Product: Space Trip
Developer: AudioThing
Formats: VST, Audio Unit, AAX, for OS X 10.6.8+ and Win XP SP2+.
Price: $55
DRM: .atl license file.
Demo: Fully functional with output silence for 3 secs. every 45 secs.

The Scope:

Audio Thing introduces Space Trip, a new multi-effect (channel strip) plug-in that offers six modules via the user interface: Contour, Vibe, Slapback, Ambience, Ensemble, and Stereo. Additionally, there’s a Master panel for adjusting the Gain and the dry-wet Mix. The modules have the ability to be arranged in any combination via drag-n-drop. Furthermore, each module has on/off controls. Space Trip adds dimension and depth to your sounds. I found it to work best with synths and keyboards. I also found this plugin to be quite effective for drum samples as well.

The Interface

The interface is laid out in a series of panels that contain the modules with their respective control knobs. The knobs are color coded for easy identification and it adds a bit of eye candy.




Contour: Is a two band EQ with boost for high and low frequencies up to 12 dB.

Vibe: Stereo vibrato that has Depth, Rate, and Spread controls for adjusting the depth of the detuning, speed of the modulation, and controls the stereo image of the effect.

Slapback: A short echo module with Level, Delay, and Spread controls the gain of added echo, echo delay, and stereo width of the effect.

Ambience: A short reverb module that has Level, Size, and Damping controls for amount of added reverberated signal, tail duration of the reverb, and high frequency damping.

Ensemble: Is a Multi-Voice chorus that has Amount, Depth, and Spread controls for amount of effect, Volume of the detuning voices, and stereo width of the effect.

Stereo: Stereo related module with Side Level and Mono Bass controls for adjusting the side gain for additional stereo width and for keeping the low frequencies below the mono value.

Space Trip also has a Randomizer that can randomize all the parameters on the interface at once. This is a quick way to find the result you are looking for your sound. The random result can then be tweaked as needed. In addition, there are 15 pre-defined presets that one can choose from and you can save or delete your own presets for later use. Each parameter can be locked or unlocked by right clicking on the mouse. There’s also a built-in Limiter for enabling or disabling the soft clip limiter.





Each knob contained in a module can be locked or unlocked by right clicking on the mouse. By locking it, it prevents changes being made to the affected module when using the randomizer feature. I found this feature to be a real time saver to avoid having to re-tweak your settings after applying changes via the randomizer. The soft clip limiter is enabled by default and can be set to off if desired via one of the four function buttons, on the top right of the UI, labeled “More”.





The Scores:

Sound Quality: Overall this is a nice sounding plugin that can greatly enhance dry sounds by breathing life into them. What I really liked about Space Trip, is the way you can add instant depth and space to your sounds. Some of the modules make very subtle changes to the sound however, by turning the module on & off you can appreciate the enhancements that are being made. Other modules have a more direct and pronounced impact on the sound. Additionally, this plugin makes a very small footprint on the CPU and could easily replace other CPU intensive plugins in a complex mix.

Ease of use: The user interface is very intuitive and very easy to navigate. You’ll be up and running in no time.

Features: The UI is not resizable however, it is large enough to work with comfortably and without eye strain on high resolution wide screen computer monitors.

Bang for buck: Great value, you get a good amount of multi-effects without breaking your budget. A handy tool to have around when needed.

Overall: A great multi-effect (channel strip) for musicians looking to enhance their tracks without breaking their budget. A highly desirable plugin to have in the toolkit in the event a smaller CPU footprint is required when mixing.