First ambient track, need feedback

So, I've always wanted to make ambient music, and I've never gotten around to trying it until today.

 

I would recommend using headphones for this if possible. I did my best to 'master' it as much as I could, and the atmosphere is a lot deeper when you can hear all that. It's really up to you.

 

https://soundcloud.com/cassbopeep/road

 

Just to be clear, this track is entirely mine, it's all recorded in my room, no samples. I just sampled different sounds from this old acoustic guitar that used to be my grandfather's.

 

I was thinking of adding some other sounds in, but I'm not sure what to add. I feel a bit stuck, not sure where to go from here.

 

Any kind of feedback, advice, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Edited November 10, 2013 by drukqs

Why don't you try to find sounds and samples that simply gel well with the sound in the song? Easier said than done, but ambient is usually fairly "landscape-y" if you know what I mean. You have little bells and whistles in the background. Find similar sounds and find where they fit. Heh. That's the only advice I can think of.

Hm, I actually like this. I really like the amount of noise in the recordings, because it gives it lots of atmosphere. Also, I think I can hear a TV in the background in one of the recordings... it kinda adds some kind of subtle rhythm or something, I dunno.

The only thing that I would change is the guitar that starts playing at 1:48. It sounds like you're holding some of the chords back... also, it doesn't really fit the atmosphere.

Instead, I would add a simple high pitched melody played on a guitar or a piano or something... something that stands out from the low freqs in your atmosphere.

I'd say another gentle harmony arpeggio maybe an octave higher gently coming in around 1:35 and maybe make the guitar sound more distant with a bit more reverb or something as it sounds kinda dry next to the soft pad sounds.

 

This is just what I would do btw as it's already quite an atmospheric piece.

I'm not listening on proper speakers, so I may be missing a bit of the experience...I like it over all, there's nothing at all wrong with it how it is. Giving advice though, I may find something else for the second half of the track. After the guitar drops out, it feels a bit empty and meandering. I was quite enjoying it up to that point, though.

It's already perfect

 

But if you want to add something, add the sound of a wooden chair leg, dragging on a lino floor, shuffling around, being tapped, rubbed, scraped (with a nail, with a saw), that fades in and out at different moments, with gaps in between

 

Also, drag a stick softly and erratically on an old bed base, the kind with sort of chain link

Edited November 10, 2013 by hoggy

  On 11/10/2013 at 2:34 PM, Squee said:

The only thing that I would change is the guitar that starts playing at 1:48. It sounds like you're holding some of the chords back... also, it doesn't really fit the atmosphere.

Instead, I would add a simple high pitched melody played on a guitar or a piano or something... something that stands out from the low freqs in your atmosphere.

This is incorrect

 

  On 11/10/2013 at 2:45 PM, soundwave said:

maybe make the guitar sound more distant with a bit more reverb or something as it sounds kinda dry next to the soft pad sounds.

Please don't - keep it dry

  On 11/10/2013 at 3:00 PM, hoggy said:

But if you want to add something, add the sound of a wooden chair leg, dragging on a lino floor, shuffling around, being tapped, rubbed, scraped (with a nail, with a saw), that fades in and out at different moments, with gaps in between

 

Also, drag a stick softly and erratically on an old bed base, the kind with sort of chain link

i was thinking similarly - rerecord in a room with subtle background conversation, but keep the track front & centre. Don't drown the other sounds in effects, let it be simple.

 

But hey, that's just what I might've done. Gotta listen to dat drukqs heart to know what the man really wants

  On 11/10/2013 at 3:11 PM, hoggy said:

 

  On 11/10/2013 at 2:34 PM, Squee said:

The only thing that I would change is the guitar that starts playing at 1:48. It sounds like you're holding some of the chords back... also, it doesn't really fit the atmosphere.

Instead, I would add a simple high pitched melody played on a guitar or a piano or something... something that stands out from the low freqs in your atmosphere.

This is incorrect

 

 

...oookay?

lol, there is no right or wrong, just a matter of taste

really like what you've done here drukqs, maybe some organic nature samples ? like some water drops and order them in a little subtle rhytmical sense
i could imagine some nice fieldrecordings somehow in the background or yea, some melody on top in the higher frequencies, maybe a wind section instruments with lots of reverb ?

cheers

I don't think the track needs any additional sounds, maybe level up the background noise I'd say! Quite enjoyed it actually, keep up!

this is a nice track. if you feel like you do need to add something, i'll second soundwave's suggestion of a "gentle harmony arpeggio."

yeah totally dig this one. the drone works well, im a fan of putting very subtle hiss over ambient tracks, maybe try layering some noise and filtering it to thicke it up but it sounds quite complete to me, nice one

I wouldn't mind hearing another tonality, like maybe a progressive shift towards a major harmony and then back again to the original tonality.

I can understand if you don't feel it should leave the original tonality though.

 

At first I wanted it to sound a little more filtered but actually I really like the tones and the textural aesthetic. I find it so easy to want to return to familiar warmth etc prob why I made my original comment.

 

The chords that come in at 1:48 I wonder what they'd sound like over a different bass note?

Perhaps you could try getting some contrasting tones out of the sounds you already have so that you're kind of staying in the same family. I guess I'd predictably turn to the staples of filters/reverbs but maybe also play around with reversing/cutting off attacks/swells?

Adding an arpeggio or a chord change will just kill the emotion, adding reverb will kill the atmosphere - if you change things in that way, you'll loose what is there, it will be a different thing entirely, and will not be nearly as interesting

 

I love the emptiness and the simplicity of the emotion - it feels reflective and subdued - if you add all this ego stuff, clever extra music, it will be boring and not reflective any more, if you add reverb it wont evoke the sense of a plain room in a house and will sound like it's in a cave or a concert hall and wont feel intimate any more

 

Listening again I can imagine smeared mocking/playing/amused voice sounds, kind of spinning upwards like a bit like screeching birds

Edited November 13, 2013 by hoggy

btw I love that some of the sounds sound mumbled, and some sound stuck in a loop making that feeling of hours passing

 

the voice sounds I imagine are only tonally like screeching birds, not actual bird sounds, and have loose musical qualities somewhat harmonising/contrasting with the chords

Edited November 13, 2013 by hoggy

This is really beautiful.

 

My old teacher used to talk about the acceleration and deceleration of the rate of change, which is something I now think about a lot. If I had to find anything to suggest to modify, it would be the pacing of certain sections. Specifically the intro until the entrance of that lilting & epic chord melody - the first part of that intro introduces ideas maybe a titch too fast, then sits on them for maybe a titch too long before the chords enter. You might think about changing the rate of change so it's more still in the beginning, and the subtle ideas being introduced enter with less and less pause until the chords land for the big payoff. (So, accelerating the rate of change until the entrance of the chords in the beginning.)

 

This also feels like part 1 of something that could be explored for another 10 minutes or so, revolving around the guitar chord melody which really feels central, and maybe exploring different & continually thickening accompaniments to it, while keeping it at the focus.

 

Just some thoughts - really enjoyed this!

Also: on second listen, initially the abrupt cut at the end is part of what prompted me to suggest to continue the piece further. I'd still like to hear another 10 minutes of development, but I think an ending like the one you have could actually work really well. Get the listener deep into the zone, and then when you've said your piece pull the plug. :-)

 

More please!

Nice atmosphere, quite eno-esque.

 

Might switch it up for the second half, subtly bring a few more elements in & out.