convention Center's Steel City Con via a brief VIP meet and greet with Mr. Carpenter. It was autographed along with one other item I brought along, a model of the Christine movie car.

[The Details] I am the original owner of this synthesizer and it has never left my climate controlled studio. I would rate this unit in mint condition. No visible blemishes, scuffs, dents or scratches. Functions as expected. Please see photos.

Unit comes with power supply, framed comemorative poster, and full sized soft road case. No original manual or box included.

Unfortunately, I am unable to provide any sort of certificate of authenticity verifying the signature on this item."

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John Carpenter's Halloween soundtrack performed on the Dave Smith Instruments OB6 synthesizer

Published on Oct 16, 2019 Sean Christopher Evoking Emotion with Synthesizers

"It's October, so I thought some classic synth horror movie soundtrack music was in order, so I present to you John Carpenter's iconic Halloween soundtrack music.

John Howard Carpenter is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and composer. Although Carpenter has worked with various movie genres, he is associated most commonly with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s....including 1978's classic Halloween and its subsequent sequels.

These pieces were multitracked to Cubase entirely from the OB6. I did use some Valhalla reverb though, as I do love their reverbs."

John Carpenter's Halloween

The Original Classic Halloween Theme by John Carpenter 1978 Jack Pumpkinking·14 videos

via Moog Music Inc on Facebook

"I used only the modular system Moog III: five boxes of modules, with 4 sequencers, two keyboards, and a Ribbon Controller. I had [...] other instruments, their sound did not match the quality we were looking for. I had written the #Moog Modular Systems Handbook for Bob Moog, and without reservation preferred the quality of this famous instrument to any other."

-Dr. Daniel Wyman on his work with John Carpenter for the #Halloween soundtrack: www.cultureramp.com/killer-punk/"

Christine - John Carpenter cover by Asteroid Killer

video upload by

"This video is a tribute to the legendary film director and music producer John Carpenter

Chrisine is a horror movie based on a novel by Stephen King about a car.

Bass - ARP Oddyssey
Spooky arpeggio - Roland SH101
Melody - Roland Jupiter 4
Percussive sound - Korg MS20
Drums - Roland TR707
Reverb - OTO BAM and Strymon Nightsky
Delay - Neon Egg Planetarium, TC Electronic 2290

Original song was recorded and released by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth 1989.
The song was also released by The Splash Band in 1984."

John Carpenter - The Fog (Snippet) Performed live on the Kronos

Published on Jun 24, 2016 Korg

"We stop by the Hollywood home studio of American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and composer John Carpenter. The legendary director talks of scoring low budget student films, composing influences and his new album of entitled 'Lost Themes'."

See the interview from Korg with John Carpenter here.

The Rise of the Synths (80s retro music documentary)

Currently seeking funding on Kickstarter here.

"A documentary about the synthwave scene, 80s nostalgia, retromania & memories. Inspired in Carpenter, Moroder & Tangerine Dream legacy.

Feature documentary (90-120 min.) about the synthwave scene, 80s nostalgia, audiovisual collective memories and electronic music.

The natural way of the cultural wave: we generally experience that musical and cultural trends shift from an outstanding position within public opinion to near utter rejection, refusal and ridicule, through an ever-shortening period of time. However, if that period of time is extended, to often several decades, we can witness a renovation, a new heightened recognition – the rebirth of the wave. Through today’s global reach, powered by the internet, cultural waves and fascinations can resurface and manifest themselves, with an even much bigger fan impact than the original source.

The film is a travel in time towards the roots of a worldwide grass-root music scene known as Synthwave, an irresistible blend of modern electronic composition with 80s pop culture’s nostalgia, that over the last two years has transformed from a whisper on selected internet hubs, to an ever-growing scene, expanding rapidly as we speak. Accounting millions of plays on social media, devoted fans are legion, but nobody in the mass media knows about them.

Thousands of synthwave composers around the world are living out double-lives. Away from their normal everyday life they spend another half-life behind a faceless musical avatar, creating and uploading their own renditions of 80’s-styled film scores, sharing them with the world – surging the wave. They belong to an endless army of watchers for the master’s legacy: the sound that Edgar Froese, Giorgio Moroder and John Carpenter created in the late 70s.

A time travel into the universe of creating sounds. A love letter to human fascination and the collective memories of an universe that never existed."

Additional details at Kickstarter.

The rise of the synths (Sizzle reel) from Ivan Castell on Vimeo.

The Rise of the Synths on the radio show "Synthaves"

Published on May 10, 2016 The Rise of the Synths

"Our director talks about the project on the radio show "Synthaves" hosted by Noah Kaufmann on "KFAI" Radio. CROWDFUNDING NOW RUNNING ON KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

The Rise of the Synths is a documentary about the Synthwave scene, nostalgia and the universe of creating sounds.

'The old soundtrack of a new generation'

The film is a time travel towards the roots of a worldwide grass-root music scene known as Synthwave, an irresistible blending of modern electronic composition with 80s pop culture’s nostalgia, that over the last two years has transformed from a whisper on selected internet hubs, to a ever-growing scene expanding rapidly as we speak. Accounting millions of plays on social media, devoted fans are legion, but nobody in the mass media knows about them.

A time travel into the universe of creating sounds. A love letter to human fascination and the collective memories of an universe that never existed.

Featuring: Electric Youth, College, Miami Nights 1984, Com Truise, Nightcrawler, Dynatron, Dance with the Dead, Maethelvin, Stellar Dreams, Vincenzo Salvia, Jordan F, Futurecop!, The Midnight, Power Glove, 80s Stallone, Betamaxx, Kristine, Darkest, Lazerhawk, Mitch Murder, Carpenter Bru, Timecop 1983, OGRE, Waveshaper, MPM Soundtracks.

A documentary about the universe of sounds created by: Giorgio Moroder, John Carpenter, Claudio Simonetti (Goblin), Tangerine Dream, Brad Fiedel, Stu Phillips, Vangelis, Harold Faltermeyer and Jan Hammer (to name a few). "

John Carpenter - Christine (main theme, cover)

Published on May 28, 2017 ollilaboratories

"If you like my stuff please support me on http://music.ollilab.com/

Lets just get this straight.. John Carpenter is my top inspiration, I can easily say if it was not for him I would not be the person I am today. The inspiration he has given me through his music and movies has undeniably set its marks on everything creative i do. I might not be a master movie director, but the music part is something i keep very close to my heart.

One of my favourite Carpenter themes is from the Movie Christine, problem with this is that I really like the movie soundtrack better than The Splash band versions of the track.. however there are some elements in the splash band version that works... so after 33 years of thinking about it, I finally decided to merge the elements i like the most and make a cover version :)

This is completely freeform and live straight to 2-track with no multitracking involved. Also i take a lot of liberties interpreting the melodies and time signatures .. see it as my hommage to the master of horror music !

Gear used: Nord lead A1, Reface CP (intro section) + Bluesky and particle delay on the CP. Braids in the modular plays the main sequence which gets some modulation from the maths + tides + keeley caverns reverb and delay. 0-coast adds a bassline which is washed with reverb in the elektron A4.. the A4 itself adds the classic 4:4 bass notes.. main theme melody is played on the KORG monologue. Drums from the TR-8.. thats it :)

Hope you like it! And also a big shout out to mr Carpenter, thank you for making all the movies and music over the years.. you are my hero !"

Patch Notes: Ennio Morricone Tribute

TheEndorphines

"Ennio Morricone tribute patch based on the Good, Bad & Ugly soundtrack.
In this patch we are using Furthrrrrr generator with exponential FM to add inconsistent pitch drift in order to make the sound more realistic and human."

---

As many of you likely know, film composer Ennio Morricone passed away on July 6. He didn't work primarily with synths but he did incorporate them. He actually composed the soundtrack for The Thing using synths as a tribute in a sense to John Carpenter. From The Vinyl Factory:

"This is an unusual release in the soundtrack back-catalogue in it being a rare instance where John Carpenter chose not to score one of his own films, and where Morricone experiments with synth-tones in his composition, seemingly in acknowledgement of Carpenter’s style.

There’s a lot of muddied details that surround it, but as the story goes Carpenter was disappointed with what his musical hero (he got married to the music of Morricone) presented and embellished what appeared in the cinema with some of his own fills, leaving out a great deal of what Morricone had prepared. The LP however, includes tracks selected by Morricone and trumps his other works for horror in suspense and execution. Nominated for a razzie. Go figure."

I read that Ennio Morricone believed a synth shouldn't be used to recreate real world instruments, but rather as it's own instrument. via Wired:

"To create that original score for Tarantino, Morricone largely turns to tools unavailable in 1964, like synthesizers, which drive the tense, gloomy eight-minute overture. (Morricone’s compositions for The Thing, used in The Hateful Eight, were some of his first work with synths in the early 1980s.)

The experimenting composer isn’t above technological advances, but he’s quick to warn young composers of the dangers of seductive technology. “Electronic instruments have to be used to justify something that doesn’t exist, not to replace for instance an orchestra,” he says. “If you use the synth just to recreate the sound of an existing musical instrument, it is wrong. But if you use the synth to create sound that doesn’t exist, that’s a very wise way to use it.”

So technology can be a cautious step forward in music composition, as long as you don’t use it as a crutch. “If the composer—or the so-called composer—becomes a kind of slave of technology, if he uses technology in a toxic way, this is not progress,” he says. As Morricone sees it, technology’s role in music is “a moral stance, not only a technical stance.” A broader variety of possible sounds can benefit a soundtrack, of course, but the ease of synthetic sounds is not worth the loss of the authentic and everyday. Use technology to add a human whistle or the real tick of a watch, but don’t replace them with false facsimiles. As he describes it, in composing, “everything must start from your soul, from your heart, even when you use technology.” In his score for The Hateful Eight, Morricone is, in part, reusing music composed for a thriller in 1982 for a Western in 2015—but 70 years after his first Western, he insists he’s still experimenting, from the heart."

P.S. Thanks to gridsleep for requesting a post on Ennio Morricone and TheEndorphines for the video. I was hoping something to pay proper tribute would come in and it did.

The Fog - John Carpenter Cover

Scott Ampleford

"Another year, another John Carpenter cover. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
The Fog is another great film from the master, with a cracking score to boot.
Full of moody tension and synthesized dread in Carpenter's signature style, with a little help from the great Dan Wyman. I hope you enjoy my renditions in this medley of classic themes.
Gear Used:
5U / MU Modular Synthesizer
Yamaha DX7
Roland Juno 6
Behringer Neutron
Arturia MiniBrute
Arturia Beatstep Pro
Check out my album releases: https://scottampleford.bandcamp.com
Looking for music for your project? Get in touch: scott@scottampleford.com
Check out my website: http://www.scottampleford.com"

John Carpenter's Halloween theme 2017 Cover

Published on Oct 31, 2017 Anthony Distefano

"John Carpenter's Halloween theme cover using NI Absynth and Bass guitar.

Brian Clevinger - Bass guitar and NI Absynth Anthony Distefano - NI Absynth"

MIKE303 'John Carpenter' (Msq 700 Prophet 5 Tr808 Matrix6 Ob xa)

Published on Apr 27, 2017 AnalogSynthMuseum

"MIKE303 'John Carpenter' (Msq 700 Prophet 5 Tr808 Matrix6 Ob xa)

Oberheim OB-XA : Rush bass & lead
Oberheim Matrix 6 : lead & strings
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 : lead
Sequencer : Roland MSQ-700
Drum machine : Roland Tr808
Electro harmonix Small Stone Phazer

Recorded live no over dub, no blue light , no synth plugins !!!!"

Lavender - Carved Intentions (Teaser #2)

Uploaded on Mar 16, 2017 Lavender Synth

An upcoming release composed entirely on the KORG Poly-800ii, via MATRIXSYNTH member, Lavender.

"One week away from the release of his new music video, Lavender unveils second teaser and builds expectancy with provocative black and white aestetics. 'Carved Intentions' is the first single from his critically acclaimed sophomore album 'Horizons Beneath the Surface' (Jacktone records, 2016). Full video out on: 03.24.17

For fans of: john carpenter, film noir, analogue synthesizers.

Album link: https://lavendersynth.com/HBTS.html

Praise for 'Carved Intentions':

'Unforgettable three-minute-long portrait of Giallo horror containing nothing beyond a plaintive, warbling synthesizer backed by a careful bassline, does so much with so little it must be heard to be believed.'
- SF Weekly

“Easily compared to the complex spontaneity of early Pink Floyd and the uncanny atmospherics of John Carpenter.”
- XLR8R

Best Albums of 2016 list - KALX Radio"

For booking: lavendersynth@gmail.com

Aquifex - JD-Xi Covers of Assault on Precinct 13 by John Carpenter & The Thing by Ennio Morricone

video upload by SynthAddict

"Roland JD-Xi cover of a great minimalist theme by John Carpenter, from his 1976 film Assault on Precinct 13. The original soundtrack was made with classic analog synths (no drum machine) and multitrack tape."


video upload by SynthAddict

"Roland JD-Xi cover of the classic minimalist theme by infamous composer Ennio Morricone, from the amazing 1982 remake of The Thing - a landmark achievement in practical make-up FX from Rob Bottin and Stan Winston (he made the dog creature)."

John carpenter movie themes Pt.2 (stereo) HALLOWEEN SEASONAL SPECIAL!

YouTube via mik300z. follow-up to this post.
"Part two of my cover versions by the brilliant John Carpenter with a little help from my two old friends, a fog machine and the kids! Hope you like it"

Siel Cruise Vintage Italian Synth (aka Sequential Circuits Fugue)

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Made in Italy, circa 1979.

I first came across this synth after hearing Adrian Utley of Portishead fame raving about it in the below YouTube video from 2008. It’s a lush poly synth and fat mono synth in one and sounds fabulous. The synth was used extensively on Portishead’s album Third (see “The Rip” and the John Carpenter-esque outro of “Machine Gun” in particular).

Totally nails Solina string ensemble as well as John Carpenter-esque sounds, but on top of that you have a bunch of great poly synth sounds and a tweakable monosynth with very fat sounding filters. (Add a dash of effects and this thing really comes alive.) The below AnalogAudio1 videos are great examples."

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