Alternatives to Camelspace?

[Trevor Jackson]

Boy, am I glad I'm not a software engineer. I demo this stuff, hog up the customer service guy's time, learn how to use it on their dime, then go out and try to find the free version

I must drive them bananas. And hats off to Camel Audio. Camelspace is a fine product, only thing is, after playing with it for hours (and hours) I'm wondering how much I'll use it in the final mix...I'm mulling it over. maybe I will.

Anyway, part of the mental ululation is to see what you guys can come up with in the free category that does the same thing. I guess I'm thinking...if I get a decent step sequencer I can add my own flanger and whatever.

Whaddya 'spose, for a free beat maker?

[CapnLockheed]

Please don't feed the troll!!

Cheers.....CL

[djnetwerk]

Ahhh CamelSpace is great! Get it, buy it, use it.

There are plenty of free delays, flangers and various pieces that you can create many of the same effects with. Do you want to use the trancegate feature? I guess I just like to have it all in one interface, one preset, one place to tweak everything rather than stacking many free plugins. Plus, they do deserve it

[morelia]

I find it most useful for funky little intros and backdrops to verses etc. I don't think there is a multi tool that is as good as this. The only way to get the same thing is to get individual plugins and chain them together. A huge pain but if you have eXT (or other hosts probably) you could setup a chain of freeware effects that do a similar thing and save as a preset. Much (much much) more CPU used but a similar outcome.

[TotcProductions]

Just buy the damn thing. Support the devs.

[neverwhere2012]

you need to buy it. it's one of the most useful plugins ever made. nuff said.

[sqigls]

Audio Damage's BigSeq is a ferkin kewl step seq/filter with a pretty tasty cutting distortion.

I bought CamelSpace as soon as it was released, it sounds primo, it's FUNCTIONAL, and it's fun!! but i rarely use it due to the CPU usage (not that it's a total HOG).

I can totally recommend Audio Damage's plugins - BigSeq, Phase Two, Discord, Dubstation (etc) are all brilliant plug-ins. Not free, but affordable!! and they sound splen-dif-la-riffic!!!!

[Uncle E]

CamelSpace is a great idea machine. I liken it to the TC Electronic Fireworx, there's nothing about either of them that you couldn't do with other things but it's the way they bring the individual effects together that's special.

[Ben [Camel Audio]]

Thanks for the kind words about CamelSpace everyone - its really nice to hear Also, a big thanks to everyone who's bought it!

I bought CamelSpace as soon as it was released, it sounds primo, it's FUNCTIONAL, and it's fun!! but i rarely use it due to the CPU usage (not that it's a total HOG).

I think you'd find it difficult, if not impossible, to get the same number of effects running with separate VSTs, such that they take up less CPU. The thing is, if you use a preset with all the effects turned on, thats a whole stack of effects! The reverb takes a relatively large amount of CPU, and I think the chorus is relatively large too (though I think they both compare well in terms of CPU usage to standalone effects of those kinds) - so those would be the first couple to try turning off, if you want to save CPU.

If you're on a Mac, then you'd struggle to put together something similar out of separate effects, cos there isn't much that offers a 'trance gate', with the exception of Reaktor, and possibly some of the cycling 74 stuff. On the PC, my friend Scuzzphut has made a really nice free gate - http://scuzzphut.panicnow.net/Articles/plugins.html As others have mentioned, the strength of CamelSpace is in the workflow - its just fun and inspiring to use.

Ben

[kritikon]

I'm wondering how much I'll use it in the final mix...I'm mulling it over. maybe I will.

Anyway, part of the mental ululation is to see what you guys can come up with in the free category that does the same thing. I guess I'm thinking...if I get a decent step sequencer I can add my own flanger and whatever.

You'll use it loads if you buy it. I don't often buy plugins nowadays, because I can do most of anything I want with the wide palette I already have. But Camelspace was one of those few purchases, and I never regretted it once. It's extremely effective, I've used it on almost every type of channel I can think of, and it's so much fun to use. It's the equivalent of what something like the Alesis Quadraverb was back in its day. A revelation, cheap and one you can't imagine doing without.

As to the 2nd part...I haven't come across anything equivalent...certainly not for free. QuantumFX is my nearest comparison for multiFX, but that's a whole different beast - excellent and far more capable and flexible, but not really fair to compare the two...it's also far more time-consuming and experimental to use than CamelSpace.

Yes...you can make equivalent sounds with a whole list of freebies all chained up one after the other...but I really couldn't be arsed to do that nowadays. The results won't be any better than with CamelSpace IMO. They certainly won't be any quicker...that's not even debatable. I suppose, if you substitute the reverb for things like SIR with some good impulses of good reverbs, then you can improve the results...but then that's exactly what I do with CamelSpace anyway. As far as the trance gate and filters etc...you can't get better results without spending more time and a whole lot more CPU...CamelSpace is ctually incredibly CPU light when you really look at how many FX are involved.

In terms of quality...I often use simply the filters and saturation on their own in preference to any other competition just for simple fattening and presence - there aren't many other multiFX that can do that - most of them radically bugger up the sound character - with CamelSpace you can do either. I'd quite happily empty out my freebie FX folder if it was a plain choice between them and CamelSpace.


You can get equivalent for free...but if you can't dig deep enough for the cheap price of CamelSpace (and it really is very cheap for what it does...IMO) then you can do your own searching, because for me, there isn't an equivalent - you'd need 6 or 7 or probably alot more individual FX to even get close - for the 1st thing, I haven't come across any free simple resonant filters that I'd piss on if they were on fire.


Oh dear me...I sound like a fanboy of CamelSpace...hang on, I am...well that's OK then....

[grymmjack]

Thanks for the kind words about CamelSpace everyone - its really nice to hear Also, a big thanks to everyone who's bought it!

I bought CamelSpace as soon as it was released, it sounds primo, it's FUNCTIONAL, and it's fun!! but i rarely use it due to the CPU usage (not that it's a total HOG).

I think you'd find it difficult, if not impossible, to get the same number of effects running with separate VSTs, such that they take up less CPU. The thing is, if you use a preset with all the effects turned on, thats a whole stack of effects! The reverb takes a relatively large amount of CPU, and I think the chorus is relatively large too (though I think they both compare well in terms of CPU usage to standalone effects of those kinds) - so those would be the first couple to try turning off, if you want to save CPU.

If you're on a Mac, then you'd struggle to put together something similar out of separate effects, cos there isn't much that offers a 'trance gate', with the exception of Reaktor, and possibly some of the cycling 74 stuff. On the PC, my friend Scuzzphut has made a really nice free gate - http://scuzzphut.panicnow.net/Articles/plugins.html As others have mentioned, the strength of CamelSpace is in the workflow - its just fun and inspiring to use.

Ben

ben you've got a sale pending in July for the effects bundle too (and if i can save the money maybe cameleon5000 - all products bundle -- my bday present already ok'd from fiance - the other half i'd have to put up meself). just want to say that i love your products, they are very flexible, very high quality and cameleon 5000 is the most unique synth i've tried thus far - the morphing is incredibly cool and the resynthesis means endless potential.