Graveyard Groove
Graveyard Groove is a free, six-macro mini synth aimed at one specific feeling: 80s horror-funk. Carpenter chase scenes, Stranger Things, neon fog, John Maus, dead-mall arpeggios. Six knobs, one mood, ship a track tonight.
2. Why six macros, not fifty
3. The six macros
4. Output and bypass
5. Factory presets
6. Tempo sync
7. Five things worth trying
8. Troubleshooting
9. Licence and support
1. Quick start
- Install (Mac or Windows). It is free.
- Open it on a MIDI track and load the Carpenter Bass preset.
- Play a slow held note in the low octave.
- Sweep the GROOVE and FRIGHT macros while it plays.
2. Why six macros, not fifty
Most synths give you 200 parameters and trust you to know which ones matter. Graveyard Groove is the opposite. Every preset is a finished sound. The macros let you push that sound in six directions without breaking it. You ship faster, you learn the genre quicker, and the plugin never lets you make something boring.
3. The six macros
Internal rhythmic gating + arpeggiation amount. At 0 you get a sustained pad; at 100% you get a tight 16th-note pulse.
Detune and pitch wobble. Subtle Fright = analogue warmth. Heavy Fright = horror-film unease.
Width, chorus and high-shelf glitter. Push it for the Stranger Things sheen.
Transient + soft saturation on the attack stage. Adds bite to basses and snap to plucks.
A blend of dark reverb and dotted-8th delay. Low Space stays tight; high Space puts the sound in a fog.
Tape saturation, wow and flutter, plus optional vinyl crackle. High Age is the era you are pretending to be from.
4. Output and bypass
The OUTPUT knob is your post-fader trim. The BYPASS button bypasses the whole plugin including its FX chain — perfect for A/B comparisons. The output meter on the right shows post-mix level.
5. Factory presets
Use the chevrons < > next to the preset name to step prev/next, or press ← → on the keyboard. Click the preset name to open the full browser.
Carpenter bank
Bass lines and stabs in the John Carpenter / Goblin tradition.
Neon bank
Bright leads, plucks, and arpeggios for synthwave and outrun.
Horror bank
Tension pads, drones and chase-scene pulses.
6. Tempo sync
Click SYNC to lock the internal arpeggiator and delay to your DAW tempo. With SYNC off, GROOVE becomes a free-running rate.
7. Five things worth trying
- Carpenter Bass preset + GROOVE at 80% + SYNC on — instant chase scene.
- Hold a minor chord + push SPACE and AGE to 100% — basement of an abandoned mall.
- Neon Lead preset + NEON at 100% — Stranger Things title sequence.
- Horror Pad + FRIGHT to 90% — unease that does not resolve.
- Automate AGE rising over a bar — the recording is degrading in real time.
8. Troubleshooting
The plugin will not load (macOS)
Follow the steps on install-mac.
No sound
Confirm BYPASS is off and you are sending MIDI notes. The plugin is a synth, not an effect.
It sounds too clean
Push AGE and SPACE. The plugin loves to be dirtied up; the clean defaults are starting points, not destinations.
9. Licence and support
Graveyard Groove is free. No licence key, no activation. Install it on every machine you own forever. Bug or request? Mail audio@piruzlabs.com.
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