Squeaks and squelches

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lam
  • Start date Start date
L

Lam

Guest
Curious to know what any of you producers use for squeaks, squelches and whooshes (you know, the alien aircraft landing type samples in psy tunes) and at what point do you incorporate them into your tune.

The few tunes I've done up to now are very light on these type of noises and consequently don't sound very psy.

My usual approach is to create a sound with Pro52 or similar. Save as wav, then import into wavelab and add a long reverb tail.

I know there's sample cd's but I prefer to do it all from scratch.

Any tips appreciated ;)
 
Hmm..

Will try in more detail later, but...

Saw waves + pitch bend/pitch envelope = squeaky noises

Saw waves + Play the notes right down the bottom of the keyboard, while sweeping/twiddling the filter (LP, high resonance) = liquid noises

Waveform + filter envelope/PWM = squelchy noises.

Whack a bogload of delay on them (either using WaveLab,or just use insert effects in your sequencer ), and you have trippy variations on the sounds ;)

J.
 
also. stick ANY resonant noise through a tempo synced phaser, then twiddle the filter and you get squeaky madness that twists up and down in time. lovely
 
I find that a low-pass filter is not so good for squeaky/squelchiness, cos it leaves in the lo-freqs and cuts out the hi-freqs. Try using a hi-pass filter instead - this keeps the hi-freqs, and sweeps downwards to include the lo-freqs. If you turn down the lo-EQ (bass) before or after the HP filter then it keeps that part in the squeaky/squelchy range without the bas/lo-freqs cutting in, so the result is a nicely balanced sound that won't interfere with the other parts in your track.

For whooshes/'spaceship landing' sounds, try taking single shot sound (just one hit - no delays), but it can have a long release if you wish. Add a long reverb, no pre-delay, 50/50 dry/wet or wetter. Bounce it with the reverb and reverse it. If you want it to tail off again then use it again unreversed immedaitely after or add a reverb to the reversed sample.

I'm finding that reversed reverbed samples make a track much more exciting. You can create so many different types just by using different one-hit sounds. Try some less tuneful ones which have more noise or distortion....yummy. You could even put a lo-pass filter over it all which sweeps upwards from fading in to the peak and stays up from peak....that's a classic sound.

K
 
</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Kudos @ Oct 24 2003, 04:00 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> For whooshes/'spaceship landing' sounds, try taking single shot sound (just one hit - no delays), but it can have a long release if you wish. Add a long reverb, no pre-delay, 50/50 dry/wet or wetter. Bounce it with the reverb and reverse it. If you want it to tail off again then use it again unreversed immedaitely after or add a reverb to the reversed sample.
[/quote:3746896594]
Ooh, and if you're going to play the original sample directly after the reversed one, for a nice wind-up, let-go effect - try timestretching the reversed version of the sound.

(Haven't actually tried this myself yet, but Kudos's post has got me thinking...)

J.
 
Ooh, and if you're going to play the original sample directly after the reversed one, for a nice wind-up, let-go effect - try timestretching the reversed version of the sound.
Click to expand...

May sound better if the reversed one doesn't have so much reverb (or any).


(Haven't actually tried this myself yet, but Kudos's post has got me thinking...)
Click to expand...

That's one of my purposes in this life (amongst others)!

K
 
23216523.jpg

Try percussions
and twist the leaving day light out of them :byebye: :wizard1:

Mushroom online Features KEMIC-AL
 
Yes, I usually just throw random crap into scary plugins (grm tools, quadfromage, destroyfx, granulab, etc).

Usually something happens every now and again that sounds good with a bit of ohmboyz and reverb :smokingr:
 
Schmoo asked for an example of the wind up sound, so I've attached a quick attempt.

Took a sample of a standard synth 'Zap' noise, used Cubase reverb (big room size, long(ish) reverb, 75% wet). Bounced the track, saved the sample.

Made a second copy.

Imported the second copy into Cool Edit, reversed it, then timestretched it 200%. Appended the original zap+reverb sound.

J.
 
Ouch, that sample's really gritty.

I think it would be better not to time-stretch a reverb'ed sample. It'll probably be better to time stretch first, then add the reverb and then reverse, or, forget the the timestretching completely and just added a longer reverb and reverse (so that the normal 'forward' sample has the shorter reverb).

Timestretched reverbs are just too grainy and glitchy that's all - best keep them pure to keep it smooth.

I still find reverbs on computer are really hard to get sounding natural enough - I find hardware/DSP effects much more effective (I've got a Zoom RFX-2000 which really cuts the mustard).

Even after pinching all the plugins I could find on Kazaa I still haven't found a reverb to match my hardware. The reverb plugs I've got is TC Native Reverb, SpinAudio Roomverb M2 and Ultrafunk fx:Reverb, and they all have that metallic 'ring' kinda tone, which is such a common characteristic of software generated 'verbs.

In order of tweakability (number of parameters, least first):
Cubase Reverb B
Cubase Reverb A
TC Native Reverb
Ultrafunk fx:Reverb
Spin Audio Roomverb M2 (Massive!)

There's a few other plugs which have reverb built-in, but they don't usually have much more amount & decay time controls.

Although I haven't had much time to play around with SpinAudio's, it looks really good, so for those wanting to get into some virtual acoustics, SpinAudio's the best I could reccomend. Too many parameters for me to get into while I'm trying to write something though (I get quicker and better results with my hardware)...but it might be the answer if you're looking for a reverb that you can tweak to get it sounding just how you want.

K
 
This is probably starting a discussion best left to a separate thread, but...

The only reverb plug-ins I've found that sounda anything like I want them to are from Waves, ESPECIALLY RVerb, which is capable of giving as realistic an impression of a natural acoustic as I've heard outside a real space or high-end Lexicon/TC Electronic hardward unit. TrueVerb is good for longer special effects type reverbs, and can also hold its own in the natural ambience stakes (and also consumes a whole load less resources!).

If you've not tried any of the Waves plugins yet, I thoroughly reccomend it... top of the tree for EQ, reverb, compression & mod FX in my book.

Colin
 
Have to say I'm with JSainsbury here, I guess my grunge roots are showing a bit... I guess it depends what you're trying to do. The grit reminds me of some of the aural effects I get from ketamine, so maybe I'm being daft...

Either way, I knocked it up in 5 minutes, so even if I had the best and baddest equipment, it'd still be a bit ropey ;)

J.
 
</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (JPsychodelicacy @ Oct 25 2003, 03:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Schmoo asked for an example of the wind up sound, so I've attached a quick attempt.

Took a sample of a standard synth 'Zap' noise, used Cubase reverb (big room size, long(ish) reverb, 75% wet). Bounced the track, saved the sample.

Made a second copy.

Imported the second copy into Cool Edit, reversed it, then timestretched it 200%. Appended the original zap+reverb sound.

J. [/quote:1a8d391913]
Screaky :D
Nasty :D
Niiiiiiice :P
 
For squelches I like to use FM and ring mod. Syncing FM to an LFO can give you really severe devil fart sounds with weird moaning tails running in and out of them..

Great for a squelchy section before you introduce a melody (if you must ;) Moog Modular plugin is the best I've ever heard for this, and the most versatile.

=P
 
</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Kudos @ Oct 24 2003, 03:00 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I find that a low-pass filter is not so good for squeaky/squelchiness, cos it leaves in the lo-freqs and cuts out the hi-freqs. [/quote:2e1982f389]
I find choice of filter for squelchy noises depends on the type of squelchy noise u want. lp filters give a more organic soft round squelch whereas hp filters give a more sci-fi metallic squelch.

did that make any sense? i hope so.

but the most important thing to compliment squelchy noises IMO is delay for that propper psychedelic trippy shit :wacko:
 
A nordlead using a squarewave-oscillator with LPF runt trough a slightly distorted phaser might do the trick. B)
And it's good to have a console with some really nice filters, like Mackie for example. Gives some extra squeek to the sound.. :punk:

Oh, and try using the LFO-sync on the nordlead if you got it!
Mighty fun!!!! :mushrooms:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top