Space Music

[bassist377]

So my band and I are creating a concept album about space right now, and, although I've got a multiverse of plug-ins, are there any specific sounds/samples/plug-ins/VSTi's that have ever struck you as particularly space-y sounding? Any suggestions would be helpful, as there's a bunch of stuff you find just dicking around as compared actively searching for "the right sound".

Thanks a bunch.

[joelpatterson]

This may not be exactly what you're looking for... but one of the last effects on the new Alesis USB/Firewire mixers... #97 maybe... is a very strange combination of flangey/verby/delayey mumbo-jumbo that sounds like an alien gargling. It really truly is an effect that follows the source, but it's so delayed and strange that it seems like it's coming spontaneously out of nowhere.

Although... this could be the kind of stock, predictable effect you are trying to avoid!

[bassist377]

That's exactly what I'm looking for. I think I might have made it sound before as though I was looking for software solutions, but on the contrary, if there's a hardware route that'll do the job, I'd like to know about it.

[joelpatterson]

Well, it perked up my ears when I heard it. There's zero documentation in the manual as to exactly what it is, so who knows. The totality of the detail is each bank of 10 (#0-10, #11-20...) has a label, like "Rooms" or "Delays." Most all of them are pretty "useful," but that #97 is downright freaky. Super freaky!

[jkamata]

try and do a search for sounds of nothern light...I know it sounds weird, but theres actually somebody out there trying to record the sounds they make!
I dont know how they do it, but I think its some kind of frequency conversion or something like that..better yet the sounds are unbelivable - something like a thounsand sine waves going up and down following a certain pattern in a crisp storm..good luck

[bonusroommusic]

Originally Posted by bassist377

So my band and I are creating a concept album about space right now, and, although I've got a multiverse of plug-ins, are there any specific sounds/samples/plug-ins/VSTi's that have ever struck you as particularly space-y sounding? Any suggestions would be helpful, as there's a bunch of stuff you find just dicking around as compared actively searching for "the right sound".

Thanks a bunch.

I love this one.
called camelspace

CamelSpace - Guitar & Synth Multi Effect - VST plugin, Audio Unit

[bassist377]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Well, it perked up my ears when I heard it. There's zero documentation in the manual as to exactly what it is, so who knows. The totality of the detail is each bank of 10 (#0-10, #11-20...) has a label, like "Rooms" or "Delays." Most all of them are pretty "useful," but that #97 is downright freaky. Super freaky!

I think the outboard FX on those units are similar (if not copies) of the Behringer 24-bit effects units used on their boards in the early 2000's. If it is, I think somewhere in the 90's there was something like Rotary/Delay/Chorus or some ridiculous chain of effects like that. It did sound spacey, though, very spacey.

...and sounds of the Northern Lights?!?!

Awesome, I'm checking that out momentarily.

[lhama]

See if you can find one of the old Ibanez modulation delay pedals. If you set the delay into selfoscilation and play around with the modulation...then you get instant Alien sounds.

[bassist377]

Originally Posted by bonusroommusic

I love this one.
called camelspace

CamelSpace - Guitar & Synth Multi Effect - VST plugin, Audio Unit

Whoa! It's got the word "space" IN IT'S NAME! Downloaded and downloaded!

Thanks for the suggestion.

[NS10Fan]

LoL, I actually created a sound on my alesis micron once that I could only name "Space hARP." Just some random arpeggios with a bunch of reverb, but the sound itself was just a simple sine with a 24/db filter. My band always tells me "Hey, you fired up the Rammstein sound again," cause they use it a bit apparently, but it's definitely a space sound. You might look into listening to the soundtrack to The Andromeda Strain...might give you some cool space synth ideas.

Other than that, most spacely effects I found can be had with ungodly amounts of reverb and/or white/pink noise with lfo effects. Blending in "space banter" recorded over walkie-talkies also could give you the walk-on-the-moon feel.

[bassist377]

Dang, good ideas guys, thanks much. Camelspace is fantastic, and I'm pretty certain I'm going to have to use your walkie-talkie idea. I have, however, been unable to find anything about recording the Aurora Borealis, anybody have a link or more information on it?

[fuzzjunkie]

the old roland dep-5 had a bunch of presets that were very spacey...and lo-fi. any flanged reverb delay should get you there, but the roland had several odd ones...one was a bi-phased gated reverb thing we dubbed "broken atari in outer space."

i didn't think it could be used for anything but one day i put a cure cd on and there it was trailing robert smith's vocals way down in the mix! i punched it in once at the end of an epic flaming lips type song while saying it would be good on a fade out ending and the band then wanted it added to everything

[Jay-]

I use FM-8, absynth, vapor..
I have sustain and arp maped into my kurzweil faders and it just bangs it spot on.
~space~

YOu need to do some tricks like that with effects me thinks.

[donsolo]

Absynth does great for spacey stuff.

Vocoders, I think camel made one called orange vocoder.

Talkboxes with lots of delay and reverb.

Reverse reverb 100% wet.

ebow.

Slide on the guitar.

any bow on anything (that'll vibrate)

I like to take an analog delay and play something and twist the time knob. Sounds best when super-wet.

[Land Fish]

one plugin that I really miss, from when I had a VST wrapper on OS 9... I still don't have a new VST wrapper for OS X yet... is

Prosoniq North Pole...

one band member made a comment like 'instant major label quality' and that became the plugins nick name from then on out.

it's a pretty basic ping-pong delay with filters in the feedback loop. nothing earth shattering, but I believe that it is FREE and easier to use than the filtered delay built into Digital Performer, and sounds richer.

for some reason the low-pass filters on my currently installed version of the waves super-tap doesn't seem to do anything... maybe a bug they fixed in the new version... but get those to work, and that is pretty spacious.

no tap tempo or BMP lock... you have to devide the 60,000/BPM for quarter notes in Milliseconds.
120,000/tempo for 1/2 note... I like longer tripped out syrup 1,000 and up, or ultra short smears in the 10ms range. 1/4 and 1/8th note delays usually clutter things up too much.

[CapnMarvel]

Originally Posted by lhama

See if you can find one of the old Ibanez modulation delay pedals. If you set the delay into selfoscilation and play around with the modulation...then you get instant Alien sounds.

Absolute +1 on this. These are very cool pedals, and though rare, can still be found reasonably priced on Ebay. The Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man may also be another good place for weird modulated delays.

[Jay-]

the ibanez UE 405 has analog delay and something like chorus or EQ.
Its for guitar but its a must have.

I used Waves GTR even on vocals and keys with great results.
Im thinking ohmforce would be good also.

[Jay-]

dang sorry for double post.

The grateful dead was the main users of the Ibanez UE-400 and 405 for their "space" music.

[miqer]

feedback.... .... if you feedback vst plugin into themselfs... you can get those harmonic type angel choirs you often hear on ambient/electronic music records:

if you are interested, check out for instance:

freesound :: view sample :: waiting space.wav

freesound :: view sample :: whiny glurps.wav

freesound :: view sample :: hi one.wav

also search for space... you can use the sounds on your record if you mention the maker on your cd I think... check out legal use...

It's a great site...

Also check out the psp multidelay...

[miqer]

If you like camel space, you have to also check out audiodamage dr. device...
I would call it freaky rather than space... but it might work!!

Audio Damage :: Dr. Device

The Audio Damage dubstation is an old spacy dub type thing... I use that one really a lot...

Btw. All audiodamage plugs are wicked... the best vintage sounbding space things around...

[lancebug]

Ohmforce: Ohm Boyz
NI: Absynth
PSP: Nitro
Roland: Alpha Juno >> into the effect of your choice.