Dark Skies: Cinematic Ambiences - Music Tech - February 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Advancements in modern sound manipulation have led to many film scores focusing more on textural sound design to convey emotion and tell a story. In certain genres, such as horror and sci-fi, the sounds of dissonant rumbles are often far more effective at setting a scene than any melody or harmony could hope to be. Dark Skies is the latest library of cinematic ambiences from Zero-G and features a massive selection of epic, mysterious and terrifying soundscapes.
The package comes with two DVDs containing both Acid Wav and Apple Loops audio plus instrument patches for EXS, NNXT and Kontakt. That works out as an extensive 4.3GB of 24-bit audio material divided into folders of Ambiences, Construction Kits and Single Hit Sounds. Although some unique names have been used to organise the files and folders, most of the sounds are fairly dark, with each falling into the categories of thriller, horror, sci-fi or fantasy.
The ambience loops are, as you would expect, subtle mood-setters, while the construction kit folders feature a more varied collection of incidental cues and stings. Many of the samples use a combination of manipulated live audio and advanced synthesis techniques, including a great deal of granular effects, spectral filtering and saturated resonance.
These sounds are exceptionally high-quality. Although not cheap, this is a professional collection for film, TV and media composers that would more than pay for itself due to the sheer size and usability of the material. Given the nature of the sounds, this is an essential purchase for anyone working on a sci-fi or horror project.
Verdict: An extensive collection of highly polished and frequently tense and terrifying sounds.
Rating: 9/10
Click here for more information about Dark Skies
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