Has anyone but me ever used the Ursa Major Space Station?

T

Tape Phreak

New member
I would love to talk to someone else who has used this reverb unit from the early 80s. I've never ever in my life met anyone else who has owned or used one.

Never seen one on ebay. I did a search here and no one seems to have talked about it.

It has been my main reverb unit for the past 22 years and I still love it. It's completely non-shimmery and realistic. I also have access to a huge warehouse next door to my studio and let me tell ya, guys- you cannot buy a sound like that in any box. It soungs like friggin Gold Star to me.

But the Ursa Major stands up to it really well and I use it more than the warehouse.

Anybody?
 
I guess not. I thought for sure I'd find someone here. But maybe I'm the only one who bought it. It was $2000 new and used to be heavily advertised in MIX magazine in the early 80s. The advertisement with the polar bears playing instruments sold me, I think. ;) They must have gone bye-bye a long time ago.

Peace Love and bye polar, :D
Phreak
 
You should try Gearslutz or Tapeop.

Most of the guys on this board don't know of much outside their Alesis Quadraverb. :D Just kidding!
 
chessrock said:
You should try Gearslutz or Tapeop.

Most of the guys on this board don't know of much outside their Alesis Quadraverb. :D Just kidding!
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Thanks, Chess! You would think with 47,000 some members there'd be someone but that's okay. Just asking.

Peace Love and Alesis something and not nothing :D
Marky
 
Tape Phreak said:
You would think with 47,000 some members there'd be someone but that's okay.
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I doubt that's even close to 47,000 active members. That just tells you how many usernames have been signed up for since the board's inception.
 
Tape Phreak said:
I would love to talk to someone else who has used this reverb unit from the early 80s. I've never ever in my life met anyone else who has owned or used one.

Never seen one on ebay. I did a search here and no one seems to have talked about it.

It has been my main reverb unit for the past 22 years and I still love it. It's completely non-shimmery and realistic. I also have access to a huge warehouse next door to my studio and let me tell ya, guys- you cannot buy a sound like that in any box. It soungs like friggin Gold Star to me.

But the Ursa Major stands up to it really well and I use it more than the warehouse.

Anybody?
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can you post a sound example of the unit? Like on guitars or vocals
 
frankieballsss said:
can you post a sound example of the unit? Like on guitars or vocals
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Well, I'd like to record some special samples for you but with no computer in my studio I will just share a very "ursa major'd" track from our last CD.

I Wake Up

The thing about the Space Station is it has these 4 big knobs that control different stereo reflections (knob 1 would be relection 1&2, knob 2- 3&4 and so on...) and then it gives you lots of different delay options and you can get space echos if you want them.

It doesn't get nearly all of the sounds of the Quadraverb, but I've never liked any of those sounds anyway. The UMSS has been with me for so many years that maybe I'm just biased. It's part of my sound and maybe I'm just hooked on it like a bad vice.

Peace Love and vice ursa :D
Phreak
 
Tape Phreak said:
Well, I'd like to record some special samples for you but with no computer in my studio I will just share a very "ursa major'd" track from our last CD.

I Wake Up

The thing about the Space Station is it has these 4 big knobs that control different stereo reflections (knob 1 would be relection 1&2, knob 2- 3&4 and so on...) and then it gives you lots of different delay options and you can get space echos if you want them.

It doesn't get nearly all of the sounds of the Quadraverb, but I've never liked any of those sounds anyway. The UMSS has been with me for so many years that maybe I'm just biased. It's part of my sound and maybe I'm just hooked on it like a bad vice.

Peace Love and vice ursa :D
Phreak
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I really like the vocal production on this track. Whats your mic and preamp setup on this track. That ursa really does have a distinct sound, cool stuff.
 
frankieballsss said:
I really like the vocal production on this track. Whats your mic and preamp setup on this track. That ursa really does have a distinct sound, cool stuff.
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Thanks Frankie! And thanks to Heroics and the Chessrock for the links. It was cool reading a review. It seems those who've used it feel the way I do.

I've never owned an actual "pre" so I must have lucked out with my Soundcraft 200B 16 channel mixer. Worse yet, I plug an old DBX 166 (I think that's the number) compressor into the insert path and then run to the tracks from the busses :eek:

That compressor has no user settings except one slider that takes you from slight compressing to heavy. It's a standard one sound "over-easy" compressor and I've always loved it. I use it almost everytime.

Those vocal tracks, if I remember correctly, were done with an AKG 414. Though I may possibly have sung the lead through the U87.

The phase-shifting effect was done by running the vocal tracks to my Revox PR99 2track and then running it back onto one track of the Tascam MS16 and manipulating the reels with my hands. So there's another horrible path for the vocals.

Peace Love and Wrongway Fellman
Phreak
 
Very cool box. Keep it!!

I haven't used one since 1990. I haven't even seen one since then. One popped up on ebay a while ago but I missed the auction.


Jealous,

Kirk
 
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