New SoundPad: Sanctum

Greetings Patrons,

Note: This SoundPad is live on the site (link below), but unlinked in menus. Please share with your friends and family but kindly refrain from posting the link on the internet until after it goes public in a week. Thanks! - Tim

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I've had this idea rattling around for almost a year. I've started it at least twice, but each time I couldn't seem to get it right. The goal was an all-in-one religious simulator. It needed the flexibility to do sacred to sacrilege, blessed to blasphemous and ugh, sorry, one more... divine to damned..

Sanctum, the 34th SoundPad, was designed as a toolkit that could work for stories of hallowed ground, or unholy terror. From the chanting of monks in candlelit cathedrals to the sinister whispers of cultists in an underground cave.

As I always say, SoundPads are puzzles. I'm never quite sure how they're going to go when i start them. It's only by seeing how sounds fit together that a picture starts to develop.

This one began with the three levels of ambience in the main cathedral. Empty, hushed, and busy. With just those three settings I could already tell there were some stories. here. I added the winds (holy and unholy), the chants, the bells, whispers and footsteps and it was leagues better than my last two attempts.

Then I wanted to add some locations where stories could happen. I took inspiration from the DM Tools grab-and-go mentality and designed complete one-click looped ambiences to represent various places in, around, and under the cathedral. Don't worry if you've never heard the words baptistery, ossuary, or scriptorium, neither had I , but as soon as I did - I wanted them in there. These are all linked with a handy 'locations' menu item for quick access. (They're also in backgrounds).

The four 'tones'; organ, bass, timpani, and choir, are designed to be played in any and all combinations. Even when the notes 'rub' a little on the chord changes I think it still sounds cool. All the music/tones on the page were written in the same key so it can be fun layering different combinations. E.g. 'Sanctus Agnus' sounds cool with the organ, bass and timpani.

The three musical tracks are in a Jerry Goldsmith horror vibe. The first track, 'Benedictus' is basically a cool suspense track. The second one 'Dies Irae' , I debated making it looped as standard -is really a long stinger/riser that's great for intros , reveals or creepy moments. I tried it both ways and it still works. The third track is a straight nod to the Omen films - but in this case , the choir sings 'Sanctus Agnus' (Holy Lamb) over and over again in a rising, falling pattern.

I'll be adding these to the Custom SoundPad soon.

(The attached sound files are higher bitrate than the ones on the site - the downloaded SoundPads always are.)

Thank you all, as always, for your continuing support.

Best,

Tim

Here's the super secret link