Soniccouture has recently launched an update to its powerful ambient sound design tool featuring a huge library of recordings by Chris Watson. Aphelion’s Orbit takes a look at what’s on offer.
Sonically Impressive
Soniccouture’s Haunted Spaces 2 is one of those rare Kontakt instruments that feels less like a sample library and more like an exploratory sound‑design environment—deep, atmospheric, and unapologetically weird in all the right ways.
Haunted Spaces 2 lands squarely in that sweet spot between cinematic sound design and experimental ambience. It’s not a “preset machine”—it’s a playground for sculpting evolving textures, drones, and environmental oddities with a workflow that encourages layering, modulation, and happy accidents.
If you’re the kind of person who likes instruments that push back and reward exploration, this one fits the bill.
First Impressions
Soniccouture’s Haunted Spaces 2 sounds really good and surpassed any expectations I might have had. To be honest, I thought this would be just another drone, movie scoring library. To my surprise the library and workflow was built for both deep exploration, creation, and fun. This library can be used for Techno, Dance, Trap and so many other music types.
Without reading any manuals or looking at video tutorials, I was able to figure out the basic controls. The four quadrants encompass your sound sources. Each with the ability to mute, randomize or swap out manually by clicking on the source name. And the cube in the middle allows the magic to happen by letting you tweak the relation between the 4 sound sources.
Engine & Interface
The UI is classic Soniccouture: clean, modern, and deceptively deep.
Layer Architecture — Four sound layers, each with its own filter, envelope, tuning, and FX chain. The layers feel independent enough to build complex, multi‑dimensional textures without getting lost.
Movement Module — The modulation system is the star. It’s not just LFOs; it’s a spatial modulation engine that lets you “move” sound sources around virtual environments. This is where the library becomes alive.
Convolution Spaces — The impulse responses are not your typical halls and rooms. They’re tunnels, abandoned buildings, industrial chambers—spaces that add character rather than polish.
The interface never feels cluttered, but it’s definitely designed for users who enjoy digging.
Sound Quality
The recordings are pristine in that Soniccouture way—high‑resolution, quiet noise floors, and a ton of dynamic nuance. But the real magic is in the source material:
- Field recordings from abandoned structures
- Mechanical drones
- captures
- Organic textures processed into eerie tonalities
This isn’t a “spooky Halloween library.” It’s more like a sound‑archaeology toolkit. The tonal patches are surprisingly musical, and the atonal ones sit beautifully in cinematic or ambient mixes.
Workflow
Haunted Spaces 2 is CPU‑friendly for what it does. Even with all four layers active and modulation running, it stays stable. The randomization tools are smart—not chaotic—and often produce usable variations instead of throwaway noise.
The only workflow caveat:
If you’re used to quick preset browsing, this library rewards patience instead. It’s more of a “start with a seed and grow it” instrument.
Best Use Cases
- Ambient composition
- Horror scoring
- Sci‑fi atmospheres
- Game audio sound beds
- Experimental electronic music
It excels at anything that needs slow‑burn tension, evolving drones, or environmental storytelling.
Pros
- Exceptional sound quality
- Ease of use
- Experimental fun
- Presets
- Sample import
Cons
- Price
- No source audition when manually swapping out sounds
Alternatives
- Spectrasonics Omnisphere.
- AudioThing instruments and FX.
- Klevgrand Revolv – FX unit only.
- Lunacy CUBE.
Final Thoughts
Haunted Spaces 2 masterfully uses all the programming capability of Kontakt 8. It is a deep, atmospheric, and highly playable instrument that rewards curiosity.
If you enjoy sculpting sound rather than just triggering it, this is one of Soniccouture’s strongest offerings. It’s not for everyone—but for sound designers, ambient composers, and anyone who loves textural exploration, it’s a gem.
Check out Soniccouture’s website for more details on Haunted Spaces 2, and if you’re quick you can still purchase it at the introduction price (ends May 11th, 2026).
