Ableton Forum

Hey all. Just wondering if there are any budding ambient producers out there who are keen to share ideas, resources and techniques for making ambient with Ableton. PM me if you are keen or add me via facebook/msn ([email protected])

Best thee all.

Edit: Part of the idea is to begin to compile some kind of reference guide for ambient production techniques. As far as I can tell at this point, there is little in the way of practical guidance (and yes I am aware that it is a very loosely defined genre with very loosely established techniques).

More. Reverb.

How about taking timestretching to extreme ? Take some audio and stretch it to e.g. 900%
you get some drony/padish stuff - very nice. You can load it into a sampler and play
some harmonics. best tool fur such kind of stuff (best in terms of aliasingfree algorithm)
is "Paulstetch" get it here, it's free.
---> http://hypermammut.sourceforge.net/paulstretch/

Also great are using harmonic generators. You set a frequency as base and add part harmonics
like in a mixer. Automate these and you have a nice evolving and swelling pad.
I usually use Audiomulch one's but there must be more out there.
---> http://www.audiomulch.com/ not free, but great tools for a nice price.

For evolving tetxures is also nice to use fixed filterbanks (the old analog ones cost your kidney...)
to increase/decrease frequencies of your audio. I use the filterbank in my Nord Modular toget movement
in droney textures. Automation is also gold
Audiodamage did a good job in emulating the Moog 914 fixed filterbank
---> http://www.audiodamage.com/effects/prod ... ?pid=AD010


of course the standarts .... fieldrecordings/reverb/long attack times/do what ever you like!!!!be original!!!

if you like ambient and want some really good reference,check out Robert Rich and Steve Roach,they are amazing and really influenced the way i create my (self-dubbed) "Universal Atlantean Ambient"

if you have reaktor 5,get electronic instruments 2,it has the fabulous "metaphysical function" ensemble,amazing to create droning soundscapes.
also,Camel Audio's Alchemy is what sunk my battleship Absynth 4.you will NOT dissappointed by either though.
hope that helps

PLacidBasilisk wrote:Hey all. Just wondering if there are any budding ambient producers out there who are keen to share ideas, resources and techniques for making ambient with Ableton. PM me if you are keen or add me via facebook/msn ([email protected])

Best thee all.

Edit: Part of the idea is to begin to compile some kind of reference guide for ambient production techniques. As far as I can tell at this point, there is little in the way of practical guidance (and yes I am aware that it is a very loosely defined genre with very loosely established techniques).

Nice post, good idea.

I'm curious: when you use the word Ambient, are you referring to the use of the term as originally coined by Brian Eno to describe primarily arhythmic sound collage music like Eno's 'On Land' or 'Shutov Assembly', or to the more recent early 1990's to present day usage, meaning basically synth music often with subtle beats?

33tetragammon wrote:if you have reaktor 5,get electronic instruments 2,it has the fabulous "metaphysical function" ensemble,amazing to create droning soundscapes.

+1

Use this for so many sounds. I record stacks of it and file away for editing, chopping and sampling.

added you on facebook. Looking forward to the discussion.

The techniques described so far are common but I would stay away from recommending specific Reaktor ensembles. I dont' see how using presets and instruments which kick out ambient drones for you is really the same thing as "making" ambient music.

Every time i find a great sounding ambient pad/drone in one of my instruments i delete that patch. It's too tempting to actually use it and whats the fun in making a piece which sounds just like something someone else did with the same instrument. Don't get me wrong, i love presets but the ambient drone ones are too complete to use.

Ambient music for me is more about the process than the result. Creating unique ways to create the work is more interesting than actually listening to it.

tempus3r wrote:added you on facebook. Looking forward to the discussion.

The techniques described so far are common but I would stay away from recommending specific Reaktor ensembles. I dont' see how using presets and instruments which kick out ambient drones for you is really the same thing as "making" ambient music.

Every time i find a great sounding ambient pad/drone in one of my instruments i delete that patch. It's too tempting to actually use it and whats the fun in making a piece which sounds just like something someone else did with the same instrument. Don't get me wrong, i love presets but the ambient drone ones are too complete to use.

Ambient music for me is more about the process than the result. Creating unique ways to create the work is more interesting than actually listening to it.

true in a sense(regarding using presets),but why should you start from scratch(and take a very long time) if the envelopes etc in a preset are perfect for the sound you have in mind,but the actual samples are replaced by your own,and then you start tweaking it further until you have the sound you're looking for?
that is what presets are for (in my ears),to provide you with a TEMPLATE from which to sculpt your sound(like in Absynth 4 and Alchemy for example)in a much shorter(and probably LESS frustrating)time.



just my vision on the subject though......

33tetragammon wrote:

tempus3r wrote:added you on facebook. Looking forward to the discussion.

The techniques described so far are common but I would stay away from recommending specific Reaktor ensembles. I dont' see how using presets and instruments which kick out ambient drones for you is really the same thing as "making" ambient music.

Every time i find a great sounding ambient pad/drone in one of my instruments i delete that patch. It's too tempting to actually use it and whats the fun in making a piece which sounds just like something someone else did with the same instrument. Don't get me wrong, i love presets but the ambient drone ones are too complete to use.

Ambient music for me is more about the process than the result. Creating unique ways to create the work is more interesting than actually listening to it.

true in a sense(regarding using presets),but why should you start from scratch(and take a very long time) if the envelopes etc in a preset are perfect for the sound you have in mind,but the actual samples are replaced by your own,and then you start tweaking it further until you have the sound you're looking for?
that is what presets are for (in my ears),to provide you with a TEMPLATE from which to sculpt your sound(like in Absynth 4 and Alchemy for example)in a much shorter(and probably LESS frustrating)time.



just my vision on the subject though......

Agreed that presets are a great starting point often. But the suggestion wasn't presented that way. It was to check out these presets. Some of those reaktor things sound so good right away it's too tempting, to me anyway, to use them.

yep I added ya too,

oblique strategies - What I mean by ambient is much closer to Brian Eno's original original definition of the genre. I'm not necessarily adverse to beats or some semblance of rhythm but I'm definitely not talking about Cafe Del Mar bargain bin filler - especially no tablas.

To erverybody who has posted tips, thanks and add me on facebook if you want to talk more!

33tetragammon wrote:Camel Audio's Alchemy is what sunk my battleship Absynth 4.

+1 for Alchemy. Oh my. It's amazing for my ambient work. There's a guy who's also created some great (and free) ambient pads for Alchemy that are very nice. I've taken quite a few of those and altered them.

It's also been fun to get my guitar droning away with my Ebow, slide around the fretboard a bit, let the loop play. I'll get into Alchemy, take that new Ebow sample, dump it in, mangle it up with all sorts of fun Alchemy madness, and create a new loop. I'll do this a few times until I get this big layered sound - all using the same original sample. Fun stuff. I'll sometimes take one of the loops, slice to MIDI, and start banging out a little background rhythm with a Drum Rack.

LoopStationZebra wrote:

33tetragammon wrote:Camel Audio's Alchemy is what sunk my battleship Absynth 4.

+1 for Alchemy. Oh my. It's amazing for my ambient work. There's a guy who's also created some great (and free) ambient pads for Alchemy that are very nice. I've taken quite a few of those and altered them.

It's also been fun to get my guitar droning away with my Ebow, slide around the fretboard a bit, let the loop play. I'll get into Alchemy, take that new Ebow sample, dump it in, mangle it up with all sorts of fun Alchemy madness, and create a new loop. I'll do this a few times until I get this big layered sound - all using the same original sample. Fun stuff. I'll sometimes take one of the loops, slice to MIDI, and start banging out a little background rhythm with a Drum Rack.

yup,it really is THAT amazing

another cheer for alchemy, I've been using it with molar
been recording some hums, clicks and pops, mangle and play them in molar
I am getting the sounds that feels like still pictures
oh and thanks for final push, I am getting a ebow now