ARTIST SERIES
Korven
Horror Audio Toolkit: Shared Access
Designed by horror master Mark Korven, this collection delivers pure acoustic terror. Build suspense and dread effortlessly with our budget-friendly shared VST license.
Mark Korven (The VVitch, The Lighthouse, The Black Phone) understands like no one else the organic roots of real fear, and has developed a signature style based on acoustic instruments.
Korven captures Mark's vision in a vast, terrifying, and inspiring orchestra—for folk horror, primordial dread, tense underscoring, and any kind of music that creates unease and apprehension.
"As a composer, I tend to avoid normal harmony ... I try to look for harmony that I haven't quite heard before. It's experimentation." ―Mark Korven
Acoustic textures of terror
Highlights
- 622 playable instruments and patches
- Includes 49 layered instruments and 83 processed patches
- Includes sounds from the Apprehension Engine
- Includes specially orchestrated experimental strings and wind quintet
- Includes the experimental 8-foot Symphonae instrument, hurdy-gurdy, oktav harpa, waterphone
- Special selection of risers, downers, pulses, and plucks
- 5 mic positions plus a mix for the processed patches
- Designed and recorded by Mark Korven at Revolution Recording in Toronto, Canada
Listen
Audio demos
Transient matters
The note attack carries the theme
Many memorable movie themes rely on a brass attack with confidence, bite, and a slightly overblown edge. Beaufort records multiple options, from the snap of accented sharp notes to rounded, bell-like maestosos.
Those articulation options are consistent across the instruments, so a line can move through the ensemble without losing its musical identity.
Adventures in authenticity
Built for fanfares, repeats, and motion
Beaufort offers agile legato, but the focus is on a compelling sound for brass fanfares. Notes were recorded in musical context, so the pace and mood of a passage shape the right balance of bite and tone.
Dedicated repeat-note articulations help fast adventure-style patterns feel realistic, while advanced dynamics modeling gives high-level control and expression across the instruments.
The best of British
Players chosen for character and authority
Solo trumpet
James Fountain, principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Trumpet at the Royal College of Music.
Solo horn
Richard Watkins, a concerto soloist and chamber musician with credits including Inception, Marvel films, Maleficent, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Ensemble players
Corinne Bailey, Mark Nightingale, Helen Vollam, Alan Thomas, and Nigel Black help define the sound of the brass sections.
AIR Studios
Recorded at Lyndhurst Hall, London, giving the collection scale, clarity, and a grand cinematic stage.
Fear-inducing
Sounds of mystery and imagination
Korven offers a vast array of genuinely fear-inducing sounds, all created acoustically. This focus on acoustic and organic audio sources, along with some careful effects processing and sound design, is a big part of Mark’s signature sound.
This unique approach manifests itself in physical form as The Apprehension Engine—a complex instrument created by Mark and luthier Tony Duggan-Smith. But the same approach can be applied to other sources, such as strings, woodwinds, or traditional instruments. It’s this vision that has captivated and terrified audiences, and it’s this vision that we’ve captured in this collection.
Atonal
The Apprehension Engine
Specifically designed to produce unsettling, eerie, atonal, gritty, and otherworldly sounds, ‘the AE’ is a box of tricks including strings, a spring reverb chamber, steel rods, and a built-in hurdy-gurdy. It can be plucked, struck, bowed, or played with an e–bow.
Included Instruments
622 playable instruments and patches
Apprehension engine
Aleatoric drones
Tension harmonizer · Industrial mice · Industrial wolf · Spring reverb sustain · Angel scrape · Mosquito cabal · Irritating insects · Medium ebow · Medium ruler bow · Radio interference · Drain the swamp · Gravel crows · Gravel dogs · Infinite belch 1 · Infinite belch 2 · Mowing middle earth · Rusty dogs · Santa in mud · Sawing wine glass · Sewer munchkins · Sleigh brakes · Slow crash · Tearing flesh · Underwater auto
Ebow bass drones
Bass drone 1 · Bass drone 2 · Bass drone 3 · Rattle bombers
Exciters
Exciters menu · Ruler trems 1 · Ruler trems 2 · Ruler trems 3 · Ruler trems 4 · Trem bows 1 · Trem bows 2 · Trem bows 3 · Trem bows 4 · Trem bows 5 · Trem bows 6 · Trem bows 7 · Fingernail scraper 1 · Fingernail scraper 2 · Frantic mice · Tiny stick scraper
Pads
Plaintive · Glass ruler · Glassy 1 · Glassy 2 · Plaintive 2 · Sine 1 · Sine 2 · Squeal tone · Hurdy-gurdy low · Wasp in shower · Sine choir
Organic pulses
Aggressive slap · Ambient scrape · Bow grind bridge 1 · Bow grind bridge 2 · Finger nail scape 1 · Finger nail scape 2 · Finger nail scape 3 · Gurdy grind · Monk chants · String pings · Switches · Switches oneshots · Warning oneshots · Witch crackles 1 · Witch crackles 2 · Witch laughing · Witch laughing friction rod · Witch laughing rocking · High scrapes 1 · High scrapes 2
Ambient
Work whistle scream · Active rulers · Animals · Drunken fifers · Drunken industry · Groaning ambience · Industrial ambience · Low rulers · Metal crickets · Traffic rulers · Cricket gravel · Friction rod drone · Bubbling · High squeal · New age scrape · Unhappy pixies · High ebow · Mid ebow · Stray cat scream
Dark atmospheres
Hyper mice zoo · Ebow grind big gravel · Bear mice · Maximum mice · Bow grind wash 1 · Bow grind wash 2 · Bow grind wash 3 · Bow grind wash 4 · Bow grind wash 5 · Fried bow · Hyper mice 1 · Hyper mice 2 · Hyper mice with drone · Low rattle grinds · Sensuous rod · Squeaky frogs 1 · Squeaky frogs 2 · Squeaky frogs 3 · The saw
Depth drones
Friction rod 1 · Friction rod 2 · Friction rod 3 · Sub ebow
High drones
High drones menu · Ambient dust · Gulls · Harmonizer · Polishing dust · Tin screams
Friction rod drones
Friction choir 1 · Friction choir 2
Ebow freakout
Freakout menu · Aleatoric bass craziness 1 · Aleatoric bass craziness 2 · Aleatoric bass craziness 3 · Aleatoric bass craziness 4 · Freakout 1 · Freakout 2 · High squeal · High squeal hold key · Nasty ebow
Ebow bow scrapes
Bow scrapes menu · Bow scrape 1 · Bow scrape 2 · Bow scrape 3 · Bow scrape 4 · Bow scrape 5 · Bow scrape 6
Ebow wavering drones
Ebow drone · Wavering ebow 1 · Wavering ebow 2 · Wavering ebow 3 · Wavering ebow 4 · Wavering ebow 5 · Wavering ebow 6 · Wavering ebow 7 · Wavering crazy ebow menu · Wavering crazy ebow 1 · Wavering crazy ebow 2 · Wavering crazy ebow 3 · Wavering crazy ebow 4
Ebow low drones
Bombers bass · Rattly low 1 · Rattly low 2 · Rattly low 3 · Rattly low 4 · Rattly low 5 · Rattly low 6 · Rattly low 7
Ebow mellow drones
Mellow wavering 1 · Mellow wavering 2
Ebow nasty drones
Nasty menu · Nasty 1 · Nasty 2 · Nasty 3 · Nasty 4 · Nasty 5 · Nasty 6 · Nasty 7 · Nasty 8 · Nasty 9 · Nasty 10 · Nasty 11 · Nasty 12 · Nasty 13 · Nasty 14 · Nasty 15
Ebow tonal drones
Distorted freight · Harmonized glass · Maj7 glass
Ebow downers
Bass downer 1 · Bass downer 2 · Bass downer 3 · Bass downer 4 · Bass downer 5 · Ebow sad cat downer 1 · Ebow sad cat downer 2 · Ebow high downer 1 · Ebow high downer 2 · Ebow high downer 3 · Ebow cry baby 1 · Ebow cry baby 2 · Witch downer 1 · Witch downer 2
Ebow howls
Ebow menu · Ebow 1 · Ebow 2 · Ebow 3 · Ebow 4 · Ebow 5 · Ebow 6 · Ebow 7 · Ebow 8 · Ebow 9 · Ebow accent 1 · Ebow accent 2 · Ebow accent 3 · Ebow accent 4 · Ebow accent 5 · Fuzz ebow wail 1 · Fuzz ebow wail 2 · Fuzz ebow wail 3 · Fuzz ebow wail 4 · Fuzz ebow wail 5
Gurdy growls
Growls menu · Growl sustained 1 · Growl sustained 2 · Growl sustained 3
Rods
Bowed rods · Wacka rod 1 · Wacka rod 2 · Wacka rod 3 · Wacka rod 4
Loops
Friction chant 1 · Friction chant 2 · Friction chant 3 · Dax tongue 1 · Dax tongue 2 · Jungle insects 1 · Night crawlers 1 · Night crawlers 2 · Ruler bow
Ruler moans
Moans 1 · Moans 2 · Moans 3 · Moans 4 · Moans 5 · Moans 6
Angry insects
Angry insects
Friction moans
Moan menu · Moan 1 · Moan 2 · Moan 3 · Moan 4 · Moan 5 · Moan 6 · Moan 7 · Moan 8 · Moan 9 · Moan 10 · Moan 11 · Moan 12 · Moan 13 · Moan 14 · Moan 15 · Moan 16 · Moan 17 · Moan 18 · Moan 19 · Moan 20
Scratchy tidbits
Scratchy menu · Witches wagon wheel 1 · Witches wagon wheel 2 · Witches wagon wheel 3
Ebow hits
Ebow spring hits · Ebow hits
Horror-gurdy witch wagon
Wagon 1 · Wagon 2
Horror-gurdy drones
Bowed gravel bass · Low bowed bass · Mid bowed bass 1 · Mid bowed bass 2 · Single bass · Slow bowed bass · Ultimate gravel bass
Horror-gurdy downers
Downer menu · Downer 1 · Downer 2 · Downer 3 · Downer 4 · Downer 5 · Downer 6 · Downer 7 · Downer 8 · Downer 9 · Downer 10 · Downer 11 · Downer 12 · Downer 13 · Downer 14 · Downer 15 · Downer 16 · Downer 17
Horror-gurdy risers
Riser menu · Riser 1 · Riser 2 · Riser 3 · Riser 4 · Riser 5 · Riser 6 · Riser 7 · Riser 8 · Riser 9 · Riser 10 · Riser 11 · Riser 12
Horror-gurdy shorts
Short menu · Short 1 · Short 2 · Short 3 · Short 4 · Short 5 · Short 6 · Short 7 · Short 8
Horror-gurdy swells
Swells 1 · Swells 2 · Swells 3
Clock spring plucks
Clock spring plucks
Dark art designs
Experimental
Violin riser · Nyckel note · Attack of the flies · Mice in space · Moans with howls · High sub squeal · High ebow downer · Low ebow downer · Coboth cat screams · Cosleigh brakes · Crying rumbler · Dream chainsaw · Grand central · One minute riser · Tremolo riser · Sensuous sand
Pads and drones
Moth to flame · Hazard · Of the north · Desert drone · Flute harmonics resonate · Oktav harpa harmonics · Cooling chamber · Structural damage · Violin bomber · Filtered violin · Violin drone · Waterphone drone
Textures
Drunk violin hurdy · Violin scaper 1 · Violin scaper 2 · Harpa sweeps · High nyckel note · Distorted freight · E-duduk · Duduk drone · Monk waterphone · Nutpings · Positive plaintive · Verb smash · Witch rocking chair · Waterphone · Drunk violin hurdy sub · Angel duduk
Pulses
Big gurdy drone · Harpa sub insects pulse · Symphonae grain flutters · Symphonae pulse · 16ths filter pulse · Low grind pulse · Dax pulse 1 · Dax pulse 2 · Harpa bass grind pulse · Harpa circle bow pulse · Harpa harmonic roll pulse · Harpa low harmonics sweep pulse · Symphonae pulse low · Bombers pulse · Sub mice pulses · Symphonae trance pulse
Insect and bird stutter
Flute sputters high · Flute sputter slow · Insect stutters · Irritating insects 1 · Irritating insects 2 · Irritating insects 3 · Tail piece birds · Tail piece birds flanged · Flanged birds · Tail piece bow spectral gate · Tail piece bow spectral gate stutter
Wanderings
Keybox nightmare · Sub downers · Sub mice gurdy grain stutters · Hurdy keybox nightmare downer · Hurdy keybox wandering subs · Oktav tail piece flangy stutter · Symphonae howls
Sub drones
Sub bombers · Monster flies drone · Low harpa drones · Sub scaper
Friction and Wind
Aztec death whistle
Death whistle menu · Death whistle 1 · Death whistle 2 · Death whistle 3 · Death whistle 4 · Death whistle 5 · Death whistle 6 · Death whistle 7 · Death whistle 8 · Death whistle 9 · Death whistle 10 · Death whistle 11
Daxophone
Lightbass · Too talkative · Wavering bass 1 · Wavering bass 2 · Wavering bass 3 · Wavering high voice 1 · Wavering high voice 2
Nervous drones
Suling flute · Nervous cornet · Nervous cornet unisons 1 · Nervous cornet unisons 2 · Nervous cornet unisons 3
Waterphone
Sustains · Tines · Large mallet · Medium mallet · Small mallet · Monks
Hurdy-gurdy
Hurdy-gurdy 1
Sustains · Sustains high · Fifths · C-trompette drone · C-drone · Low F-drone · Low G-drone · Low fifth drone · Open lid downer · Open lid trems 1 · Open lid trems 2 · Open lid waver 1 · Open lid waver 2 · Open lid waver 3 · Open lid waver 4 · mkh hurdygurdy leg
Hurdy-gurdy 2
Sustains · Sustains high · Bees FX · Buzz drone · Random bird stabs · Tremeloa glissandos · mkh hillsmanhurdy noleg · mkh hillsmanhurdy leg
Aleatoric trompettes
Voices menu · Voice 1 · Voice 2 · Voice 3 · Voice 4 · Voice 5 · Voice 6 · Voice 7 · Voice 8 · Voice 9 · Voice 10 · Voice 11 · Voice 12 · Voice 13 · Downers menu · Downer 1 · Downer 2 · Downer 3 · Downer 4 · Downer 5 · Downer 6 · Ornaments menu · Tremolo 1 · Tremolo 2 · Glissando 1 · Glissando 2
Aleatoric keybox
Single notes
Oktav Harpa
Swedish oktav harpa
Sustains · mkh swdishoktavharpa legato · mkh swdishoktavharpa no attack
Oktav harpa FX
Sustains · Low sustains · Drones harmonic · Tremolo harmonic · Drop · Bow tap rhythm · Circular bows · Squeal harmonics · Key squeal · Low grind · Harmonics sweeps · Nut bows · Resonate strings · Tail pieces · Tail pieces shriek · Tremolo squeal · Trills · Harmonic rolls · mkh harpanotes legato
Symphonae
Symphonae longs
Glissandos sustains · Single note sustains 1 · Single note sustains 2 · Single note sustains 3 · Single note sustains 4 · Single note sustains 5 · Downers 1 · Downers 2 · Downers 3 · Downers 4 · Risers 1 · Risers 2 · Pulse sustains 1 · Pulse sustains 2 · Pulse sustains 3 · Pulse sustains 4
Symphonae harmonic drones
Harmonic drone sustains 1 · Harmonic drone sustains 2 · Harmonic drone sustains 3 · Harmonic drone sustains 4 · Harmonic drone sustains 5 · Harmonic drone sustains 6 · Harmonic drone sustains 7 · Harmonic drone sustains 8 · Harmonic drone sustains 9 · Harmonic drone sustains 10 · Harmonic drone sustains 11
Symphonae straight drones
Straight drone menu · Open string drones sustains 1 · Open string drones sustains 2 · Open string drones sustains 3 · Open string drones sustains 4 · Open string drones sustains 5 · Open string drones sustains 6 · Open string drones sustains 7 · Open string drones sustains 8 · Open string drones sustains 9
Symphonae textures
Textures menu · Aleatoric 1 · Aleatoric 2 · Aleatoric 3 · Aleatoric 4 · Aleatoric 5 · Long textures 1 · Long textures 2 · Long textures 3 · Long textures 4 · Long textures 5 · Long textures 6 · Long textures 7 · Long textures 8 · Long textures 9
Layered aleatoric
Articulations
Aleatoric angel scrape · Cricket gravel · Friction rod drone · Gravel crows ruler · High drone harmonizer · Industrial mice ruler · Infinite belch ruler 1 · Infinite belch ruler 2 · Rattly low drone ebow 1 · Rattly low drone ebow 2 · Rattly low drone ebow 3 · Rattly low drone ebow 4 · Sawing wine glass ruler · Sewer munchkins ruler · Sleigh brakes · Slow crash medium ebow drone · Unhappy pixies ruler · Work whistle scream
Layered disturbance
Articulations
Ebow grind big gravel · High scrapes · Active rulers · Drunken fifers · Industrial ambience · Low ruler drone · Metal crickets · Harmonic drone 1 · Harmonic drone 2 · Harmonic drone 3 · Harmonic drone 4 · Long textures · Aleatoric drone
Layered gurdy nightmare
Articulations
Bear mice · Distorted freight drone ebow · Drone ebow bass drone · Drone rattle bombers · Frantic mice · Glassy pad ebow · Gurdy downer 1 · Gurdy downer 2 · Gurdy downer 3 · Gurdy downer 4 · Gurdy riser 1 · Gurdy riser 2 · Hyper mice with drone 1 · Hyper mice with drone 2 · Nasty ebow 1 · Nasty ebow 2 · Plaintive pad · Single bass drone
Piano FX
Articulations
Boomer menu · Boomer broken 1 · Boomer broken 2 · Boomer forte 1 · Boomer forte 2 · Boomer medium 1 · Boomer medium 2 · Boomer soft 1 · Boomer soft 2 · Boomer sweep 1 · Boomer sweep 2 · Boomer sweep 3 · Pulses sustains · Stick sweeps fast · Stick sweeps normal
At a glance
Specs and requirements
| Collection | Instrumentation | Formats | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korven | Apprehension Engine, Strings, Winds, Synths, Drones, FX | VST, VST3, AU | $ 49.00 |
| Size | 37.5 GB of samples | 20.6 GB SINEarc compressed | 24 bit / 48 KHz patches |
| System (Mac) | macOS 10.15 or higher | Intel Core i5 or Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) | 8 GB RAM (16 GB+ recommended) |
| System (Windows) | Windows 10 | Intel Core i5 or equivalent | 8 GB RAM (16 GB+ recommended) |
