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Frost: Nordic Noir for Dark Zebra

Luftrum

Luftrum

Active Member
Frost Cover 1000x1000 v4 3.jpg "Welcome to Frost, where the line between chaos and silence is as thin as ice on winter glass and every note resonates with the cold aura of Nordic Noir.

In this realm, the darkness vibrates with life, just waiting for the maestro brave enough to conduct the unseen orchestra. Thought you had experienced the dark side of Dark Zebra HZ? You have heard nothing yet…”

Frost represents the pinnacle of dark cinematic sound design in our series for U-He Dark Zebra (Zebra HZ), standing out as the most intense and darkest soundset we have released to date.

Inspired by the bone-chilling atmosphere of Nordic Noir, the complex web of intrigue of spy dramas, and the gripping, edgy tension found in Euro Noir. Frost is a journey into the heart of darkness in sound.

This soundset contains 180 synth presets meticulously crafted by Sonic Underworld and curated by Luftrum. It features a diverse range of presets, from layered underscore loops, arpeggios, and sequences that radiate a somber, dark, and twisted aura – designed to set a brooding scene – to basses and basslines that throb with a mix of distortion and atonality, effectively capturing a sense of suspense and unease.

The ambient pads and drifty synths, are deeply immersive, evoking the ghostly whisper of winter landscapes synonymous with Nordic storytelling. The percussive elements are as crisp and sharp as ice, piercing through the silence with clarity that cuts to the bone, while adding to the soundset’s cinematic depth. Frost is perfect for weaving narratives that linger in the memory well beyond the story’s end.

Drawing its inspiration from the haunting scores of The Killing (Frans Bak), the stark soundscapes of The Snowman (Marco Beltrami), The Valhalla Murders (Petur Thor Benediktsson), the Millennium Trilogy (Jacob Groth), Bordertown (Kaae & Batz), and the gritty textures of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross). And last but not least, it honors the legacy of Trapped (Jóhann Jóhannsson, Rutger Hoedemaeker and Hildur Guðnadóttir) making it a must-have for composers looking to infuse their music with the distinct, dark elegance of Nordic sound.

Frost is made for the Dark Zebra HZ which is included in Zebra Legacy. Installing the soundset is effortless, requiring just a simple drag & drop onto Zebra’s user interface. This one-click process installs the entire soundset along with all NKS files, ensuring full NKS compatibility for users of Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol hardware. A PDF install guide is included for convenience.

Listen to the two demos below by Amphilium. The first is a raw naked demo utilizing only presets from Frost. The second demo, while being identical, has some sounds replaced with orchestral elements. There are more demos and teaser videos further below.

More details on the product page: Frost for Dark Zebra







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Thank you for your kind words, everyone!

Bee_Abney said:
I could have sworn I heard real muted brass - real but processed - but it is actually the combination of Luftrum and Zebra. I think this may be some of your best work.
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@Bee_Abney I am glad you noticed this "real but processed" because it’s not pure coincidence, it’s rather a testament to Keith Hersch’s (Amphilium) creativity, who crafted the music demo. I’ll explain why.

Before releasing Frost we had some dialogue back and forth, Stephan, Keith and I, where we talked about how to present the set in the best possible way, using visuals and audio. Initially, our vision for the main demo was to mix it with orchestral elements - since the Nordic Noir theme typically would be paired with piano and strings anyway. This demo track was already produced and ready to go!

Ultimately though - and after thoughtful consideration - we decided that the main demo should be the soundset in its purest form, by replacing the orchestral elements with synth presets from Frost and trying to mimic the orchestral parts as closely as possible. Keith’s creative brilliance shone though as he found the presets for replacement, and I believe this is why you hear that "real muted brass" you mentioned.

At release we then introduced both versions, one utilizing only Frost presets, being the set in its purest and natural form, and a second demo incorporating the original orchestral elements. From a potential customer point of view, the choice is yours: If you prefer a “naked” demo, the main demo is tailored for you. If the presence of orchestral parts resonates with you, then the second demo will be your guide. Both equally well demonstrate how Frost sounds like - depending on where you are as a music writer.

Now, this was a looong sidetrack to a very simple detail that didn’t require a longformed response, hahaha... sorry! But it was also a glimpse into the considerations and creative stuff that goes on behind-the-scenes prior to a simple soundset release. Nothing is coincidental. 🙂
 
This is Twilight, the second demo video demonstrating the sounds from Frost, using only presets from the set. The music you hear in the video is 100% naked and produced by Amphilium using 20 instances of ZebraHZ and nothing else - only presets from the set are used, straight out of the box, with a limiter on the master output. What you hear, is what you get.

 
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