The Making of THE SAW: Shaping Metal into Sound
Recently at Occult Audio, we've been deeply immersed in a horror film (which we unfortunately can’t reveal too much about just yet). A major part of the project involved figuring out how to represent an unknown entity or presence with sound. We needed something subtle but cutting—something that could build over time throughout the film. After plenty of brainstorming and experimentation, the answer turned out to be surprisingly simple: a saw.
Of course, the musical saw differs from your typical DIY tool. It’s played by holding the handle between the knees, bending the blade, and bowing along the flat edge. So, we got our hands on one and started recording.
While none of us are seasoned saw players, my son (a violinist) lent a hand with the bowing, while I focused on bending the blade to hit the pitches we needed. It was an interesting, experimental process that brought its own challenges, but in the end, we captured a wide range of eerie, raw tones.
Turning Recordings into SAW
Once we had enough recordings, we loaded the samples into the Kontakt engine, allowing us to spread and pitch them across the keyboard. This gave us the foundation of SAW—a raw, haunting sound that had all the characteristics we wanted. But we didn’t stop there. We wanted to push the sound even further, adding grit, depth, and versatility. So, we got to work with some of our favorite sound-shaping tools: Soundtoys Decapitator, Little Alter Boy, Eventide's Blackhole, Output’s Thermal, and a touch of EQ. Through this process, three distinct sounds emerged:
Edge: The original, gritty sound. It's raw, it's rough, and it’s ready to lead. When you load up SAW, this is the sound you’ll hear.
Splinters: For this version, we applied some extra processing, running it through Soundtoys PanMan for aggressive, randomized panning and adding wah and rotor effects using guitar pedals.
Dulled: Here, the sound has been pitch-shifted and had its bass boosted, transforming it into a dark, resonant pad or bass sound.
Initially, we considered making each sound its own patch, but combining all three into a single patch felt more interesting. With individual volume and panning controls for each, you have the freedom to layer and craft your own unique soundscapes.
Shaping the Sound
On top of the three core sounds, we’ve also added several effects and shaping tools that allow you to mold the sound even further. If you’ve used some of our other instruments, you’ll recognize a few of these:
Abrasion: Featuring Scrape (a high-pass filter) and Crush (a low-pass filter), this section is perfect for quick, basic tonal adjustments.
Resonator: Includes Crucible (a convolution reverb) to add space and depth, and Drift (a delay) to really play with the atmosphere.
The Forge: The heart of sound shaping, this section includes:
Impact for controlling the attack and adjusting how the sound builds.
Hammer, which adds compression to tighten the sound.
Oxidise for tape saturation, giving the sound a warmer, grittier edge.
THE SAW - Interface
Finally, we have Torsion, which is mapped to the mod wheel (CC11). Turning this up twists and distorts the sound dramatically, manipulating stereo width, adding heavy saturation, and generally turning the sound into something much more tortured and chaotic.
What SAW Can Do for You?
Even though SAW revolves around just three core sounds, the tools we've built around them give you an incredible amount of control to create something entirely your own. Whether you want to use it straight out of the box for immediate results, or dive in and completely warp the sound, SAW offers plenty of options to explore.
Download SAW for Free!
You can get your hands on SAW for free until November from our store. Remember, you’ll need the full version of Kontakt 6.8 or higher to use it. We’re excited to see what crazy, experimental sounds you come up with!
