|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Here is a new piece of ambient new age/spa music that I created last night. I was talking with a friend of mine who likes to create ambient music for his own enjoyment, and since I had never created anything in that genre, I thought it was a good opportunity to try. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I've shared lots of details so you can try to create it yourself if you want to, since I have learned a great deal from what others have shared. I figured it would be a good piece of music to share. Enjoy! -- Mark Knight Final Mix: Ambient-Experiment-01-03.mp3Raw Band in a Box Render for an interesting comparison to how much difference it makes doing extra music production: Ambient-Experiment-01-BIAB-Render.mp3****** Song Summary ************* Key=D, Tempo 65, Length (m:s)=1:58 No intro. 28 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 28. Repeat x1 chorus No Melody No Soloist track. Style is _OORT.STY (Oort Spacey Ambient Synth) ******************* [Chords] |a) D|%|%| D6| D|%| G6/D|%| |a) G|%| A7|%| Bm| Bm/E| Em|%| |b) FMaj7| F/A| A|%| G|%| Em7|%| | DMaj7|%| D6| D| |a) D|%|%|%| [ChordsEnd] DAW: Cubase 12 Pro Track 1:Shakuhachi virtual instrument from UVI World Suite, playing the modified MIDI of the Shakuhachi RealTrack. The RealTrack was recorded very quiet and I wanted it to be more prominent, but when I increased the volume, I discovered that the RealTrack had far too much breath and wind noise for my liking, so I used the RealTrack MIDI, but some of the notes were outside the range of the virtual instrument so I changed some of the phrasing. MIDI from RealTrack 2328:Shakuhachi, Synth, Background NewAge Ev 110. I disabled the virtual instrument reverb, so that all reverb will come from the send effect channel in Track 2. - Insert Effect: None - Send the signal to Track 2 Send Effect channel Track 2:Shakuhachi Reverb Send Effect Channel with the following insert effects: - Insert Effect: Plugin Alliance Maag EQ4 to reduce some high end before going into the reverb - Insert Effect: Eventide Blackhole for reverb, 100% mix - Insert Effect: Elysia Mpressor side-chained to the Shakuhachi instrument track so that the amount of reverb will be reduced when the flute is playing a note, and once the note has finished, the reverb will return to full volume. This helps improve the clarity and detail of the flute while still benefiting from a lot of reverb Track 3:RealTracks in style: ~2579:Bass, Synth, RnBModernSub Ev16 065 - Insert Effect: None Track 4:RealTracks in style: 2666:Pedal Steel, Rhythm LushChordsSlow Ev 075 - Insert Effect: Eventide Shimmerverb to add shimmery reverb Track 5:RealDrums in style:WorldPercKeitaSlow16ths: a: WorldPercKeitaSlow16thsb: WorldPercKeitaSlow16ths - Insert Effect: Eventide Blackhole Track 6:Spitfire Audio London Contemporary Orchestra Textures playing the MIDI from the chords from the Cubase chord track - Insert Effect: None Track 7:Steinberg Padshop 2 Crystal Ball playing the chord progression up 1 octave. Adds a nice higher pitch sheen and movement. This sounds a bit like multiple pitches of the tonal components of playing crystal bowls but without the scraping noise - Insert Effect: None Track 8:RealTracks in style: 3621:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm AmbientBalladArp Ev16 065 - Insert Effect: Eventide Blackhole - Insert Effect: Izotope Neutron EQ to darken the sound after the reverb Panned to Left Track 9:Orange Tree Samples Evolution Vintage Gent DirectInput instrument track playing the MIDI of the Ambient Guitar RealTrack 3621:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm AmbientBalladArp Ev16 065 - Insert Effect: Amplitube 5 to create the ambient guitar effects, - Insert Effect: Izotope Neutron EQ to tame the highs a bit after Amplitube Panned to Right I double-tracked the ambient guitar RealTrack with the virtual ambient guitar so that there was a slightly different timing and tone between the guitar sounds in left and right channels to add more motion and interest to the music. You can hear occasional guitar tones poking out from the left and right channels at different times. To fill the stereo field and to create a lot of singing air in the background, making the sound very three dimensional, I used the MIDI from the Cubase chord track to play the chord progression using a vocal pad from Spitfire Audio London Contemporary Orchestra Textures along with a Crystal Bowl pad from Steinberg Padshop 2. Each of these instruments has subtle movement to keep the audio interesting. These tracks made such a huge difference. Mastered the mix using Izotope Ozone 10 and Brainworx bx_limiter True Peak.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 21,863
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 21,863 |
Jedi, a very good piece of music.
You did ambient very well.
FWIW - I found the Shakuhachi to be overpowering. I would lower that volume and raise some of the pad's volume, have a better mix. Note that is just my opinion and others may or may not agree.
Regardless this is a very good song.
Have you ever noticed there are no lines to a bathroom at a water park?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,844
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,844 |
Hi Mark ...
Good to "meet" you! Lived in San Antonio for most of the 70s and had many friends from Austin and New Braunfels.
This is really nice! I'm a big fan of the Shakuhachi flute. The Waggaki Band from Japan is one of my favorite groups to listen to, and their Shakuhachi player is one of my favorite band members.
I agree with Mario about bringing the flute down a bit and bringing the synth a little more forward in the mix. Nonetheless, that doesn't detract from the overall ambiance of the piece. It's soothing and relaxing, as ambient should be.
For a first effort in the genre, this is really good! Tip of the hat for the final product!
Alan
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,116
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,116 |
Nice mix, but tempo and hot mix makes me think you've discovered a new flavor of ambient.  I enjoyed the listen!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,024
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,024 |
Mark, Nice experimental piece. Full of flavor  All elements work very well together. Good mix too. Thank you for sharing. Misha.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 1,873
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 1,873 |
I don't think it's exactly "Ambient", but it has a nice New Age atmosphere that I like a lot.
Well done!
Oh, and welcome to our little place!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,135
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,135 |
Hi Mark, welcome to the forum. Nice piece. To me "Ambient" and New Age are always kind of mingle together, so classify them ether one or the other is a little difficult, at least to me anyway. I have done a few of these in the past. I like the genre. Well done.
Mike B.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,600
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,600 |
Not "ambient" by any means but a pleasant, and pleasantly brief, piece.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,820
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,820 |
Mission accomplished, Mark. This is good. Ray and others had me looking up the definition of "ambient." Whatever. This is the kind of music that naturally swells up around us in life, and you make life even better. Fun feel. Well done.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Jedi, a very good piece of music.
You did ambient very well.
FWIW - I found the Shakuhachi to be overpowering. I would lower that volume and raise some of the pad's volume, have a better mix. Note that is just my opinion and others may or may not agree.
Regardless this is a very good song. Thanks MarioD for listening, for your kind words, and for your great advice on volume of the Shakuhachi. I agree it is a bit too loud. I'll work on making those adjustments and share the updated piece
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Hi Mark ...
Good to "meet" you! Lived in San Antonio for most of the 70s and had many friends from Austin and New Braunfels.
This is really nice! I'm a big fan of the Shakuhachi flute. The Waggaki Band from Japan is one of my favorite groups to listen to, and their Shakuhachi player is one of my favorite band members.
I agree with Mario about bringing the flute down a bit and bringing the synth a little more forward in the mix. Nonetheless, that doesn't detract from the overall ambiance of the piece. It's soothing and relaxing, as ambient should be.
For a first effort in the genre, this is really good! Tip of the hat for the final product!
Alan Hi Alan! Good to virtually meet you, too! It is amazing how many people I have met online who have lived or currently live in Central Texas. I just moved to Austin from Utah 9 years ago when I transferred to a new position in my company. New Braunfels is such a gorgeous characterful town. My wife and I drive down there every couple of months to explore different parts of it and to visit the parks and little shops. I really like the Shakuhachi as well. It is a very expressive instrument with a rich history and amazingly talented players. Thanks for listening and providing your opinion on the piece. I really appreciate it, and I am going to modify my mix a bit to reduce the volume of the flute to blend better with the rest of the track Thanks, Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Nice mix, but tempo and hot mix makes me think you've discovered a new flavor of ambient. I enjoyed the listen! Hey Dcuny! Thanks for listening ;-) Yep, ha ha! I think you are right. I may have listened to too much New Age music and Spa music and have been influenced by that more than pure ambient music. My wife was a massage therapist for a couple of years, and I listened to a lot of spa music in the background during those years. -- Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Mark, Nice experimental piece. Full of flavor All elements work very well together. Good mix too. Thank you for sharing. Misha. Thanks for listening, Misha, and for your kind words! -- Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
I don't think it's exactly "Ambient", but it has a nice New Age atmosphere that I like a lot.
Well done!
Oh, and welcome to our little place! Hi B.D. Thomas! Thanks for the warm welcome and thanks for listening to my piece! Yeah, I agree. My experiment to achieve ambient music could only fit in a very loose definition of ambient if that definition also encompassed New Age music and Spa music ;-> -- Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Hi Mark, welcome to the forum. Nice piece. To me "Ambient" and New Age are always kind of mingle together, so classify them ether one or the other is a little difficult, at least to me anyway. I have done a few of these in the past. I like the genre. Well done.
Mike B. Thanks Mike B for listening to my piece and giving your kind words! Genres can be tough to define some times and they don't have hard boundaries. Ambient and New Age are two that have lots of overlap. Glad you liked it! -- Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Not "ambient" by any means but a pleasant, and pleasantly brief, piece. Hi RayC! I smiled at the "pleasantly brief piece". Sometimes we can be grateful that a specific piece of music doesn't go on for too long. Glad you found it at least pleasant! Thanks for the listen! -- Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 11 |
Mission accomplished, Mark. This is good. Ray and others had me looking up the definition of "ambient." Whatever. This is the kind of music that naturally swells up around us in life, and you make life even better. Fun feel. Well done. Hey Marty! Like you said, the definitions of genres are less important than the music itself and how that music makes us feel. Truthfully I agree with the others that I didn't quite achieve the strict definition of ambient and that the piece probably better fits into other genres a bit more than ambient, but that doesn't lessen the value of the music itself. Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the listen and for your kind words! -- Mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Generate Lyrics for your Band-in-a-Box songs with LyricLab!
Need some lyrics to complete your Band-in-a-Box song? LyricLab is here to help!
LyricLab (by Joanne Cooper) is an AI-powered tool designed to quickly create lyrics and chords to fit your music. Just enter a rough idea of your lyrics, and let the AI bring them to life. Once you're happy with the results, simply import the LyricLab file into Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or newer. From there, you can pick your style and generate melodies to match your song’s chords!
Learn more about LyricLab here!
Watch the video.
Band-in-a-Box 2024 Italian for Mac is Here!
Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!
Tutti Pacchetti | Nuove Caratteristiche
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Mac Deutsch ist verfügbar!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK & 7, Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, und mehr!
Paket | Was ist Neu
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 French for Mac® is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6 & 7, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, et bien plus encore!
New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!
With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!
Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Watch the XPro Styles PAK 7 Overview & Styles Demos video.
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!
Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!
In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.
Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!
Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!
In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.
Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums65
Topics82,911
Posts753,160
Members39,029
| |
Most Online3,932
Nov 19th, 2024
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean