Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This is a sound design tutorial for how to approach a specific sound that was used in the first season of Stranger Things. I was requested to show how I would make the lead sound that happens in the track "Eleven". The sound is a wet electric piano type of sound, with some wrinkles around the use of filter modulation and reverb..
The Sequential Circuits OB-6 can do a respectable job of coming close to the sound, and I tried to get a Grandmother version to come close. This track does require polyphony, so the Grandmother would have to be multitracked to get the same result.
Analog synthesizers have found a way back into film music, which has led to a lot of rich experimentation of what these instruments are capable of. I think my main takeaway is the heavy use of envelope, and setting the filter modulation much lower than a normal synth pluck would require. Also, having a really dry sound mixed in with lots of ambience really cuts through in a way that creates a strong effect.
I hope you learn something from this tutorial, and it gives you some ideas to try out! Please let me know if there are any questions, or if anyone knows what instrument was used on the film. I would guess a Minimoog or similar.
This is a sound design tutorial for how to approach a specific sound that was used in the first season of Stranger Things. I was requested to show how I would make the lead sound that happens in the track "Eleven". The sound is a wet electric piano type of sound, with some wrinkles around the use of filter modulation and reverb..
The Sequential Circuits OB-6 can do a respectable job of coming close to the sound, and I tried to get a Grandmother version to come close. This track does require polyphony, so the Grandmother would have to be multitracked to get the same result.
Analog synthesizers have found a way back into film music, which has led to a lot of rich experimentation of what these instruments are capable of. I think my main takeaway is the heavy use of envelope, and setting the filter modulation much lower than a normal synth pluck would require. Also, having a really dry sound mixed in with lots of ambience really cuts through in a way that creates a strong effect.
I hope you learn something from this tutorial, and it gives you some ideas to try out! Please let me know if there are any questions, or if anyone knows what instrument was used on the film. I would guess a Minimoog or similar.
