Interstellar Waterphone help

Introduction

Interstellar Waterphone is a virtual instrument with loads of cinematic sounds. The sounds are ready to play with their default settings. All parameters are exposed to the DAW, so they can be automated there as well as in the Interstellar Waterphone application itself.

The sounds were recorded from several Interstellar waterphones, hand-made exclusively by waterphone.pl.

The complete set of sounds is available after you purchase a licence and activate the software. Buy the full version →

Installation

macOS

Download the installer package (.pkg) and double-click it to run it.

The default installation is recommended. If you choose a custom installation, select either Install for all users of this computer or Install on a specific disk — only these two options are supported. To install on another drive, click Change Install Location and choose Install on a specific disk…

Default locations:

VST3 plugin: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/InterstellarWaterphone.vst3
AU plugin: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/InterstellarWaterphone.component
Sound banks: /Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks/InterstellarWaterphone
Standalone application: /Applications

Moving the sound banks

After installation you can move the sound banks to another folder or drive, but then you have to edit the file /Users/<your user name>/Library/Application Support/InterstellarWaterphone/soundbanks.cfg. It contains the path to the sound bank folder, by default /Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks/InterstellarWaterphone. Edit it carefully — the path must always point to the folder with your sound banks.

Windows

Download the setup file (.exe), run it and follow the installer.

Configuration

Interstellar Waterphone works both as a standalone application and as a plugin (VST3, and AU on macOS).

As a plugin it needs no configuration of its own — you only set up the plugin host (your DAW).

As a standalone application it has an Options button in the upper left corner of the window. It opens three commands: Save state, Load state and Audio/MIDI Settings.

Saving and loading a state is simple: choose a folder and a file name, and all current parameters are saved. Loading a saved state restores them just as easily.

Audio/MIDI Settings let you choose the output device and output channels, the sample rate, the audio buffer size, and the MIDI input and output devices.

The application can also generate MIDI messages, for example with the Virtual Bow — that is why there is a MIDI output to configure.

Selecting a sound set

Select a sound set with the selection box in the top left corner. The progress bar shows the sounds loading.

In demo mode only the first two sound sets are available.

Playing sounds

Play the instrument from a connected and selected MIDI device, with the on-screen keyboard or with the Virtual Bow. You can also assign a MIDI CC to the Virtual Bow with MIDI CC learn and trigger sounds from a controller knob.

As a plugin, Interstellar Waterphone is played by MIDI from your DAW.

ADSR

ADSR stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release. These four parameters shape the volume envelope of the sound, which is drawn above the knobs, so you can see what each of them does.

Attack — how long the sound takes to reach full volume after a note starts.
Decay — how long it then takes to fall to the Sustain level.
Sustain — the volume held while the key stays down.
Release — how long the sound fades out after the key is released.

Start offset

Start offset sets the point in the sample where playback starts, cutting off the beginning of the sound. When you use it, set Attack to at least 1 ms to avoid a click at the start of each note.

Filters

Simple low-pass and high-pass filters. The high-pass filter is perfect for reducing rumbling bass frequencies.

Virtual Bow

The Virtual Bow plays the waterphone with a single knob. Its sliders set which sounds (MIDI notes) are played and how hard. The length of each note before its release is taken from the Decay knob of the envelope, so the bow imitates pressing and releasing a key.

An example: with Steps set to 4 and Offset set to 0, turning the Virtual Bow plays notes 0, 4, 8, 12, 16… Four semitones make a major third, so in a harmonic sound set you hear a sound every major third. With Steps set to 7 you hear every perfect fifth. Offset sets the first note: if the cascade starts on C with Offset at 0, setting it to 4 makes it start on E (0 – C, 1 – C♯, 2 – D, 3 – D♯, 4 – E).

It may sound complicated in theory, but in practice it is simple and intuitive. Use MIDI CC learn to assign the Virtual Bow, Steps and Offset to three controller knobs, then follow your intuition and create amazing sequences of sounds.

Steps

The interval, in semitones (MIDI notes), between the sounds played as the bow turns: a sound is played every N steps.

Offset

Shifts the notes the bow plays. In practice it sets the key of the sound cascade (in harmonic sound sets).

Bow Velocity

The velocity — the force — with which the Virtual Bow plays.

Velocity Randomness

A random factor for the bow velocity — the humanisation of the Virtual Bow. At 0 every sound is played with the same velocity, set by Bow Velocity; at 0.5 the velocity is fully random. For the most natural results set it to around 0.2.

MIDI CC learn

As a standalone application Interstellar Waterphone can learn MIDI CC automation from the selected MIDI input. Make sure a valid MIDI input is selected in Options → Audio/MIDI Settings.

Assigning a controller to a slider

Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) the slider you want to control and choose Learn MIDI #CC. A yellow frame appears around the slider: it is waiting for a CC message. Move a knob or slider on your MIDI controller — the slider follows it and learning is finished.

Removing the assignment

Right-click or Control-click the slider again and choose Remove automation. To cancel learning, choose Cancel MIDI #CC Learn from the same menu.

In a DAW (as a plugin)

In a DAW you don't need this built-in learning, as every DAW handles automation of plugin parameters itself. It does work in some hosts (for example in Reaper 6), but we recommend controlling the instrument through the plugin parameters in your DAW.

Activating the licence

Once you have purchased a licence, activate the software as described below. There are two ways: online activation (recommended) and offline activation, for a computer without internet access.

Online activation

Click the Activate button to open the activation form.
In the E-mail field enter the e-mail address you used for the purchase.
Enter the licence number you received by e-mail.
Click the yellow Online Activation (Recommended) button.

If everything is correct, the licence is saved on your computer and the full version unlocks.

Offline activation

Run Interstellar Waterphone as a standalone application.
Enter your e-mail address and licence number.
Click Generate offline activation file.
Choose a folder for the activation file, e.g. Downloads.
Copy the file to a computer with internet access and open it (ISTWaterphone_OfflineAct.html) in a web browser.
The browser shows the Interstellar Waterphone Activation Form — click Send.
You will receive an automated e-mail with a link to your licence file (license.xml). Download it and bring it to the offline computer.
In Interstellar Waterphone click Apply the keyfile offline and select license.xml.

Demo mode

Until it is registered and activated, the software runs in demo mode with these limitations:

Time — after some time the audio is switched off.
Sound sets — only two of the six sound sets are available.
Commercial use — you may not use Interstellar Waterphone for commercial purposes without a licence.

Questions? Write to support@soundyan.com.