3 Reasons Why Hardware Fuels Ambient Exploration

[@stuartchapman5171]

I started out making aural collages using a dictaphone, cassette deck, turntable, radios, a monoton delay, cheapest chorus and distortion. I used a battered old 6 channel dj mixer. I was embarrassed at first, doing my first gigs, I soon realised people still loved old lo fi tape as much as me and there's a lot that hasn't changed since Musique Concrete. I still use Audacity, which is very much like the Radiophonic workshop, in a DAW format, the editing, oscillators, basic fx, albeit really quick to use. It's all I've ever used, less time on learning curves, more time in the studio being creative (diving around). Although I've got much more gear now, it's just variations of the same stuff. Not even an analogue mono synth.

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

Your approach seems so creative and fun. This genuine semplicity and will to experiment is what attracted me towards ambient music in the first place. Cheers!

[@fredholland7525]

I do use digital synths, but the main weakness in recording with them is any changes you make during recording a track changes the entire track to the new changes. A physical synth you change a filter or what ever and it changes in the DAW only when you tweak the sound. It doesn't affect the whole recording, thus giving you the ability to make changes in real time like you would if doing a live show.

[@rayderrich]

Personally I do not like limitations, but touching hardware knobs and faders and cables definitely gets me into a music making flow way more than using keyboard and mouse. I love your voice, your accent and your thoughts, please keep on making inspiring videos.

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

Thank you so much for the kind feedback. I'll try to keep on!

[@edwardaverilliii1658]

I always had a hard time explaining why I dumped my DAW for a pile of boxes. Linking this video on my Facebook, to clear it up for the curious! Thanks for this one. :-)

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

Thank you! Glad it's useful 😊

[@jjbing3]

Great video. I recently started buying some hardware instead of using my iPad. I have dang near every synth app on there but I have so much more fun with the S1, T8, and J6.

[@GOLDENCORE78]

I create music with Reasons software for years and years. I were never happy about the results of countless hours of working on sounds. Than I start to use great limitations like a Danelectro or Dark Energy semi modular with live reverb and delay and the magic arrived. I love real sound, and than maybe you can filter with some plug in. It's my work flow, and still working

[@liamg6328]

Hands on, that's the ticket! 😉

[@MattiaNicoletti]

Great video full of inspiration. I just ask you for an opinion; would you suggest to record the single hardware instruments singularly with a zoom or would you record it directly in the Daw?

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

Well there's no right answer: depends on your goals. separate tracks can let have much more control when mixing, but they can also be overwhelming and lead to over editing. I personally record everything directly in the daw trying to make it sound good before it gets recorded, and just polish it in the daw. I feel like it preserves the imperfections of the moment much better.

[@MattiaNicoletti]

@@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic Thanks! It sounds good, Sometimes analogic synths are hard to mix because of some frequencies. Recording direct in the daw would allow to record an already equalized sound

[@romanonardelli-drummerforfun]

Thanks for this video👍

[@jaimeross7507]

Thank You. ❤.

[@treeface5000]

5:10 My sister had one of these! Its got a lovely slide out handle iirc ❤

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

I wish I had one myself too, but I only have the picture 😅

[@CR-sj7xd]

Why? Ambient is the easiest type of music to produce just with vsts

[@VirtualModular]

The answer is fashion, basically. Hardware looks more hip on KZbin. I have tape, a Juno-6, old hardware fx units and a few other synths. Mostly, I can't be arsed plugging it in. I actually find VCV Rack much more inspiring. Not a popular opinion though!

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

Of course. But as you can see in the video, the point of hardware is not to be more easy but to feed creativity. Anyway there are no right answers, all comes to personal taste and attitude. I just wanted to show a possibility.

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

This is very subjective, there no rules my friend and that's the beauty of it .

[@michaels8607]

I use whatever..The only thing is, unless you are sing something like Reaktor/CSound/MAX/PD/ SuperCollider/Macaw,etc, that's open ended, you will stay inside the box.I just do not fall into the SCAM that you need new gear and software. A 5 year old computer can make all the music 95% of people make.

[@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic]

I have a 11 years old laptop and only budget pocket synths 😊