DnB How to Ambiance Thread - let's share some tips

concept beats

concept beats

New Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2015
hi fellows

I wanted to start this thread to share some tricks and tips on pad/ambiance synthesis.
I found this pretty hard to make: most times my ambiances sucks and i don't know how to give a professional
sound to them. I also think that a good pad gives a good overall quality to the track.

i'll start with sharing my formula:
i usually start with 2 oscillator: a square/tri one and a noise one. I set a good level between the two and then i add some chorus from the synth (i use logic retrosynth or z3ta+ most times). Then I set some good atk and rel to obtain the pad shape and set a really slow LFO on the main lowpass. As I get a decent sound, i usually copy the synth and make a copy for the L channel and a copy for the R. Then i go on the LFO settings of one of two synths and slow down a very little bit the frequency of the filter, in this way i get a full stereo image on the sides (i like to give to the ambiance the more stereo image possible). Now is time to make it sounds gritty: i make a bus for the 2 synths and place a guitar amp simulator on, i boost the gain distortion and add some reverb, both from the amp and from the main reverb buss.

Please share your ambiance recipes here, this is Concept, cheers C:
 
Processing wise this all sounds good, creating subtle movement and stereo width. I like to record random stuff like traffic or sitting in an office etc and stretch the audio. Which creates interesting textures that you can layer with a synth which can sound nice, not always though. Experiment is the key
 
Processing wise this all sounds good, creating subtle movement and stereo width. I like to record random stuff like traffic or sitting in an office etc and stretch the audio. Which creates interesting textures that you can layer with a synth which can sound nice, not always though. Experiment is the key
Click to expand...

nice idea, soundscapes are always interesting. Do you use resampling synths or you just combine a synth with a sample?
 
Experiment. You can find some nice drones using timestretching (paulstretch, for example) allied with some distortion and lots of reverbs.

Also, use unusual FX chains, example: what would happen if you stretch a sample, put a delay, then a reverb, then another delay with different settings and then another reverb after that?

Also: LAYERS. very important. You can use very common sounds and still have a different unique sound at the end.
 
I got a nice effect using by taking a copy of the original pad, distorting to the point of making it scream, then highpassing most of it and subtly mixing in with the original

Just background nature noises can be very nice sometimes, or vinyl crackles.

+1 for paulstretch, would recommend.

BUT
if you're going for vibes, chords and note choice >>> sound design
 
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