The great thread of electronic/synthesizer soundtracks

[tomorrowstops]

Getting back on topic; here's Alan Howarth's opening music from the low-budget flick "The Lost empire" (1985)


(better quality)

Main instruments used:
Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 & Prophet-10 w/Poly sequencers
E-mu Emulator 1
ARP Avatar(x2) & ARP sequencer
Linn LM-1 Drum Computer
Fender Stratocaster and Jazz Bass
Alto saxophone and flute

Music recorded at Electric Melody Studios, August 1983.

Parts of Howarth's score is very reminiscent of the music he did for The Osterman Weekend that same year. Howarth's
sequencer-type music can be heard toward the end of the film when everything gets scary. Lalo Schifrin composed the main
score.

FANTASTIC! This is the first score I've listened to that is just Howarth and not Howarth/Carpenter. It makes me wonder, as always, how the Howarth/Carpenter creation process really worked. I know that Howarth was obviously responsible for programming/engineering/arranging, but it sounds like [here] he's equally capable of composition. Given the similarities in feel/pace/sound between The Lost Empire and all the Howarth/Carpenter works, I really wonder who did what or if it was really just pure collaboration.

Surprisingly enough, this score is available on iTunes, for those interested. (I just bought it, and the whole thing is freakin' great!)

[Micke]

Yeah, Howarth's style and sound is virtually indistinguishable from Carpenter's, especially
back in the '80s. His synth-score for "Retribuition" is very Carpenter-esque as well. That score
was recorded right after "Big Trouble in Little China". I'm pretty sure Howarth contributed a lot of
musical ideas to Carpenter's '80s work.



As I said previously, Howarth recorded additional music for the film The Osterman Weekend (1983).
His sequencer-driven music can be heard in the last 1/3'd of the film. He still have the original 24-track
masters so let's hope the score will find its way onto CD someday. As well, I really hope the additional
synth stuff from The Thing (1982) will get released.

[themilford]

Manhunter (Michel Rubini, 1986):


Can I bump for some info on this?

What synths were used? who exactly are The Reds?

Just watched this because a favorite podcast of mine is reviewing the series... I had never seen this but what a great movie and soundtrack!

Cheers,

[iProg]

Yeah, Howarth's style and sound is virtually indistinguishable from Carpenter's, especially
back in the '80s. His synth-score for "Retribuition" is very Carpenter-esque as well. That score
was recorded right after "Big Trouble in Little China". I'm pretty sure Howarth contributed a lot of
musical ideas to Carpenter's '80s work.



As I said previously, Howarth recorded additional music for the film The Osterman Weekend (1983).
His sequencer-driven music can be heard in the last 1/3'd of the film. He still have the original 24-track
masters so let's hope the score will find its way onto CD someday. As well, I really hope the additional
synth stuff from The Thing (1982) will get released.

"Big trouble in little China" is made with Prophet VS, right?

[themilford]

I particularly enjoy these themes:

[Micke]

The Reds were a duo consisting of guitar player Rick Shaffer and keyboardist Bruce Cohen. There 's about
30 min's of their music in MANHUNTER but only a few tracks made it to the soundtrack album. I have no info on
what synths they were using for that project though. If you really want to know I suggest you to try contacting
Bruce about it.

Michel Rubini used a Synclavier system on "Graham's Theme" (this piece was composed back in Aug 1985,
a year before the film premiered). Rubini had already used the Synclavier on the soundtrack for the vampire
movie "The Hunger" (1983, co-composed with Denny Jaeger).


Michel Rubini in 1986.

[MrFrodo]

I haven't been paying strict attention. Has anybody yet posted the beginning sequence from Ladyhawke? Great synth & Rhodes sequence put on by Andrew Powell and Richard Cottle before Andrew's score kicks in.

[Micke]

Yeah, Howarth's style and sound is virtually indistinguishable from Carpenter's, especially
back in the '80s. His synth-score for "Retribuition" is very Carpenter-esque as well. That score
was recorded right after "Big Trouble in Little China". I'm pretty sure Howarth contributed a lot of
musical ideas to Carpenter's '80s work.



As I said previously, Howarth recorded additional music for the film The Osterman Weekend (1983).
His sequencer-driven music can be heard in the last 1/3'd of the film. He still have the original 24-track
masters so let's hope the score will find its way onto CD someday. As well, I really hope the additional
synth stuff from The Thing (1982) will get released.

"Big trouble in little China" is made with Prophet VS, right?

Yeah, they used a prototype VS on that score for a lot of the "Chinese" sounds.
Lots of other synths were used as well (see gearlist below).

Says Howarth: "Whenever Chinese black magic was cast against the bad guy, we used
the Prophet 2002 choir preset along with a VS sound that was sort of voicy. We recycled
that as a sound, rather than a theme, so the audience would hear that and think, "here
come the good guys."

"We found ourselves doing a lot of layering with MIDI,"he continues. "Every time we
put down a track, it was three or four synthesizers- We recorded stereo for each pass
to take the advantage of panning, so if there was five synths going, we'd try to spread
them out a little bit...the sequencer in the Emulator II was used for the most part because
of Howarth's unfamiliarity with the Mark Of The Unicorn packages."
(source: keyboard magazine)



Howarth in his studio back in the fall of '85, a few months before the Big Trouble recording sessions.


Big trouble in little China (1986):

Prophet-5 & Prophet-10 w/ Poly sequencers
E-mu Emulator I & II
ARP Avatar (x2) and Arp Sequencer
Sequential Circuits Programmer Mdl.700
Linn LM-1 Drum Computer
Linndrum
E-mu SP12
Kurzweil K250
Prophet 2002
Prophet VS-2400 Vector Synth
Oberheim 4 voice w/Midi

music recorded Feb to mid May '86 at Electric Melody Studios, Glendale, CA

[tim gueguen]

FYI Howarth is the artist featured in the "Invisible Jukebox" segment in issue 331 of The Wire magazine.

[Micke]

I haven't been paying strict attention. Has anybody yet posted the beginning sequence from Ladyhawke? Great synth & Rhodes sequence put on by Andrew Powell and Richard Cottle before Andrew's score kicks in.

No I don't think anything from Ladyhawke has been posted yet. Do you mean the part that kicks in after the string intro at
0:28?



Powell and Cottle were both big users of the Prophet 5 so that's the main synth used on this score. Cottle's
DX-7 and a PPG wave 2.3 were also used to some extent.

[MrFrodo]

No I don't think anything from Ladyhawke has been posted yet. Do you mean the part that kicks in after the string intro at
0:28?



Powell and Cottle were both big users of the Prophet 5 so that's the main synth used on this score. Cottle's
DX-7 and a PPG wave 2.3 were also used to some extent.

That's exactly what I meant. Leave it to you to help me out, Micke.

I think you mentioned Richard's Wave 2.3 a few years ago. Since that was 1985, is it logical to guess that the Prophet, Wave and DX7 were also used on Stereotomy, which was recorded that same year?

[Micke]

Yes, I think it's safe to say the same synths were used on Stereotomy.

[Micke]

The Italian filmcomposer Carlo Maria Cordio did an awesome score for Lucio Fulci's AENIGMA (1987).
The whole soundtrack is great I think but I could only find one track on youtube (the first one in this clip):



Claudio Simonetti's synthesizer scores to "Conquest" (1983) and "Morirai a mezzanotte" aka Midnight Killer (1986)
are also worth checking out.

[Micke]

Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) is a true classic, I particularly like the "heartbeat" main theme.

[bbvideo][bbvideo 425,350][/bbvideo]

The opening synth cue, the one heard before Morricone's excellent main theme kicks in, is by Carpenter & Howarth. I love ominous drone music
like this but none of the Carpenter/Howarth cues used in the film made it onto the original soundtrack album.

However, a re-recording of the complete score (incl. the synth cues by Carpenter/Howarth) has recently become available on CD.

From the Buysoundtrax.com site:
"the music has been produced and arranged by Alan Howarth and Larry Hopkins, to include newly recorded renderings of the Morricone music
(including recreations of the tracks not used in the film) and Howarth has also provided new performances of the music he produced for the film
with John Carpenter, making their premiere appearance on this album. "

I just listened to the samples on itunes and I must say they've done a great job with this CD. The Carpenter/Howarth cues
in particular are very faithful to the originals. The Morricone material also sounds good but I still prefer the original versions that were
mostly done with a real orchestra.

[tomorrowstops]

Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) is a true classic, I particularly like the "heartbeat" main theme.

[bbvideo][bbvideo 425,350][/bbvideo]

The opening synth cue, the one heard before Morricone's excellent main theme kicks in, is by Carpenter & Howarth. I love ominous drone music
like this but none of the Carpenter/Howarth cues used in the film made it onto the original soundtrack album.

However, a re-recording of the complete score (incl. the synth cues by Carpenter/Howarth) has recently become available on CD.

From the Buysoundtrax.com site:
"the music has been produced and arranged by Alan Howarth and Larry Hopkins, to include newly recorded renderings of the Morricone music
(including recreations of the tracks not used in the film) and Howarth has also provided new performances of the music he produced for the film
with John Carpenter, making their premiere appearance on this album. "

I just listened to the samples on itunes and I must say they've done a great job with this CD. The Carpenter/Howarth cues
in particular are very faithful to the originals. The Morricone material also sounds good but I still prefer the original versions that were
mostly done with a real orchestra.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - this movie has got to be one of my favorites of all time. If you've haven't seen this film, go out and rent/buy it/stream it right now!

Morricone's cues are incredible on this one. Absolutely paralyzing in my opinion. And of course, Carpenter and Howarth's synth work is totally on point! Not to mention perfect pace, solid story, and Kurt Russell's impeccable take on his character.

Watch it now!!