The ambient niche on YouTube is very crowded, but most of those creators really seem to be disconnected from the ambient idea.
What i see is mostly nerd talk about equipment and “magical tricks”, also there are rules and restrictions everywhere. None of that should play a big role when you create ambient music.
And the inspiration? Well, it’s mostly about Utopia. Or, like i say in my video: “Rainbow-colored unicorns in space that throw golden stardust and dreamstones at me.”
The Ground Noise Ambient Method
That’s not enough for me. So i’ve made this video to demonstrate one of my favorite methods for creating generative ambient drones with as little rules and restrictions as possible and without the need of special equipment.
Heart and Soul of this experiment are the Midi Modifiers in Cubase. With these things it’s possible to randomize certain Midi Parameters like Pitch, Velocity and Position. This leads to amazing results.
Probably the biggest challenge for the musician is to give away all control to the randomizers and also put himself into random-mode. It’s hard to not think about the scale, the tempo and phrasing.
Fun Fact: When i make such a track i don’t listen to how it sounds until the last step, when i apply effects in the stereo bus. And the first time i listen to the whole track is after the export.
This is only a beginning
If you feel too confused to create your first ambient track, or want a new start with a fresh mindset, this can be a beginning.
All you need is a piano sound (or something similar), some randomizers in your DAW, little to no knowledge in music production, and basic effects like delay and reverb.
How far you want to take it is up to you.