The Aesthetics Of Sound: Exploring Vintage Emotion and Cinematic Depth in Synth Presets
- viciousantelope
- 4 hours ago
- 8 min read
Breathing Gray Dust - TAL-U-No-LX
An Ode to 80s Synth Sound Dimension
Breathing Gray Dust from "Touching The Moon" pack for TAL-U-No-LX is a combination of pulse and saw oscillators, enhanced by subtle LFO pitch modulation that adds gentle movement without dominating the sound. The interaction between these elements defines the core character, while Type I chorus, high-pass filtering, low-pass filtering, and reverb shape the final texture and spatial behavior.
The envelope features a mid-slow attack and sustain set below maximum, allowing the sound to evolve gradually rather than remain static. This gives the preset an atmospheric quality that works well in pads, intros, slow transitions, and expressive harmonic layers. The result feels like a gradual unfolding rather than an immediate statement.
The saw wave provides warmth and harmonic richness, while the pulse wave introduces a sharper edge. Adjusting the pulse-width (PW) values slightly alters the harmonic balance, but in this case, those changes moved the sound away from the intended aesthetic, so the PW modulation remains intentionally restrained.
The high-pass filter plays a critical role in maintaining the sound’s identity. Reducing it too much disrupts the tonal balance, especially when playing in the low-mid and low keyboard registers, where the sound becomes less focused and loses its coherence. Proper filtering ensures the preset get the character we want in terms of sonic color.
The Type I chorus is essential to the overall character. Disabling it removes the width and motion that define the sound’s emotional depth; without the chorus, the aesthetic presence is significantly reduced. The reverb, on the other hand, plays a supportive role—enhancing space and depth, while remaining non-essential for the sound’s core functionality.
The overall aesthetic is strongly influenced by the warm, nostalgic character of 1980s synthesizer sounds and music. It carries a sense of familiarity and emotional memory, often associated with analog textures, early digital effects, and classic synth arrangements. This character can resonate deeply with listeners who connect these sounds to earlier musical eras.
Idea: Adding a small amount of sub oscillator introduces a more grounded and epic foundation, subtly shifting the sound’s weight while preserving its original character.
Eruption - Serum 2
Exploration of tension, space, and restrained power
Eruption preset is taken by "Fire Star" soundbank for Xfer Serum 2. The main idea behind this preset was to create a cinematic atmosphere built on deep resonances and steady, hypnotic patterns. The goal is an addictive, slightly suffocating feeling that slowly pulls the listener inward. The sound aesthetic is inspired by a dramatic cinematic scene beneath a volcano—grey tones, stone textures, and the overwhelming presence of an impending eruption. It can also be imagined as an undersea volcanic event or a “shipwreck on a rocky shoreline,” where tension and scale coexist with stillness.
A key element of this sound design is the French LP filter, which adds a distinctive character and tonal spice. When replaced with a standard 18 dB low-pass filter, the sound loses much of its unique identity and cinematic depth.
The Hypa oscillator, reinforced by a lower octave than the second oscillator, contributes a majestic and epic foundation, giving weight and authority to the preset. In contrast, the sine-like oscillator is responsible for subtle movement, adding an emotional and evolving pattern within the sound.
The hall reverb plays an essential role in defining the spatial dimension of this preset. Its modulation introduces a restrained dramatic coloration, enhancing the cinematic atmosphere without overpowering the core tone. Removing the unison voicing immediately flattens the sound, stripping away its depth and dimensionality, and revealing how crucial unison is to the overall aesthetic.
Ideas for Further Sonic Exploration
Add sync in the first oscillator’s warp mode and gradually move the warp knob to uncover new harmonic layers and textural complexity.
Experiment with the resonance of the French LP filter to introduce deeper, below-the-surface cinematic tension and a sense of controlled stiffness.
Lower the Hypersaw oscillator by one additional octave to explore a darker, heavier sonic dimension while preserving the core character of the sound.
This preset is designed for composers, producers, and sound designers who work with cinematic music, ambient textures, and atmospheric scoring. It works especially well in film music, game soundtracks, trailers, and any context where mood, scale, and emotional weight are essential. This sound represents an exploration of tension, space, and restrained power—inviting the user not only to play it, but to reshape it into something personal.
The Queen 08 - Cherry Audio Yellowjacket
The Soft Core of Yellowjacket
Creating a soft key version of Yellowjacket turned out to be a quiet challenge. The Queen 08 sound from "The Queen" pack, is intentionally full yet controlled, designed to perform best within the C3 to C5 register, where its body and tonal balance feel most natural. Instead of starting from the oscillators, it’s more revealing to approach this preset in reverse—by listening first to the effects chain.
At a glance, the effects are minimal: delay and reverb, nothing particularly complex. However, disabling them—especially the delay—immediately strips away much of the sound’s identity. The delay acts less as a rhythmic tool and more as a spatial extension; removing it feels like absorbing the character inward, collapsing the sense of space and motion.
The oscillators are both set to saw waves, tuned relatively low. One oscillator is slightly detuned against the other, introducing a gentle, organic movement. This subtle instability prevents the sound from feeling static, allowing it to breathe without drawing attention to modulation itself.
The filter plays a decisive role in shaping the emotional core of the sound. By removing a significant portion of the harmonics, it softens the spectral edge and creates a warm, calm, and embracing tone. This reduction is not about dullness, but about focus—retaining body while avoiding excess brightness. The result is a sound that feels full and intimate rather than expansive or aggressive.
From an aesthetic perspective, this soft key sits comfortably between warmth and restraint. It works well for cinematic underscores, ambient passages, melodic layers, or harmonic beds where emotional presence matters more than articulation.
Additional Sound Design Idea
For those who want to explore subtle variation, adding a flanger can introduce an extra layer of dimensional movement:
Resonance: around 50%
Rate: fairly fast
Depth: approximately 60%
Delay time: no more than 4 ms
Used carefully, this doesn’t overwhelm the core tone but adds a barely perceptible motion that enhances depth and stereo interest.
ELoY 72 - U-He Diva
A Vintage Progressive Rock Lead for u-he Diva
Let’s dive into one of the Primitive packs by Vicious Antelope and revisit "Enraptured Leads Of Yesterday 2", a soundbank for u‑he Diva. As a progressive rock fan, ELOY remains one of my most listenable and inspiring bands. Their sonic legacy is deeply connected with space, movement, and melodic grandeur, and the ELOY 72 preset is a clear paradigm of a classic 1970s progressive rock lead: fairly bright, epic, vintage, and fast in response.
At the oscillator stage, the preset follows a more restrained path. While the digital oscillator module is employed, its signature supersaw is intentionally avoided. The focus shifts instead to a bending triangle waveform, offering a btighter yet disciplined vintage tone, animated by subtle internal modulation that introduces expressive motion over time. Hold a key for at least two bars to fully perceive this peaking sonic behavior—a momentary rise in sonic tension that naturally resolves back, adding expressive movement without sounding artificial.
In parallel, a generous high-pass filter is applied to remove unnecessary low-end information. This is a deliberate design choice: the goal of a preset is not only to sound full in isolation, but to function effectively within a musical context. In practice, this lead works best when combined with a pad that carries richer mid and low-mid content, allowing the ELOY 72 preset to occupy the upper sonic spectrum with clarity and purpose.
A subtle amount of resonance on the ladder low-pass filter adds a gentle sparkle, enhancing the harmonic contour without becoming dominant. The filter is further animated by a slow, non-static modulation, introducing a slight but continuous sense of motion. The amp envelope shaping is fast and responsive on attack, while the release allows the sound to breathe naturally, preserving its expressive quality on the ned of melodic phrases.
The effects section is minimal but carefully chosen. A chorus adds dimension and liquidity, reinforcing the vintage character, while a plate reverb provides spatial depth without blurring articulation. The chorus, in particular, contributes a soft, fluid movement that complements the lead’s melodic intent rather than overpowering it.
This preset is well suited for classic, epic, sci-fi-inspired synth solos reminiscent of progressive rock and space-oriented music from the 1970s. Think of artists such as Pink Floyd, Rush, and Yes. Assign vibrato to the modulation wheel to achieve that characteristic expressive lead movement—a familiar gesture that immediately evokes a journey through unknown galaxies.
Additional sound design idea
Set the LP cutoff to 3 and the emphasis to 6.
Then automate the low-pass cutoff with a slow rise up to approximately 6.5. This creates a classic resonant intro texture, ideal for transitional sections where you need to build anticipation before introducing new musical elements.
Silent Arrow - Arturia OP-Xa V
Ethereal synth depth from the past
Silent Arrow for Arturia OP-Xa V, from the "Orion’s Sight" pack, is an evocative and calming sound—one that gently settles the listener into a cinematic, ethereal sonic space. It carries a distinct flute-like quality that immediately recalls the character of 1970s synthesizers, where simplicity and expression were deeply connected.
This flute-inspired timbre is not inherent to the oscillator itself but emerges through the effects processing. Delay, reverb, and chorus transform what would otherwise be a steady, hollow, and slightly lo-fi tone into something far more organic and expressive. Removing the delay and reverb collapses the sense of space and temporal evolution, while disabling the chorus permanently strips away the flute-like character. Without these elements, the sound loses its sense of motion and emotional depth.
At its core, the synth structure is intentionally minimal. A single ramp-up oscillator, tuned in higher octaves, forms the foundation of the sound. What adds subtle yet essential movement is the unison detune, introducing a gentle instability that keeps the tone alive. This detuning allows the sound to feel as if it is ethereally drifting through soundscapes with grace, never static, never rigid.
The calmness of the sound is shaped primarily by the 12 dB/oct low-pass filter, used in conjunction with relatively high resonance. This combination activates the harmonics while preserving clarity, creating a restrained brightness that feels meditative rather than sharp.
In the low end, the sound takes on a saturated and slightly eerie character, grounding the preset with a darker emotional foundation. Moving into the mid and low-mid registers, the distinctive tonal identity of Silent Arrow becomes most apparent, where its harmonic balance and texture clearly define the character of the sound.
Silent Arrow is designed to add a touch of vintage sparkle and a sky-walking sense of weightlessness—an invitation to explore subtle motion, spatial depth, and the poetic side of synthesis within a cinematic context.
Open CutOff of the filter for new explorations
Pushing the cutoff fully open reveals a very different personality. The sound becomes brighter and more assertive, leaning toward a progressive rock synth with peculiar overtones and organic-style textures. In this configuration, the lo-fi character becomes more apparent in the high-mid registers, offering an alternative aesthetic suitable for expressive chords or bright atmospheres.