Ghosts from the Machine

If you were to create the voice of a ghost, either through complete synthesis or via editing and distortion, how would you proceed?

I'm thinking about this... The old reverse-echo-effect has become really dull after being used in every 2nd movie regarding the subject. But with all that fancy gear and software available, I'm sure you could come up with sounds most normal people wouldn't have heard before. Voices, noises, EVP interferences ... Has anyone done something like this already? I'd be glad if you would share.

  On 3/13/2010 at 8:04 PM, Terpentintollwut said:

If you were to create the voice of a ghost, either through complete synthesis or via editing and distortion, how would you proceed?

 

I'm thinking about this... The old reverse-echo-effect has become really dull after being used in every 2nd movie regarding the subject. But with all that fancy gear and software available, I'm sure you could come up with sounds most normal people wouldn't have heard before. Voices, noises, EVP interferences ... Has anyone done something like this already? I'd be glad if you would share.

 

 

lots of reverb, stir in some noise and modulation for garble, mix down to a tape and put it through the washer

Amazingly close, as if whispering in your ear. Or better yet, I would try to recreate inner monologue, which is a pretty strange thing now that I'm thinking about it.

i'd play what i want to say backwards and once your good at speaking it backwards, reverse. sound fucked, add some noise ... good start

i would sample a ghost.

  On 3/14/2010 at 3:02 AM, yek said:

i'd play what i want to say backwards and once your good at speaking it backwards, reverse. sound fucked, add some noise ... good start

A sort of related thing I've done once was speaking veeeery slowly on purpose and then speeding it up without changing the pitch. Sounded really odd. Keep it going - anyone care to post a sample regarding the noise, distortion whatever? I might throw something in tomorrow as well.

  On 3/14/2010 at 3:10 AM, BCM said:

i would sample a ghost.

why didn't I think of that

envelope-ataack204-release maximum to the reverb but don't forget to route to the pitch and put an lfo on there doing vibrato trianlge wave some distortion, or use yamaha dx7 its REALLY easy.

To be frank I'm a bit of a noob and have never worked with physical synths or gear of any kind, just been experimenting with software without any real knowledge on the stuff it emulates (Wavelab or Reason) I wouldn't know how to do that trick. How about a Dummy-Tutorial...?

Yo yo.

Use wavetable synth as carrier for a vocoder, the modulator being your voice or whoever you want to ghostify. Pick a freaky wavetable, sweep the index around. Add reverb\delay to taste.

Do the oldschool applying-huge-reverb-with-low-diffusion-to-reversed-audio-then-bouncing-and-reversing-again if you want.

Or teach an owl to talk.

Or just go "WOO-OOO-OOOOOO-OO-OO-OOO"!