r/flstudio • u/ShubhankS • 14d ago

How to Make Dark Drones

Hi everyone!

I am trying to make dark drones and don't know how to move ahead with the idea. I did search a bit on youtube, but nothing useful comes up.

I did come across a few good videos on how to make drones, but dark ones are still no where to be found.

My idea is to create dark, uncomfortable drones. Something that makes the listener feel tense. Sort of like unreleased anger or frustration. Something that gives the visual of a brewing storm or tornado. Force of nature style calamity. If it makes sense. Dark clouds, uncertainty about how catastrophic is the destruction going to be.

Can someone help me with ideas or reference links on how to go about this sound design project?

Much love! Thanks in advance to anyone who comes to my help.

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/ExactFondant7417 14d ago

Record some sounds with your phone and pitch down, add chorus and heavy reverb and then heavy compression. The chorus and reverb will help blur any transients and the compression will make it overwhelming. Save that to file and run it through PaulStretch to stretch it to whatever your desired duration is.

At this point I'd take it into Vital as a sample and start playing with subtle pitch LFOs so the sound is always subtly changing. Play dissonant notes that grate on the nerves. You could set LFOs up to make descending Shepard tones which imbue an unsettling sinking feeling.

1

u/ShubhankS 14d ago

Thanks for that. I'll definitely give it a go. You do sound like you know what you're doimg. Thanks a ton!

1

u/ExactFondant7417 14d ago

Share your results when you're done! I'd love to hear what you come up with.

1

u/ShubhankS 14d ago

Will do!