| Author
|
ambient music
|
Suloo
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
87
Posts :
2822
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 00:43
|
Alright..just to clear it up..if i ever got the time to dig into music production , most of the time i try to make fullon & darkpsy tracks..but it always depends on your mood..at least in my case..so if i feel not like going for fast stuff , i open the chill track and ad a new section..
i used to set up my drum sounds like this...and it is still very interesting to experiment with the single 16th loops..so i get never bored of it..thats a big point..
if you have listened to a track of yours..lets say several hundred times ..loool
then you might get very bored..usualy the best way is to get things done pretty fast..so that you stay in your emotional situation..
but i dont know..this time it works for me as well..
sure in the beginning there won`t be much very great results maybe..but you always learn something new..
check this tutorial..and make some crazy drum shifts all over the place..create some sweeps..get them stop to a specific 8 bar point..even pitch down other sounds to that point..and start with a fresh melody or so..
just some 2 cents 
enjoy!!
This tutorial uses Logic 8 on a Mac, but the principle can be applied to Cubase (or any other program) with a minimum of modification. It's purpose is to teach you how to turn a normal drum loop or synth line into a multi-effected funky groove-monster.
------------------------------
Create a new track & set up, say, 4 pre-fader sends to different busses (Buss 1, 2, 3 & 4 in this example). Turn them all down for now.
Name this track PLAY & drop your drum loop on it.
Turn the volume slider of the PLAY track all the way down (so that you can listen to each send/buss without the original signal).
Now turn up send 1 & put a cool plugin on buss 1. Get it sounding nice & make sure some dry signal is left in the plugins output.
Repeat this step for the other 3 send/busses with different plugins. Modulation delay, big reverbs, flangers on extreme settings & ring-shifters are my usual first choices.
Now you set the output of each of these busses to a new buss like this:
buss 1 > buss 5
buss 2 > buss 6
buss 3 > buss 7
buss 4 > buss 8
Then create 4 new stereo tracks using busses 5, 6, 7 & 8 as their inputs, call them REC 1, 2, 3, & 4.
So, now your signal path looks like this:
PLAY > Send 1 > buss 1 (plugin added) > buss 5 > REC 1
PLAY > Send 2 > buss 2 (plugin added) > buss 6 > REC 2
PLAY > Send 3 > buss 3 (plugin added) > buss 7 > REC 3
PLAY > Send 4 > buss 4 (plugin added) > buss 8 > REC 4
Arm REC 1~4, turn up sends 1~4 on PLAY, hit record & play through your drum loop.
Dis-arm the tracks and turn the sends back down (off).
Create 4 new blank tracks & drag the recorded files onto them.
You now have 4 seperate recordings of the different effects on fresh tracks. You can drop a new loop (or other audio file) on the PLAY channel at any time to record another composite effects take with the same settings.
Select all 4 recorded files & get your scissors tool up. Holding down ALT, split the files one 16th note (for example) after their beginning. This should split all the files at 16th note intervals until the end of the files.
Now get your mute tool up & mute the chopped audio files randomly, making sure that only one file is playing at any given point in time.
Press play and, if all went well, your drum loop has magically turned into a shponglized monster. Congratulations
-------------------------------------
I generally put an eq & limiter on the output and export (bounce) out an audio mix-down. So my end product is one nice, compact, pre-equed piece of pineal pleasure that fits easily anywhere in my arrangement, but thats up to you... You can also leave them as individual tracks, so that you can duplicate them and change their sequence of play to create variations.
-------------------------------------
Also, instead of the ALT & scissors split, you can chop the files in a manner that creates an organic rhythm you like. If the splits are always exactly at the same point on all 4 tracks, you can go the muting/umuting step with no fear of sections overlapping by accident.
-------------------------------------
(Logic 8 users only) Instead of the ALT & scissors split, select the 4 recorded files and go to "Region/Folder/Pack take folder". By clicking on the triangle on the left-hand side of the newly created folder, you can open it up to see its contents. Then all you do is click & drag over the section you want to hear from each sub-track (take).
Happy tweaking
Love & light,
Ajja
  -------......-------...-..-..-..-.-.-.-.- |
|
|
|
Urucubaca
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
51
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 00:45
|
|
Suloo
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
87
Posts :
2822
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 00:50
|
Quote:
|
On 2009-02-23 00:45, Urucubaca wrote:
I think ambient music needs more knowledge in specific areas like harmony and musical scales. It´s a very wide style, fits well in various forms.
Cheers from Brasil!
|
|
Well, but it is even much easier to find the right notes that are harmonic..due to the slow tempo..
at least in my case..
for more complex stuff..it is easier to write them on 30 bpm as on 145bpm i think..
what do you think?
-------......-------...-..-..-..-.-.-.-.- |
|
|
|
TimeTraveller
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
80
Posts :
3207
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 00:56
|
it always depends on what you want but I agree with you of course Urucubaca!I think great ambience even subtle nuances got to have harmonical structures to become like a bless from above.
& thanks for sharing all these tips Zork  !
Cheers from St.Pauli!
https://soundcloud.com/shivagarden |
|
|
|
Suloo
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
87
Posts :
2822
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 01:13
|
Quote:
|
On 2009-02-23 00:56, TimeTraveller wrote:
it always depends on what you want but I agree with you of course Urucubaca!I think great ambience even subtle nuances got to have harmonical structures to become like a bless from above.
& thanks for sharing all these tips Zork !
Cheers from St.Pauli!
|
|
Good ay! keep it going m8!
cheers from Bramfeld..
-------......-------...-..-..-..-.-.-.-.- |
|
|
|
Urucubaca
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
51
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 01:37
|
Yes Zork, i agree with you and Time Traveller.
I mention this, because ambient songs use to be more 'emotional' and a musician with a good fluence on an instrument could do miracles! The leads are more melodic a even more important in ambient music, mainly the healing music.
It´s nice to share production tips with people from other countries! Nice to meet you guys!
www.soundcloud.com/urucubaca
www.soundcloud.com/densedenso
www.soundcloud.com/uruculator |
|
|
|
Suloo
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
87
Posts :
2822
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 03:28
|
Nice one...
yer ..like beginning keyboard players even start at a lower bpm than the song actualy is...it is just easier..
so why not slow down the whole project..add things very precisely...and harmonic..and the raise up the tempo again...will try that now and post results..should be way more easier.. i hope..
-------......-------...-..-..-..-.-.-.-.- |
|
|
|
TimeTraveller
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
80
Posts :
3207
Posted : Feb 23, 2009 23:56
|
|
Suloo
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
87
Posts :
2822
Posted : Feb 24, 2009 01:05
|
Jep..dito!
Prrrooost!
-------......-------...-..-..-..-.-.-.-.- |
|
|
|
Axis Mundi
Axis Mundi
Started Topics :
75
Posts :
1848
Posted : Feb 24, 2009 01:29
|
|
TimeTraveller
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
80
Posts :
3207
Posted : Feb 24, 2009 01:52
|
|
Axis Mundi
Axis Mundi
Started Topics :
75
Posts :
1848
Posted : Feb 24, 2009 08:22
|
|
Koelsch ist aber besser
|
|
|
|
Upavas
Upavas
Started Topics :
150
Posts :
3315
Posted : Feb 24, 2009 09:57
|
Zork, having fun bussing?  it can be quite addictive... even tho the Hamburgers seem to be taking over and I love them a lot I have to agree with Axis Mundi, Koelsch is better!
Try saturating your track with different textures that overlap in different combinations. Automate within your routing. Then set up an aux track to modulate your different textures, apply a stereo chorus and things might get really funky...
and for you Zork, do that on a 5.1 bus, invert your stereo panner to 90 degrees respectively and happy panning!
Und halt die Ohren steif!
Upavas - Here And Now (Sangoma Rec.) new EP out Oct.29th, get it here:
http://timecode.bandcamp.com
http://upavas.com
http://soundcloud.com/upavas-1/ |
|
|
|
dija
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
48
Posts :
483
Posted : Feb 25, 2009 06:07
|
My definition of ambient is very strict. No drums, just soundscapes that cascade infinitely into one another.
If it has drums or a bass line I call it downtempo or the popular word is "chill out".
My classification of ambient is fairly easy for psy tech people with a little music theory knowledge. However, I find good downtempo as the most difficult electronic style. Also downtempo has to have good builds and drops where as like techno ambients goal is to hyponotize you with ever evolving slightly changing repetitive loops. http://www.youtube.com/user/trawhi (tutorials)
http://www.myspace.com/eusidmusic |
|
|
|
yeah !St.Pauli Girl looks nice have never seen or drunked dat brew.damn.Loookz nice so green