Goosebumps w/ horror strings

Dissonance is a combination of sounds „in need of resolution”. First and foremost, a dissonant sound creates a feeling of unease. For example, this musical device is often used in the soundtracks of horror films. In this episode of Logic Pro X Power Producer, we‘ll show you how to create string sounds that will terrify your audience. 1 Studio strings

Brave readers can switch off the ceiling lamp and light a few candles before starting this workshop. Goosebumps are guaranteed - I promise. First, load Logic‘s Studio Strings. Now select the String Ensemble and set Attack and Release to 30% each. This way you achieve a slow and dynamic buildup and decay of the sound. 1

2 One tone MIDI

The sound we want to introduce you to in this workshop is a tonal, dissonant tone cluster sound. For best results, focus on single notes rather than chords or intervals. Next, use the Pencil Tool to draw five MIDI blocks from C1 to C5 and shorten them by the last three 16th notes. 1

3 The preparation

With a song tempo of 80 BMP, you will achieve the best results, as the string sound will not come to an end too quickly. Now copy the MIDI file created in the last step at least four times and load the Logic internal MIDI effect Randomizer (found in the MIDI FX section of your loaded software instrument track). 1

4 Randomize it!

You could now simply shift/add the notes in the piano roll so that they sound dissonant. But using the Randomizer is more creative and result-oriented. Among other things, the Randomizer is able to make MIDI events sound random. This results in unique tone combinations that usually end up sounding very dissonant. 1

5 Set parameters

Select the Note Number menu item. Based on your source material, the random tone combinations will appear. Now set Amount to a low value between 3 and 20 to achieve a random sound without losing the character of the MIDI notes you have drawn. The higher the value, the more random the notes. 1

6 Attention! Attention!

You should be careful, because once a random combination of sounds has been played, there is little chance that it will occur again in exactly the same way. We recommend that you route the MIDI track so that you record it in real time. This way you can access all sound combinations at any time. Now you just have to pick out the best results.