# Fun clickbait: Synth and Software's Top 10 Soundtracks That Feature Synths



## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 18, 2021)

We asked our contributors for their picks, and this is what we came up with:









Synth and Software’s Top 10 Synth Soundtracks


Synth and Software asked their contributors to come up with a list of their favorite soundtracks that use synths prominently, and here’s what they came up with. These are the ones that got the most mention, but there are certainly many others that are more than worthy – including many by the...




synthandsoftware.com


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## wilifordmusic (Mar 18, 2021)

I'm sure there will be outraged pleas for the scores that weren't mentioned.

But it is a pretty good list and does hit a pretty wide range of film types which is kinda interesting when you think about it.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 19, 2021)

No Blade Runner? Ha!


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 19, 2021)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> No Blade Runner? Ha!



It was a toss-up between Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner for Vangelis.

But there are rumors of a follow-up with all the ones that weren't in this list.


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## wilifordmusic (Mar 19, 2021)

Maybe Ladyhawke will make the second list.


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## mholloway (Mar 19, 2021)

oh c'mon, a "best of" synth-based film soundtracks and Blade Runner isn't on it? give me a break...


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## Technostica (Mar 19, 2021)

For Chariots of Fire I only recall the main theme being played on piano. 
I have only seen it once though, whereas Bladerunner I may have seen half a dozen times at least, so I know the music much better. 

I seem to recall that Chariots of Fire was a successful single release in the UK.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 19, 2021)

Technostica said:


> For Chariots of Fire I only recall the main theme being played on piano.
> I have only seen it once though, whereas Bladerunner I may have seen half a dozen times at least, so I know the music much better.
> 
> I seem to recall that Chariots of Fire was a successful single release in the UK.



It uses lots of synths, in fact I don't think it uses anything else.

At the time it was a big deal that one person overdubbed all the parts. "Anyone can do that" (rather than writing the score and not hearing it until it was played) was the knock.


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## Technostica (Mar 19, 2021)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> It uses lots of synths, in fact I don't think it uses anything else.


[*Parental Warning* - this video contains footage of an ashtray on a grand piano] 
You don't see a 'pop video' with a closeup of someone smoking these days!


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 20, 2021)

Sorry, yes, he absolutely uses piano for the melody - I meant there's no orchestra, those are all synths.


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## Technostica (Mar 20, 2021)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Sorry, yes, he absolutely uses piano for the melody - I meant there's no orchestra, those are all synths.


It was a number one single in the USA!
It looks like an advert for Marlborough from about 30 seconds in. Different times.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Apr 26, 2021)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> No Blade Runner? Ha!











Synth and Software’s Top 10 Soundtracks That Should Have Made Our Previous Synthy Soundtracks List…


Well, you demanded it by being so mad at us for leaving out your favorite soundtracks! We polled our contributors for their favorite soundtracks that featured synths last month, and they came up with some great entries. Of course that slighted dozens of scores that by all rights belong on the...




synthandsoftware.com


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## dcoscina (Apr 26, 2021)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> No Blade Runner? Ha!


where is BR, Sorcerer, Thief, Firestarter, Antarctica, Halloween, The Fog, heck, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, Runaway, Logan’s Run, and I could go on...


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Apr 27, 2021)

dcoscina said:


> where is BR, Sorcerer, Thief, Firestarter, Antarctica, Halloween, The Fog, heck, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, Runaway, Logan’s Run, and I could go on...


I think we’re just getting old, my friend.


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## Consona (Apr 27, 2021)

Bruuuh, where's Goldsmith's Total Recall or Rambo2 or Star Treks???

Instead there's stuff like Daft Punk's Tron Legacy? With its copy/paste pedestrian composing? Also, how is Reznor still winning oscars with that repetitive sound design? I've never heard a proper developing piece of music from him.


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## davidson (Apr 27, 2021)




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## davidson (Apr 27, 2021)

Synth and Software’s Top 10 Soundtracks That Should Have Made Our Previous Synthy Soundtracks List…


Well, you demanded it by being so mad at us for leaving out your favorite soundtracks! We polled our contributors for their favorite soundtracks that featured synths last month, and they came up with some great entries. Of course that slighted dozens of scores that by all rights belong on the...




synthandsoftware.com


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## tmhuud (Apr 27, 2021)

What a silly attempt...your right Nick, it’s clickbait. And you’ll never satisfy everyone in every generation! Hey, it’s just cool to see SYNTHS mentioned.


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## dcoscina (Apr 27, 2021)

Consona said:


> Bruuuh, where's Goldsmith's Total Recall or Rambo2 or Star Treks???
> 
> Instead there's stuff like Daft Punk's Tron Legacy? With its copy/paste pedestrian composing? Also, how is Reznor still winning oscars with that repetitive sound design? I've never heard a proper developing piece of music from him.


Don't even get me started on the phenomenon that is Reznor/Ross. Everyone laud's them for Menk but without Conrad Pope, it would have been nowhere near as well written.... Pope is the patron saint of taking MIDI meanderings and making it art. Dude is straight up legend.

Speaking of which, Legend by Goldsmith has some phenomenal blending of synths and orchestra. Yeah, the goblin theme with those DX7 brass "blats" is kinda off-putting but that was the effect Goldsmith was going for.

And where is Elliot Goldenthal's Alien3?? That score has tons of electronics in there.... Much more impressive than the pop list this article comprised...


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## dcoscina (Apr 27, 2021)

Ok, here is my list of Top 10 Electronic scores

1. Forbidden Planet 
2. The Day the Earth Stood Still
3. A Clockwork Orange
4. Midnight Express
5. Thief 
6. Blade Runner
7. Hoosiers 
8. Halloween/The Fog
9. Sorcerer 
10. Rain Main


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## doctoremmet (Apr 27, 2021)

Technostica said:


> For Chariots of Fire I only recall the main theme being played on piano.


Isn’t that the one with the video where he’s seen playing the main theme sitting behind a grand piano - while smoking? Somehow a totally normal thing in the eighties that looks totally weird these days....


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## doctoremmet (Apr 27, 2021)

Check! Coffee and ashtray with a smoking cigarette on the grand. This guy had his priorities straight.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Apr 27, 2021)

You guys do understand that there's not really any such thing as a top ten *anything*, right? 

Who are the top ten basketball players? LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan... those are hard to argue with. Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, okay. Kobe of course. Jerry West.

But am I nuts, leaving out Steph Curry?! And Shaq?! What about KD or James Harden, both totally unstoppable. Kawhi is pretty far up the list. And so on.

That's why we concentrated on influential soundtracks this time (as opposed to only scores) that are synthy.

The point is that it's fun, not to be taken totally seriously!


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## Technostica (Apr 27, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Isn’t that the one with the video where he’s seen playing the main theme sitting behind a grand piano - while smoking? Somehow a totally normal thing in the eighties that looks totally weird these days....


Yes, I linked to the video on the previous page and said it looked like a Marlborough commercial.


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## doctoremmet (Apr 27, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Yes, I linked to the video on the previous page and said it looked like a Marlborough commercial.


Ha!


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