Speelunker Cave Music And Sounds

Notice: My old soundtrack I created in 2002 has been removed and replaced overhauled with a complete redo. The complete 2014 version of the clean, non-narrated track is available. CLICK HERE for the soundtrack.

I placed a start to finish demo sample of it on YouTube. I have narrated over the sound with a few descriptive facts about the ride. I also placed a slide show of some found pictures that more or less serve as scene markers, rather than a visual guide through the ride. This is focused on the SOUND.

This is a sample of my new 2014 replication of what it sounded like to ride through The Spee-Lunker Cave in about 1968. I have voiced over with interesting information about the ride. The slide show is just representative scene markers as so few images exist of the sixties version. Look for on screen links to obtain a clean (without voice) mp3 file of this track. NOTES: Final mix was 11 stereo tracks. The first section (before the lift) and the second section (after the lift) were initially two separate multi-track projects. The first section mix had 9 stereo tracks. The second section mix had 7 stereo tracks. Before the mixing time-lines were started, each pre-auditioned clip was cleaned and “tuned” in comparison to each other to get that mysterious sound. These clips were individually crafted from other multi-track project over the years. Loop breaks were selected, looping repeats were done, then editing for sequence took place.

Signal processing was carefully applied to somewhat give the sensation of moving through scenes. Then the “unintentional” sounds were added. The pneumatic loading dock stop and release sound along with gentle tub bumping a water. I also added some air-piston sounds for the animations! This required at least 35 initial tracks in seven separate project files. I had to craft the animation sounds from scratch or modify other mechanical sounds. The final animation mechanism sound (for creaking timbers) alone took 10 tracks, precision edits and processing and several hours to complete. Each piece of music and “intentional” sound effects were actually auditioned, edited or crafted over the years. I crafted most of the sound effects and one of the music clips from scratch. The others were edited in addition to altering pitch and tempo, some drastically.

Since I started this madness in 2002, I have updated and revised the track many times. I created the sound effects myself and some of the music. Each music and sound effect clip was a separate multi-track project. Much of this new version draws from some previous work. I lost count how many time-line tracks were used over the years for the complete work on this project but it is into the hundreds. I don't know which is harder; to create something or accurately replicate something. In this obsession, I have created a replica.

But, wait! There's more! Much, much more below on this page. If you are a Spee-Luker Cave fan, this is the web-page you have dreamed of!

NEWS TODAY 5/15/2010: For the next few days, there is a Spee-Lunker from The Cave on eBay for auction. Pricey, but it is there. Scott L. Jordan owned this "Spee" and his brother listed it on eBay. UPDATE: The auction ended and the Spee-Lunker SOLD for $3,200. These things never come up for sale.

NEWS TODAY 7/13/2011: Another Spee-Lunker (the king) from The Cave has been listed on eBay.
CLICK HERE to view auction. It is located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The opening bid is $500 but it is a reserve auction, so you won't know what the seller's minimum is. Again, these rarely come up for sale. HIGHEST bid was $1,075.01. On July 21, 2011, auction ended without sale as RESERVE amount
was not met.

Note that this is a very long page. There are also links at the bottom of this page to my other Spee-Lunker pages as well as links to other peoples' related sites. It is advised that you scroll all the way down first thing to preview all the goodies you will encounter, then come back up and savor your way down. Enjoy!

Did you ever ride "The Spee-Lunker Cave" at Six Flags Over Texas during the 1960's and 1970's? Remember that mysterious, mesmerizing music? Ever wish you could ride it again? Well, this page is about as close as you can get due to my exhaustive efforts at reconstructing my recollections of this ride.

As a youth in the 1960's, I memorized this ride including the music and sound effects. I have still retained much of that and decided to document as much as I could, while I could. I have done so in three or so different forms, one of them being a ride-through audio replication. It is like riding one of the little boats through the ride with a stereo recorder going. Like sending your ears back in time. It was not that simple for me though, since the ride and all records and plans of the original 1960's version have perished.

The audio recording actually began many years ago as I discovered my music collection contained a couple of the pieces of music that were used in The Cave. Sometime during 2000, I was drawn into the idea of creating this audio project. Here and there I began collecting either identical or similar music and sounds of this ride. Toward the "end" of my collecting phase is where I struggled to learn to use an audio mixing and editing application. After I decided my collection was "complete", I began laying down tracks, looping, editing and mixing. Some of the individual tracks began as a separate multi-track project as I had to craft many of the sound effects and some of the music. I lost count of the total number of tracks I had to work with, but it is somewhere between thirty and forty. The total number of sound files I created toward the progress of this final track are 95! Some of those contain multiple tracks within. There could be hundreds of clips altogether!

The most critical music loops are identical to the original ride. I carefully auditioned substitutions for those where I could not obtain the originals. See the update box below for revisions and improvements. The result is a very close and convincing "feel" of the original ride in audio form. What I have provided in the link below is a MP3 file of my project. If you were a guest in this ride in the 1960's, you will be transported back in time! The ride-through (with new intro) is just under 6 minutes in length. I did take about 3 liberties adding sound clues to compensate for the absence of visual information: (1) I padded the entire ride-through with the gentle sound of rippling water to suggest we are riding on water, (2) At the lift and drop, I added a splashing sound.

Tweak Updates
My commitment to make the audio in the link below more realistic.

Revision 02/17/08. I replaced the piece for the "twisting Spee-Lunkers" scene. This is as close to original as I can remember.
Revision 01/30/08. I finally filtered and tuned the hammer "ring" to sound a lot like the original.
Revision 12/15/07. The below two revisions uploaded. Much larger file size, near CD quality!
Revision 12/09/07. Remember the hissing water misters at the "blizzard" scene? Yep! I put them in both places; blizzard entrance & exit.
Revision 12/09/07. The Firbird clip at "lift" is as original (Thanks Bryan H.)
Revision 11/03/07. The music clip from the Spee-Lunker "string choir" (harps) is the original piece (thanks "Capstan").
Revision 08/20/06. Uploaded higher resolution MP3! By request. Not CD quality, but much better than before. File size is doubled, but far fewer artifacts resulting from MP3 compression.
Revision 04/02/05. Brig music upgraded to more closely approximate the original (this is the tune people would sometimes hum or whistle upon exiting the ride).
Revision 9/04. I replaced a music loop (calliope) for one closer to the original and I re-mixed the first half to sound more cacophonic like the actual ride.
Revision 02/09/04. I upgraded the water drops in the fishing-Spee scene. More true the original. I crafted the water drops from a synthetic source, then shaped the sound into dripping water, tuned and timed them just as my recollection.

What Next?

This has been nearly a six-year project to get it this far. I never intended to get this far! I am in need of few things before I can say I have "finished" with this wonderful waste of time. Basically, I am about to the point where 90% more effort will be required to make this 10% better. Soon, I will break away from this and abandon work on it for a few seasons until I see that I have enough additional resources and time to make a substantial improvement. By then, there will be another new operating system that will put my audio-editing software way out of date and require a start from scratch. Shame on you, Microsoft!

HERE IT IS. Over 12 years since the first version was complete, I am releasing the completely new version. The first one from 2002 was rehabbed and modified many times, to make it more authentic. The first was an attempt just to see if it could be done. I never really liked the first version and its "patches". I started over by using the best soundclips I currently have. Using a different audio editing application, I have fashioned it into what will be my "final cut". I will no more alter or improve on it. There will never be a better representation of what it sounded like to ride through The Spee-Lunker Cave. I am the last living soul who could make it happen.

All content on this page including audio © Barry Green
Audio track not to be reproduced or distributed. For personal listening only.

This screen shot is of the editing software track labels of a stage of this soundtrack as of a particular point in progress. It grows from time to time. Some of the tracks shown are imported from a separate multi-track project to craft that one track. Keep in mind, the tracks run parallel simultaneously. I have made notes to the left of each track. As you can see, some have been replaced and the old ones remain in the project but are muted. This has been a living project since early 2002.

I will appreciate any photos, audio recordings, etc. some of you may have personally taken inside The Cave. Especially any former SF employees. Don't worry about the quality. Anyone with any technical info, design info, stories, rumors, anything about this ride, please e-mail me. Many thanks to those wonderful folks who have already contributed. I hope to expand this little web section for the enjoyment of all.
-Barry

Back in 1989, Wes Helbling rode through The Cave with his camcorder running. That was a good thing because he has preserved the only known video recording with audio of this ride. Wes has provided a few refreshing crumbs for us Spee-Lunker starved fans! Though this recording is crude and a little dark in areas, it is an important record for fans of this ride. Although personally, I favor the 1960's version of the ride, this video gave me a creepy deja-vu for a few seconds! It has some powerful moments. Ken in Texas viewed this video and decided to administer a "fix" for us "Spee-Junkies". He provided web-space for this video formatted in Real Audio. Get your fix here:

We have the "blue water blues"! We miss the black-lights, the Spees, the eerie music, the musty smell, the cool air, the smooth floating boats bumping into the hard flume. We are obsessed! We are hopeless! Please, somebody help us! Feed us! Please bring back our Spee-Lunker Cave!

All content on this page including audio © Barry Green
Audio track not to be reproduced or distributed. For personal listening only.