Sunday Ambient (a series)

[Stone]

Thanks Stone! You mean the tones or my process?

Both really its quite interesting

 

[FuzzyAce]

Both really its quite interesting

Cool!
For this track I started off with my Alesis Q49 midi keyboard, running NI Massive and Absynth for some base tones.
My process is fairly simple I think.. The first part I recorded was the left bass tone/melody. Probably a section no longer than a minute. All improv, first take, no cutting out notes, just whatever comes out in the moment (I do this 99% of the time with every overdub). I bounce the midi to a wav as separate audio track. I then stretched it to be 25% slower IIRC. Next, loop that section to around 5min or wherever. Sometimes I'll stagger the loops so 1 is at 75% speed and the next is at 100%, then back. I may have done that here, keeping the pitch the same though.
The next step (in this case) was to bounce that alternating section to its own complete wav and then I stretched it to 75% speed, pretty sure. Panned right.

Now I have a hard panned left and right bass thing going that is kind of cool and dissonant at certain moments, but it's not as annoying since they're spread out. Still creates a bit of tension though.

Side note: I work destructively when making all these ambient tracks. Each software instrument I lay down and bounce from midi, I delete that midi info and move on to the next part I'm laying down. So basically I have one master midi track as my starting point hub, that's it. What's done is done after I bounce to wav. This keeps me from over-tweaking a section so I can keep moving forward. I don't even save midi presets when I tweak a really cool sound.

So, the next steps continue in a similar fashion. I think I created the softer mid tones next, panned left and right to a point. One was played for a random amount of time, looped. The next part was played at another random time -- looped and reversed. Sometimes I'll alternate loops by throwing in a reverse every other one. I may have done that here too. I forget!!

So on and so on til I get enough overdubs I feel good about. Once that's done, it becomes more intentional how I finish up the mix.
From there I just go into each track and filter, eq till I get them feeling warmer and less competing with each other. I like using the Moog filter plugin for this as a starting point. But I'll use whatever I need to get to something I want.
I also like to group individual tracks by their frequencies too. So I'll create buses, 1 for lows, 1 for mids, 1 for highs etc. This helps me keep things balanced and I'll pan them accordingly. I normally have a reverb for fx sends. Usually the Black Hole plugin. Sometimes a delay fx too. I may finish with a reverb on the master just put everything in the same space. Depends.

Once I get most of the eq'ing, compression and tones where I want, and after getting a sense of where things are landing melodically, I'll then set all tracks I want to automate and write a live take with volume automations, fx sends, etc. Very rarely do I redo this part, I treat it as an instrument and improv in itself (I use the faderport 16). Because remember, all of the tracks are random between each other creating different intervals so nothing ever repeats the same twice, ever. So I'm trying to create something interesting and seemingly orderly out of chaos... essentially.

Sorry for the long post, it's kind of hard to explain it because it's such an organic process and I really don't think to hard about it at all. I thought longer on how to write this post.

Maybe one day I'll make a video of a session?

 

[Stone]

Maybe one day I'll make a video of a session?

Would be Interesting for sure Creativity is great !!

 

[jellodog]

@FuzzyAce I appreciate the details of your process that are specifically there to prevent you from getting into the weeds; to keep things moving forward, as you say.

Speaking as someone that may have ADHD, I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to finishing anything!

Oh, I also enjoyed the track BTW

 

[FuzzyAce]

@FuzzyAce I appreciate the details of your process that are specifically there to prevent you from getting into the weeds; to keep things moving forward, as you say.

Speaking as someone that may have ADHD, I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to finishing anything!

Oh, I also enjoyed the track BTW

Appreciate the listen!
Yeah, the process seems to work for me without too much fuss. I've always seemed to get down my best musical ideas through improv. This goes back a long time ago. If I move too far away from that, it becomes more of a chore and not as fun.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Side note: I work destructively when making all these ambient tracks. Each software instrument I lay down and bounce from midi, I delete that midi info and move on to the next part I'm laying down. So basically I have one master midi track as my starting point hub, that's it. What's done is done after I bounce to wav. This keeps me from over-tweaking a section so I can keep moving forward. I don't even save midi presets when I tweak a really cool sound.

This is a great thing. I need to force myself doing it that way much more often. But then the "but but but - what if I wanted to deconstruct something at one point in time?" kicks in. Needless to say, I never deconstruct anything at any point in time, but hey, at least I still have the MIDI data.
At least I went back to commiting myself when doing guitars. I only use plugins on the road or for fun, each and every more or less serious recording is done with external stuff.
Also, using audio files lends to different ways of working, so that's another thing which might lead to looking at things from another POV.

 

[FuzzyAce]

This is a great thing. I need to force myself doing it that way much more often. But then the "but but but - what if I wanted to deconstruct something at one point in time?" kicks in. Needless to say, I never deconstruct anything at any point in time, but hey, at least I still have the MIDI data.
At least I went back to commiting myself when doing guitars. I only use plugins on the road or for fun, each and every more or less serious recording is done with external stuff.
Also, using audio files lends to different ways of working, so that's another thing which might lead to looking at things from another POV.

Yep. I prefer committing to something and let it be what it is. Very rarely have I ever regretted that approach. If something needs improving or changed later it's often easier to just recut. I get wanting to save DI tracks and midi data for more involved sessions, and I'm much better about DI stuff since using hx native a lot for guitar, but for this ambient thing it's not necessary (and purposely so). It takes me only a few hours to finish a whole session anyways and I'm usually content with the results. I haven't discarded an idea or not shared one yet. What you all have heard is what I have.

 

[the swede]

Another Sunday, another ambient track. Happy sleeping!

How nicely that turned from happy/melancholy to a darker ending.