Creating a soundscape.

[sammo303]

I'm fairly new to synthesis, or a slow learner, tbh I feel like both.

What tips do you have for creating a dense soundscape with lots of ambience?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=t-duqsCFXxc

That video is a good idea of what I'd generally like to achieve; tension, melancholy and with a real depth to it.

Any help appreciated.

[Fullofkittens]

That's more of a composition question than a synthesis question.

The effect is due to the types of material and the way they're presented more than the technology, you could pretty much achieve what he did here with an orchestra also.

Long sustained background sounds (i.e. pads) with some rustling sounds
Subdued foreground instrument
single instruments crescendoing/decrescendoing here and there

Seems pretty straightforward.

[sammo303]

Thanks dude!

[Sporky_McGuffin]

I think also soundscapes are much about the space you leave "unused" - subdued foreground instruments as Fullofkittens says.

[nemmo]

I'm listening to it (nice video too) and what i hear is:

-at the beginning a filtered piano sound. It's important that it is filtered, because when something new appears, unfiltered, it gives to it a whole new dimension. It's like going from mono to stereo in one track.

-then some DX7 kind of pad/piano sounds appear.

-And then at 4:19, he uses a sampler. Basically he has played the song normally, recorded it, chopped it up and rearranged it. That's why you get a stacatto sound.

After minute 6 he uses orchestral sounds. And that brings the track out of common synth/sample new age wankery. Good.

Of course that the video helps a lot to build the mood.

Curiously, from a compositional point of view there's not too much in there, just a couple of chords, but very well developed. And the most important thing, is that there are A WHOLA FUCKING LOT OF RYTHMIC IDEAS.

[sammo303]

Very useful post, thanks Nemmo.

[lizard]

It's very easy to do.

If your using cubase, check out the embracer plugin which comes with it. Any other pad synth will do of course.

Then, smother it in reverb of about 2 seconds.

Add some higher frequency pads, and lower ones. There: You have a soundscape

[T_J_G]

I'm not sure it's that easy, really.

You could try recording sounds and manipulating those, like sripping water, stretch it and put it up 4 semi tones and so on. I did one at uni and it sounded reasonably good.

Also it's how you utilise the stereo field to build up the atmosphere.

Tim

[ArtySmokes]

Did you see the interview Brian did with M-Audio? He reveals some of the gear he used, mentions the type if samples he recorded and draws the comparison with classical music. http://youtube.com/watch?v=GGG6T-e0B30&

One of the things about the particular track in question is that it's clear to me that the piano intro is in free time. It must have been recorded "live" on his portable recorder. Recording without a sequencer/drum machine/metronome automatically adds human emotion to a piece, provided you can actually play! A soundscape can evolve "naturally" if you avoid the tyranny of the 4/4 beat.

[T_J_G]

Go and record natural sounds that have their own rhythm, escalators, lifts, birds singing and manipulate them.

And go from there...