The Russians are coming!

State Sponsored Soviet Synth Rock with Choir.

https://soundcloud.com/athanorsoundlabs/red-menace-wav

I started this with BIAB but it is so heavily edited and revised I don't think much if anything is left from what it gave me. I think it still counts.

The Soviets produced some very cool and unusual synthesizers. Very unique and full of character. I was playing around with virtual versions of some and decided I wanted to do a piece with all Soviet instruments.

While there is a plethora of information on Soviet era synthesizers and even guitars, I have been unable to find any information on Soviet guitar amplifiers. Surely they must have played those cruddy Soviet guitars through something!

Using my imagination, I just took a wild guess as to what they would have come up with and played my bass through through a Sunn 1200S and two layered guitar parts through a Silvertone in Amplitube.

The rest of the instruments are:

LEL drum machine from Rhythmic Robot

Polivoks from Hideaway Studios

Soviet Synths from Mars

Vox Continental from Sample tank

EastWest Symphonic Choirs

Recorded and edited in Cakewalk.

Mixed in Harrison Mixbus 32c. The only effects are Harrison's console EQ and compressors along with IK Multimedia Tape Machine, Tape Echo and Sunset Sound reverb.

Mastered in TRacks.

Some very cool sounds. Song has a cool vibe. Well done

Amusing title - there's nothing truly "red" left in Russian other than in the memories of some older citizens.
Nice industrial mechanical robotic masses choir construction - I enjoyed it.
I think the title is amusing but given the current circumstances it may be wiser to use something like Ghosts of the Ancien Machine Reunite.

Thanks for the comments.

I actually had the whole thing recorded before all that recent unpleasantness started and was sitting on it. I like to sit on things for a bit before mixing them so I can come at them with fresh ears.

My wife found an LP in a thrift store from Soviet Russia of what can best be described as bombastic patriotic music. I tried to imagine what it would be like if the Ministry of Culture or whatever it was put out something like that in a "Rock" style. You know, to appeal to "the younger Comerades."

When I first listened, I thought you had completely nailed the stuttering vibe of broken machinery... They I realized my audio driver driver had gone on the fritz again!

Well done - it captures that nationalistic anthem sound in a minor-ish key played on State-produced (but not State of Art) equipment.

All things old are new again, and with all the classic (and beloved) instruments well sampled, more and more obscure Soviet-era synths, tape recorders and other instruments are getting their own VSTis.

This Utub channel playlist has some very cool vintage & soviet gear...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ-sVujDlS8&list=PLg8dbAM-RNj_23M5TwOLmTba1lOQAfj3x

I didn't care for the intro but once it got going I was all ears

I think you nailed the Red Menace perfectly

Super sound sources

Two thumbs up

I have Hainbach's "Landfill Totems" plugin for which "complex sounds have been expertly created from vintage test equipment collected from nuclear research labs and scrap heaps". It's tons of fun.

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/hainbach-landfill-totems/