Wrongtools releases Spin Carousel Music Boxes, a FREE instrument for the full version of Native Instruments Kontakt.
Spin delivers and expands the sound of two antique instruments: a Cylinder Music Box and a Carousel Music Box.
Wrongtools combined both instruments and created something more emotive and cinematic than I first expected.
While Spin is free to download, it does require the full version of Kontakt 6.4.2 or higher.
Spin features 20 patches in total, consisting of five main patches and 15 variations. The developer labels the variations as tainted, which might be the first indication that this sweet little music box might not be so sweet.
The featured patches are, for the most part, wonderfully ominous in the best possible way. Spin offers additional controls to tweak to your taste, including Reverb, Delay, LFO, and Vibrato.
The idea for this Kontakt instrument came when the developer found two antique music boxes in a thrift store (also an ideal opening for a 90s Horror movie).
Wrongtools then placed the self-playing instruments on resonating wooden cases to bring more out of the sound. The sound was captured using Sennheiser 800MKHs in omni mode and DPA microphones inside the resonating cases.
Despite using words like ominous and referencing 90s Horror movies, Spin can produce the playful, childlike, nostalgic sound that should come from an antique music box. It’s a sound that suggests absolute happiness and an almost dreamlike state where everything is perfect.
What I like most about Spin and similar sounds is that it can be extremely ambiguous. I love the sense of uncertainty in cinematic sounds and textures that leave the audience emotionally conflicted because not knowing what’s around the corner typically heightens anxiety.
Spin can go from very light to very dark with a lot of unsettled space in the middle.
It’s not new for composers to use childlike sounds from toy pianos or music boxes to create an eerie or chilling atmosphere. But, the idea of something that should be safe being scary is still a powerful cinematic tool.
As I said, it doesn’t have to go down the darkest path; that’s just what I like most about it. I still have no idea why I didn’t get that gig scoring Sesame Street.
If you want childlike sounds that you aren’t likely to hear down any dark paths, check out Monster Toys.
Although, now that I think about it, I’m not sure what would scare me more heading down a dark alley at night: the ominous echos of an antique music box or Agus Hardiman’s Kazoo playing the melody from Thriller; it’s very confusing.
Download: Spin Carousel Music Boxes (FREE, requires full version of Kontakt 6.4.2 or higher)
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Last Updated on October 5, 2023 by Tomislav Zlatic.
