The sounds of Steampunk

[Arabella Periscope]

Engineer Lukas, Gentlemen,

You Rock, er, Steam?!!?

These sounds are incredible.  How can you get a recording of a steam train without ambient world noise?  And Mr. West's YouTube track gave me chills.  If you close your eyes, you can hear the SPACE; it is the absence of distance that makes sound effects recordings flat, but that one is like travelling to a different time and place.  It must take a lot of imagination as well as ability to create these sounds.  I can't wait to hear what comes next!

[Engineer Lukas]

I wanted to make a dark ambient Steampunk track that would evoke the crushing interior of a colossal Space 1889 style spaceship, and i also wanted to make a Steampunk response to the Sleep Research Facility album Nostromo

Ideally with headphones - The HMSS Victoria

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

HMSS Victoria

Now that's something good. I really like it. Makes one feel space-ish

Gentlemen,
Huzzah! You are doing an excellent job. How thrilling it is to hear the sounds of my youth. The outdoor tracks are very fine; the interior of a room would be nice too. The sound of a stuffed pike in a glass case; a grandfather clock, certainly; a kettle, and tea; a cat purring. Perhaps a young maiden attempting to learn the piano? No, too horrifying.
Carry on, lads. Steady the Buffs!
CW

Yet another challenge accepted

Engineer Lukas, Gentlemen,

You Rock, er, Steam?!!?

These sounds are incredible.  How can you get a recording of a steam train without ambient world noise?  And Mr. West's YouTube track gave me chills.  If you close your eyes, you can hear the SPACE; it is the absence of distance that makes sound effects recordings flat, but that one is like travelling to a different time and place.  It must take a lot of imagination as well as ability to create these sounds.  I can't wait to hear what comes next!

Thank you for recognition, I'm glad that my work is useful. Finally

So, here are the results of this morning. A "home sweet home 5 o'clock" scene. I made it more spatial - and a bit cosy. Well, except for the somewhat noisy kettle. And the clock chimes. And the train

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/73876444/Steammersion/Tea_Time.mp3

The listed track contains the following public domain or creative commons samples:
     S: Steam Train.wav by Benboncan -- http://www.freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/58293/
     S: stirring-teapot.wav by osivo -- http://www.freesound.org/people/osivo/sounds/26478/
     P: Paper Book Reading by Koops -- http://www.freesound.org/people/Koops/packs/1237/
     S: LightingMatch.wav by HerbertBoland -- http://www.freesound.org/people/HerbertBoland/sounds/29677/
     S: Fireplace.wav by inchadney -- http://www.freesound.org/people/inchadney/sounds/83986/
     S: Tea Kettle Whistle.aif by JasonElrod -- http://www.freesound.org/people/JasonElrod/sounds/85475/
     S: kettle pour into cup 001.WAV by uwesoundboiz -- http://www.freesound.org/people/uwesoundboiz/sounds/60394/
     S: Grandfather Clock Chime.wav by lonemonk -- http://www.freesound.org/people/lonemonk/sounds/62579/
     S: Ur - 10min.mp3 by Gallhachel -- http://www.freesound.org/people/Gallhachel/sounds/63788/

[von Corax]

... The sound of a stuffed pike in a glass case...

Oddly enough, this one would be fairly easy to do — one need merely loop a sample from a recording of John Cage's 4'33". You would, of course, need to obtain the appropriate copyright clearance...

[neon_suntan]

Thanks for the compliments folks, the original space track was about 16 minutes long so thats all the FX  and sounds shovelled into a bite-size 6 minute chunk :-)

Sadly as this was done over three years ago i only have a very rough version of another ambient steampunk track... i'll have to fire up the coal burning backup drive to find it though.

The tracks i was trying to make but never got around to were the ambient background noises of typical steampunk locations... the myspace account [which really dates it!] is here

[MWBailey]

Gentlemen,
Huzzah! You are doing an excellent job. How thrilling it is to hear the sounds of my youth. The outdoor tracks are very fine; the interior of a room would be nice too. The sound of a stuffed pike in a glass case; a grandfather clock, certainly; a kettle, and tea; a cat purring. Perhaps a young maiden attempting to learn the piano? No, too horrifying.
Carry on, lads. Steady the Buffs!
CW

Maybe the Violin?

[Camellia Wingnut]

Sir,
Good Morning,
A violin is not for the faint-hearted! What about pistol shots making the initials 'VR' on a wall?
CW

[Camellia Wingnut]

Dear Engineer,

Thank you for the long light tea-time of the soul -- it was like an afternoon in a country hotel in 1895.  I particularly enjoyed the pouring tea and the sound of the spring releasing before the clock chimed.  I would rather like to hear a little terrier, Jack Russell of course, lapping noisily from his saucer of tea. A note being opened and a gentle chuckle at the contents - actually, no, that would be sinister. Did you ever hear the recording from the haunted church at Borley? Spine-chilling pottering.
CW

[Arabella Periscope]

Dear Engineer Lukas,

Are you an Engineer of Sound?  Your tracks are enthralling. You should be a foley artist, like the man who caused a panic in radio audiences in the 1930's (?) by making them believe in Orson Welles' 'War of the Worlds' flying saucer hatch by opening a rusty jar inside a toilet bowl!  I could travel in time just listening. 

The "dark crushing interior" of the steampunk spacecraft is mighty impressive too, though I wouldn't want to travel to it.

Is anyone going to market one of von Corax's "soundscapes?"

Brass Goggles Crew?

My Etsy shop isn't open yet.

[kidkunjer]

Maybe the Violin?

i did a snippet of not-too-awful violin practice for someone to mix if they chose:

http://www.freesound.org/people/kidkunjer/sounds/151856/

[Engineer Lukas]

Thank you for compliments. I will try to keep it up

[Camellia Wingnut]

Dear Fellows,
Violin practice would add a certain je ne sais quois. Perhaps it would aid concentrated thought, as in a famous case involving a Stradivarius and a detective. (For maximum chills, read Faulkner, 'The Lost Stradivarius') You are all marvellously creative.
CW