Brian Eno: How To Make Original Ambient Music - BBC Click

BBC Click's Spencer Kelly finds out how to make constantly changing ambient music using probabilities and complicated maths, from the godfather of the genre, Brian Eno.
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[@toddharrop9094]

I think the most important thing he said, the take-away, was that he sets up his generative music-making machine and then goes away to focus on something else. So, as ambient music, it's supposed to sound in the background, and if he notices that some pitch is too loud, plays too often or in the wrong register,then he comes back into the studio to tweak the machine. It's like designing wallpaper. You can only test it by printing a roll and pasting it on a wall. If your eyes get distracted by something then the pattern isn't performing its function. (Please don't think I'm insulting Eno's music by comparing it to wallpaper. It's just an illustrative metaphor, especially since he is or was also a visual artist.)

[@dlarge6502]

This is incredible. Ambient is kinda the only music I tend to like and as a computer scientist seeing how he uses the computer to create these landscapes is truly astounding.

[@associativemicrosemantics3930]

I have just started a channel that is about the algorithms I have developped for creating my kind of ambient music, based on what I call 'associative microsemantics'. For instance, I did a Shepard-Risset glissando generator based on virtual tape loops kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWjGaIqVd76qg7M, or a convolution based texture generator that generates complex structures from a simple sound such as a singing bowl kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3m5n2uCbrR9a80, or a microtonal subharmonic cord generator kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6SlkGWYh9l7eM0. Seems to be a bit too nerdy for most musicians but I think the results are quite interesting.

[@thesoundsession]

The only kind you like??

[@neila458]

The camera dudes need a dose of ambient music to chill the fuck out out. Felt like a sequence from Bourne identity

[@tannerberry1480]

Your vehemence against organic camera movement reeks of chronically-online visual sentiment. Watch anything shot by a human without a dolly or a tripod. Experience a little bit of humanity in your art. You’d be surprise how far painterliness can take you.

[@benonaru]

@@tannerberry1480no

[@colinjames2469]

lmao

[@soloharmonicsrobj8246]

Brian Eno is a master at the science of sound. I learned many of my techniques from listening to his music.

[@Outdoorshuntingshooting]

Brian has been working on/towards this system of producing 'music' or whatever you feel like calling it, for many years, why would/should he do what everyone else is doing? I have followed his work from the age of 15 (1980) right through to the present. If you like it, listen, if not, move on. He has been inspired by what came before and he is inspiring whats to come.

[@suspiciouswatermelon7639]

Nerve Net was his masterwork.

[@1venusflytrap]

@@suspiciouswatermelon7639 what is ur username man

[@suspiciouswatermelon7639]

@@1venusflytrap What don't you understand?

[@winterkeep]

Love that even Brian Eno names his instruments "little wobbly stars" 🤣 there's humanity in the world 😊

[@smithfield06]

A remarkable musician, he wrote out all the program patches for the Yamaha dx7 no mean feat

[@user-rh2csk]

Most of his patches are drenched in Eventide reverb and doesn’t matter how a synth itself sounds. He was looking for clean sine wave without that nasal fat analog tone and dx7 served well for that purpose.

[@bcj842]

I love this. I kind of want to do some partially randomized computer-generated music at some point. He's in deep with that though as shown here. I can take comfort knowing that he names his tracks with goofy descriptions like I do.

[@RealmExplorerPortal]

A perfect intersection of art and math

[@BradCarlMusic]

I have a question: Why does a guy who doesn't know why Eno wouldn't want a "B" get to be the person handling this interview?

[@birdlover143]

Tbh, as a music theory enthusiast myself, Idk why Eno doesn't want a "B" in the piece either

[@FrankLinnemann]

Because typically interviewers ask questions, sometimes obvious ones, and get unexpected and interesting answers.

[@marblegardentv718]

@@birdlover143 Because it likely isn't in the scale of the piece. That seems to be the most probable answer.

[@downhill2k013]

Wow, the guy who’s uneducated is asking questions and getting educated

[@Vingul]

Tell us, then -- why doesn't Eno want a B?

[@rodolfoocampo281]

An absolute genius

[@cimmik]

Can I watch the whole interview somewhere?

[@Nocholas]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/maealqOPbJqKl5I

[@wildersworkshop]

bloody hell, if you're going to interview someone as advanced in their field as Eno, send in someone who at least has a basic grasp on music theory and production techniques.

[@TheseBitchesWantNikes]

My thoughts exactly. When he said he didn't know much about music, I was like "then wtf is he doing here then?"

[@brianobush]

Basic probability should be understood by everyone. This is not complicated. The host I believe is a just patronizing Eno.

[@toddharrop9094]

I think the host was just hamming it up for the camera and the target audience. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was playing his role as a sincerely curious but also wise-cracking TV host.

[@Eimrine]

Libertarians are not everyone that gives them excuse to not understand prob theory.

[@travellingshoes5241]

I'd have loved it if after having inputed all of those parameters the computer just spat out B notes.

[@MrTomb789]

Does anyone know what the software being used at 0:22 is?....

[@allspice8769]

It's the scripter in logic

[@MrTomb789]

@@allspice8769 thankyou so much allspice8769..🙂

[@CarolynDestruction]

I actually don’t know how to play keyboards, synthesizers, etc, but I use SoundTrap and the keyboards and synthesizers on there. I basically free improvise my music. My project Crocxsin is an ambient, noise, drone project I’ve been working on since I was 19 and I have a lot of people really enjoying my music.

[@GreenOilBike]

Would be great to know the thinking behind the numbers.

[@AdamMaykov]

it is a correct music

[@reprogrammingmind]

music by numbers

[@danderson8463]

Music IS numbers

[@ArtificialJetleg]

Everyone figuring which plug in ia the beat, while Brian Eno has its own scripts!

[@sethlawrence5068]

What is the application he is using? I'm not very familiar with the appearance of interfaces on Apple products

[@jaxell300]

looks like logic pro x

[@laurencegoldman4639]

So what is the rig? There looks to be a keyboard synth? And the software. What are they? Thanks.

[@HenritheHorse]

GarageBand and midi controller keyboard.

[@damienlobb85]

Logic

[@jamesmilligan9496]

Logic Pro 9

[@EdwinDekker71]

Fruity loops

[@pantomimedemocracy3098]

This is lovely but the camerawork is dreadful. So many wobbly or unhelpful shots. You're trying to show us what's on screen but can't keep the camera still enough for us to see. Did someone lose all the BBC's tripods?

[@tristen_grant]

Have you tried zooming in and keeping a camera *perfectly* steady by hand?

[@mastasersh]

Could somebody here explain what software or plugin is he using, or what can be used to randomize notes and patterns based on the producer's predefined variable value?

[@bhavyakukkar]

i think he might've scripted those himself but you can find tutorials or presets on the internet if you just search

[@linussvard6553]

Bit late but he is using Logic

[@jamesmilligan9496]

Logic Pro 9

[@martinwhile1607]

It's like when a scientist explains to you what rainbow is, why it is, how it is, and therefore why you should like it.

[@nikolatanasic7908]

What plugins does he use?

[@enswert]

Logic stock

[@ambientpizzavstheworld883]

As boring as it is fascinating.....

[@seantubridy3242]

Wait, is he using GarageBand?

[@ForwardForwar]

logic pro x + logic pro scripter

[@internetgod404]

Rui Manuel for you maybe? lol. they're all the same really but they don't have scripter :)

[@sambkingmusic]

@@internetgod404 Ableton has full compatibility with Max, though, so you can program with that too.

[@NathanChisholm041]

@Rui Manuel More better? Go back to school mate!

[@michaels5166]

@@NathanChisholm041 No it's MOE Betta...hehehe

[@djdancealone3419]

Okay what is this "Scripter" thing?

[@quentin1o]

It's a javascript plugin for Logic Pro in which incoming midi data is modified with a script

[@NathanChisholm041]

Absolutely unnecessary! just music wank

[@christianneale5272]

Does anyone realise that none of this genuinely tells you how to make ambient music....I-

[@bhavyakukkar]

to get where brian was before he explained these rules, you can just use some simple synths with high freqs filtered smoothly away and some sustained 7th or 9th chords (choice is completely yours of course but those work well)

[@shikhindahikar8488]

Exactly

[@epictetus9221]

It's not supposed to be a tutorial, obviously. Kind of unlucky title of course

[@livefromplanetearth]

+100

[@ArtLogins]

I could do a similar tour of my bedroom slash studio, but I'd have to pick up my laundry from the floor.... 🙂🙂🙂

[@rituparnakonwar9103]

Music is math

[@tristen_grant]

Geogaddi.

[@colinjames2469]

ffs. no it isnt

[@MikeUIibarri]

That was way too brief!

[@cartercartercartercar]

i kinda like that since he already did everything in his career himself, he just has the computer do it all for him now. and i would think he’s earned that. a lot of musicians of our age (millennial-gen z) have all this available at their fingertips since they could walk. eno and robert wyatt, on the other hand-i’m assuming they just starting hitting keys and shit on a piano one day and were like “hey we should make a soundtrack for an airport, but just out of stuff like this” we just suck now, is what i’m saying

[@thiccchungus5362]

Is he not pushing the keys on the computer himself? If the computer did it he would have no interaction with it at all, just like any instrament you need to control the computer

[@cartercartercartercar]

@@thiccchungus5362 he’s pushing a few keys and the computer is doing literally everything else. i assume he’s taken the time to build presets and patches or whatever, but beyond that, the amount of manual labor that a program like logic cuts down for the user is insane. you would need so much equipment and time to do half the shit it can do for you in seconds. it’s a computer program!

[@thiccchungus5362]

@@cartercartercartercar Is that not progress to creation? Making an instrument that can help produce all instruments ?

[@thiccchungus5362]

@@cartercartercartercar I play the keyboard on an ipad am I not producing music?

[@Fczafazfz]

Eno actually just loves the process and finds innovative ways to create music using different technologies. I think he’s just continuing that

[@sh-kw2ox]

Why use probability but then a plug in to correct the pitch. You aren't getting true probability then as you are forcing the notes played to stay in key Sometimes is good to create tension by using the odd note out of scale .

[@rhiannonhill]

Brian is pretty smart and has had a great career, but where's the creativity here? I've been tasked with writing some for my daughter's shop because she can't afford the PRS for existing trax. I think I'll just sit down with the keyboard and come up with something that sounds right....

[@GeorgeHammondMusic]

But it may not

[@Vegan_Kebab_In_My_Hand]

Some people like to program music, some people like to utilize more generative approach and then input something more directly into the track through a keyboard, guitar and etc. There's no right or wrong, a limiting mindset is damaging to the expression of art. It's creative, but perhaps in a way you cease to comprehend at the moment.

[@jessica5497]

This comment just shows your lack of creativity and open-mindedness. Everyone has their process.

[@Vingul]

It's about the listener's experience, not showing off creativity.

[@drakestar13]

i came to see and hear some ambient music/ tipps..... all i found was two old men talking 3:18 min long .......

[@Vingul]

I guess you didn't understand what they were talking about.

[@cleftturnip7774]

seems like a cold way to make music

[@Vegan_Kebab_In_My_Hand]

To you.

[@GherkmanProductions]

Matej / Psiloz “For you” (Bane voice)

[@Kevinschart]

all original music is born from experimentation....he's automated the experimentation instead of painstakingly performing and recording the music by hand. his own personal taste is still at play and it actually is no different than any other musician's process

[@Taramtatam]

What a shallow comment.

[@pim5400]

In theory yes it is cold, but i find electronic ambient music to bring unbelievable warmth and comfort

[@douglasvasey6775]

a guide for the untalented masses. thanx brian- you shoulda quit while you still had more than just a head

[@Ninthsignmusic]

douglas vasey Talent doesn’t always equal ‘good’ music.

[@Vegan_Kebab_In_My_Hand]

Someone always has to complain, ain't that right?

[@TheseBitchesWantNikes]

Also why wouldn't you send someone at least a little familiar with music production to talk to Brian fuckin Eno???

[@TheseBitchesWantNikes]

Eno is about the closest equivalent a musician can be to a quantum physicist.

[@tristen_grant]

I'd say there are plenty more musicians exploring sound much more scientifically.