What's a good low instrument for creepy suspense

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ironpony
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27 May 2020, 1:29 am

auntblabby wrote:
ironpony wrote:
Oh okay, well is there a website or source to listen to instrument sounds to see if you like them, that have that movie soundtrack quality, that can bring out the best in the instrument, rather than being an old recording from a more distant microphone?

youtube has many solo instrumental videos. you just have to type in a particular instrument, and chances are it'll be there in some form, even if only one such instrument exists in the whole world, such as in this contrabass french horn vid-


Oh okay thanks, but what I mean is, in these videos where they show a person play the instrument, the recordings do not sound as good as on a movie soundtrack though. And that is why it's hard to tell which instruments are the right ones to use, because they sound so different recorded in people's home videos compared to movie soundtracks.



ironpony
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27 May 2020, 1:33 am

roronoa79 wrote:
Bass drum on its own can be good for suspense. A single bass drum could call to mind approaching footsteps, a heartbeat, or the sound of someone beating striking something repeatedly. (If you want to be more in that vein, Scott Walker once used the sound of punching raw meat).
Low, low piano can be very unsettling ("Ikana Canyon" by Koji Kondo comes to mind). Prepared piano can be good for this too. The Banshee by Henry Cowell is an unconventional piece for "string" piano that is played entirely by standing next to the piano and striking the strings with your bare hands. This lends itself to a variety of chilling sounds, like scratching up and down the coiled strings to make metallic screeches and whispers.
Jaw harps are good for eerie drones, so playing one low enough could be good for what you're looking for. Didgeridoos are also great for long, low drones. Low horns in general are good for this (the didgeridoo is classified as a type of tubular natural horn). Think like a hunter's horn, or the deep blaring sounds made by the Reapers in Mass Effect.


Oh okay thanks. I think I will use a low bass synthesizer such as these ones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN9gcEZMZO8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbJE_L80QRI

But I can also combine with a low bass drum and I was thinking the Okedo Drum.

And maybe an acoustic double bass to go with it as well, but maybe that's a little much for creepy suspense and I should just stick to the synth and Okedo maybe? Unless other types of bass drums might be better?