Week of November 6-10 - Stranger Things Soundtrack

For most of all of this week, I mostly split my class time doing two things: either working on the lip dub by preparing audio edits and participating in planning the filming, and finishing up on watching the second season of Stranger Things (because I got behind and spoilers were shutting me off from many conversations.) However, when watching I wasn't just focusing on the story but the music that evolves with it.

One of the main reasons I fell in love with the first season was the soundtrack. Being a huge synth junkie, having a cool, mainstream TV use a score composed entirely with retro synthesizers made me geek out. All of the synthesizers used in the soundtrack are from the 70s or 80s, using in particular an ARP Odyssey, KORG Mono/Poly, and a Roland SH-101. Many of the components of the synths they use together, such as signaling other synths into the ARP Odyssey filter or syncing all of the arpeggiators with the SH-101. Arpeggiation, which is a repeated sequence of notes, plays a large role in their compositions, especially in the main theme where it is the center piece. Delay is also heavily used in S U R V I V E's work, whenever they want to create more atmosphere or darkness. LFOs, which modulate the sound and give it shape, are used to give notes more texture than normal, such as the track Kids. Listening to the soundtrack is my favorite part of watching Stranger Things not just because of the synths, but how they play into the overall show.

The use of synths is not just a callback to the 80s, but a reach into another reality. A score with typical strings or brass instruments convey a sense of normalcy and reality, which is not the tone the show embodies. So, instead, the synths invoke both nostalgia in a way that recalls the feeling synths gave at that time: a sense of future and unfamiliarity. When the Demogorgon is shown, the music turns grizzly and alien. When a moment is quiet and intense, the pads swell and the lead is a thin squeal. In the Upside Down, the detuner is turned up, giving an edge of dissonance and unwelcomeness. These tones would not be possible with traditional instruments. A symphony of synthesizers gives Stranger Things a strong identity, and is a welcome change in the film world (I for one welcome our new synth overlords).