How to Make Dark, Dreamy Ambient from Scratch in Ableton Live 12

[@MZKV9]

The thing with these tutorials is not just the info... but the tracks you end up making are really really good. Makes it easier to follow when you are actually liking whats going on.

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. We must share similar good taste 😁

[@Eden_Okay]

"Things can be simple and still really beautiful" that's a pretty good metaphor for life in general.

[@khartbeats]

Totally agree.

[@blumekind_]

I've just started delving into the world of making ambient music. Mostly for my mental health as it's 90% of what I listen to these days. I loved this tutorial, and your calming energy!!! I subbed and can't wait for more! Would love more ambient tutorials :D

[@khartbeats]

Agree 100% making and listening to ambient helps my mental wellbeing, too. Thank you so much for checking out the video and the kind words! Really appreciate it 🙂

[@maw0380]

It's amazing how quickly you can master a new synth

[@khartbeats]

Once you learn how one works, most are pretty similar… but thank you 😁 I still definitely have stuff to dig into for Meld.

[@liveinwaves]

I been an extreme ambient kick recently... this vibe with that mid filtered rolling percusion just hits.

[@khartbeats]

Nice! Thanks!

[@rasmusinterstellar]

Once again, I must just say i really learn a lot from your simple and calm presentations. Thank you so much

[@khartbeats]

Thank you very much 🙂

[@mattwartell3271]

Yes, yes. Thanks for not shouting like far too many youtubers. I would probably watch you read your shopping list with that pleasant voice register ;)

[@khartbeats]

@@mattwartell3271 next video idea done… 😁 thank you!

[@jaimeortizinfo]

How did you get to the point where you know what all these knobs and buttons are and what they do. Like Matrix, LFO, filter, and all these other fancy technical names? Im asking because I would like to get to a point where I could have control of shaping the sound I want as well. Also that "chip-toony" sound was dope af. I digress. Thank You! this video is cool!

[@khartbeats]

Hey, thank you! From knowing nothing about sound design, it probably took me like a solid 6 months of watching videos, reading articles (and the manual!) and just messing around before I started to understand how this stuff works. It definitely takes time!

[@n9ne2006]

I love how calm this is, I know nothing about Ableton but I enjoyed this and felt inspired.. so new sub here, thanks!

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! Really appreciate hearing that 🙂

[@sudocyka]

Just picked up Ableton after a very very long time with FL Studio and this provided a plethora of knowledge. Thanks and beautiful work^^

[@khartbeats]

Great to hear! Thanks so much! 🙂

[@heroniite]

Your videos always makes me feel like i’m in the studio with you. It’s absolutely incredible

[@khartbeats]

That’s so cool to hear! Thank you 🙂

[@eoinoco1]

Love the video K. What does the "K" stand for? Where did you get the vocal samples? Thanks.

[@khartbeats]

Thanks! It’s my nickname 😁and vocal sample came from splice.

[@headvandecrab9986]

Wow absolutely great, i would love to try it out, so my question is the Ableton Live 12 Intro Version enough to start with ambient music ?

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! I’d say Intro is very limiting, unfortunately. You’d most likely need to supplement it with some other effects and instrument plugins. You can find some for free, but most of the decent ones are paid.

[@OldogNuTricks]

So much gold in under 20 mins. Subbed. I am also exploring ambient - Berlin school type music. A thing that I have been trying to find on KZbin is strategies for mastering ambient music. Most EDM genres are going for loudness optimization but it doesn't transfer to ambient where you want it to be full and immersive but not loud and driving. Just making the Pad bed louder is not the solution. And I agree with you that complexity is also not way to go but rather well chosen and executed simplicity. I loved the reminder about creating a reasonably full lead line and having that as the target rather starting point and just using subtraction backwards over time to build to it.

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! I’m glad many of the concepts in here were helpful!

[@MugenLord_inNeonLights]

Very nice track and good explanation how this masterpiece is born.

[@khartbeats]

Thank you!

[@ChickyNYC]

I know it’s an “in the style of..” video, but your choices for melody and sound design are excellent and beautiful. Great work.

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! Really appreciate the kind words 🙂

[@zerofiveworld7988]

I'm a producer just moving over to Ableton so you're my first tutorial and im mesmorised! you made something simple sound sooooo amazing with that starting sine wave. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[@khartbeats]

Super happy the video was useful! Thanks so much and welcome to the Ableton team 😁

[@sovndscvpe]

Hey K Hart what is that theme you've got in ableton? It's nice!

[@khartbeats]

Hey, it’s called Immaterial. Comes with Live 12 😁

[@vinylveteran]

Excellent example how to start simple. I always find myself wanting too much, that library on top, that complicated chord progression,... Really inspiring, on point, without tons of bells and whistles - love it. Thank you.

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! Overcomplicating the process is so easy…limiting myself to mainly stock instruments and effects has really helped.

[@VenomAdora]

Where did you get that vocal sample from?

[@khartbeats]

Splice

[@ghastlyshimmer]

I really enjoy this vid. Simple and nice.

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much!

[@moelodin]

Thank you for using affordable tools! Makes it very encouraging for someone like me with little funds.

[@khartbeats]

I do my best to try and use stuff that comes with Ableton most of the time 🙂 Glad it’s helpful!

[@claysmith8840]

You are quickly becoming my favorite channel on youtube, I could listen to you make music all day long

[@khartbeats]

That’s amazing to hear! Thank you so much 😊 I really appreciate that.

[@alyssacubed333]

ditto

[@djmixamatoesis9956]

Love how you kept this really simple and didn't rely on lots of expensive VSTs! Thanks for the great tutorial

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much for checking out the video!

[@halog5872]

I’m an ableton 11 guy and love producing melodic dub and future bass. I just want to say thank you. The ambience is beautiful and has given me new light to my productions instead of adding some basic chordal atmospheres for my intros/ fills ect. You gained a new subscriber with this video. Nice to meet you I’m Halo Beats! 🪐🔥❤️🙏😇

[@khartbeats]

That’s awesome! Thank you so much! Nice to meet you, as well 🙂

[@matiashakala1260]

This is just ambien, not dark ambient at all

[@khartbeats]

Matter of opinion, I guess 🤷‍♀️

[@saulcastaneda8775]

do you ever work with live instruments ? would really love to see how you approach different genres where those live insturments are the highlight and how you would arrange different synths and sounds around it 👌🏼 regardless these are super helpful and inspiring !

[@khartbeats]

Thank you! I occasionally include guitar…planning on incorporating violin soon, too 🙂

[@papajohn7606]

Nice!!!! This was pretty much exactly the sound I was looking for.

[@khartbeats]

Awesome! Thanks for checking it out!

[@blackheartgaming6121]

The ambiance is beautiful

[@TheBeanGreen]

What This was the best tutorial on pads I've seen. Thank you!

[@khartbeats]

Glad it was useful, thank you!

[@antoine7085]

Very very cool thank you 🙏

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much!

[@zariisofficial]

This just showed up on my feed, really nice vibes, thought i'd drop you a sub!

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it 🙂

[@rameron9]

what's this skin?

[@khartbeats]

Called Immaterial. Comes with Live 12

[@fenexj]

this channel is a total gem, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I hope you blow up, you are better than 99% of the other musictoobers.

[@khartbeats]

That would be awesome if the channel blew up, but I’ll keep making music regardless 😁 thanks so much for the encouragement!

[@AmbientShores]

Subscribed. Surely you know S1gns of L1fe ? He's also great Ambient coach & producer. Give him a follow he's also Community beacon alongside State Azure, Martin Sturtzer, Venus Theory, Polarity and other Ambient afficcionados.

[@khartbeats]

Thank you! And yes, definitely know and follow most, if not all, of those others you mentioned :)

[@metreek]

Second tutorial I follow and put into practice 🤗So happy to see there are many others on your channel ! You are my new musical journey starting point 🐣

[@khartbeats]

Really happy to hear that! Thank you! 😊

[@brownishchris1496]

Woof as a near completely beginner this was my knowledge check for sure! It's not extremely advanced no but man. I really thought I would be able to make an ambient track for my school of music application within trying to learn it in a week but this taught me I have so much more to learn in terms of what well certain terms mean and how to utilize modulation, reverb, and delays to get the sound I want. Amazing tutorial I think I'll go digging through your channel to learn even more thank you!

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! I'm constantly learning new things myself...Ableton and music production in general is a learning process, for sure!

[@CreativiteSerenite]

Thanks! I'm discovering Live 12 (and found your video). Great sound and helped me see new stuff. Happy to see another women in the ambient sphere :) Cheers!

[@khartbeats]

That’s awesome! Thanks so much for checking out the video. And yes, always great to see other women on here!

[@sokoleski]

i enjoyed this very much.... Rigth up my alley! Many thanks for making it 💚 Greetings from Sweden

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed 🙂

[@ForTheForsaken]

FINE ILL UPGRADE OKAY!? On a serious note, thanks for the informative video!

[@khartbeats]

Secret mission accomplished! 😂 glad the video was useful, thank you!

[@ForTheForsaken]

@@khartbeats I was already on the verge of pulling the trigger, I just needed a little push. That push came in the form of you and your seductive, lush, dreamy ambience. Although, I would say- as is usually the case- Valhalla did most of the heavy lifting. It could make nails on a chalkboard sound beautiful.

[@khartbeats]

@@ForTheForsaken true, Valhalla has magical powers.

[@ForTheForsaken]

@@khartbeats That was a testament to how much I love Valhalla, not to your lovely sound design; which was very awesome!

[@khartbeats]

@@ForTheForsaken I do love Valhalla, too, so I get it 😁 but thank you!

[@amphonix_blue]

Hey @khartbeats. Some great ideas in this tutorial. I really enjoyed it. Subscribed 😊

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! 🙂

[@callmerivver]

your videos have been so helpful, i havent been ale to find good videos for ambient music like this. Hope youre well!

[@khartbeats]

I'm glad the videos have helped! Thank you so much :)

[@MattRid]

Great walktrough, awesome results :) lovely tune! Just found your channel K, gladly subscribing, looking forward to your other tutorials

[@khartbeats]

Awesome! Thank you so much for the kind words and the support! 🙂

[@HiFiJi]

Beautiful track! I love how thorough you are with your videos, and how you make these step by step videos on this amazing genre!

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! Glad you’re enjoying the videos 🙂

[@kingklabe]

This is great. Thanks for a new perspective. Subbed.

[@khartbeats]

Appreciate that! Thanks so much 🙂

[@Kn.77]

This helped me learn Meld a ton! I'm having a lot of fun making new songs with it, thank you so much!

[@khartbeats]

Awesome! I’m glad it’s helpful. Thanks for checking out the video 🙂

[@XenoFect]

Love your videos! Thanks so much for taking the time to teach and share your knowledge! Was there a reason behind only using one LFO on the initial PAD? I always hear never to use the same LFO for multiple parameters, cause the movement isn't as exciting as having the modulations weave in and out, for PADS. Not trying to be rude or anything, just genuinely curious. Everyone makes music different and I think it's so awesome that even with different methods, they still arrive at a beautiful end result. Also, I hate when an LFO doesn't show visual feedback of how it's modulating something too. Like the autofilter, the filter should move with the built-in LFO!

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! You could totally put multiple LFOs to modulate different parameters. I didn’t think this one really needed it, but it’s pretty much all up to your taste and creativity 🙂 and yesss, I wish auto filter was more visual, too!

[@MattRid]

Hey K.Hart! Loving your Videos and Ableton Tutorials. Thanks for your hard work :) I was wondering though where your heart lies in terms of your own music tastes. You mentioned that you are a violinist, what a beautiful instrument. I would love to hear some of your favourite songs! electro, classical, whatever the sound! :)

[@khartbeats]

I honestly love all kinds of music…that’s why I try not to limit myself to only making a certain genre. Everything from classical to EDM to metal and all the stuff in between. I kind of choose what I want to listen to or make depending on my mood. I did just order an electric violin, which should be here soon and I’m super hyped!!

[@eraserqueen297]

This video is so informative! I love how direct and straight to the point you are! It's just like,, a pure learning experience for me haha. Thank u for making! :PP

[@khartbeats]

That’s so awesome to hear! Thank you for checking it out! 🙂

[@PashaHeaven]

Its not Dark Ambient at all. More closer to Retro/dream wave but anyway - sounds great. Thx! Nice tutorial!

[@khartbeats]

Could definitely see it fitting in that category. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@remyvegamedia]

OoOo there are some really simple but great tips in here. Thanks!

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much!

[@Alexhaupa]

Your tutorials are my favorite on KZbin now! Thank you! Any chance you'd want to make a "how to demotapes"? Like that glitchy pop bitbird style, idk what the genres called lol

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! I haven’t heard that one before, but I’ll check it out! I don’t know what genre to call most of the music I listen to or make these days 😂

[@ivanya_S]

Discovering your channel was a blast, thanks for the hard work! Could you reconsider using ai generated images for your tracks on Spotify? Random photo on a phone with some minimal editing would look way better. And having ai generated image would make some think that the whole song is generated.

[@khartbeats]

Hey, thanks so much! Appreciate you checking out the channel. I’ll keep that in mind for my Spotify artwork 🙂

[@TheBeardsShow]

Really enjoyed this. Im not an ableton user but those stock synths look pretty good. I make alot of ambient music this was really nice.

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! 🙂

[@CasualSalt]

That's beautiful. I learned a lot although I'm FL user. Thanks for sharing.

[@khartbeats]

Glad it was useful. Thank you!

[@SpringfieldUshers]

thanks nice video, and another reason to get ableton 12

[@khartbeats]

Thanks! Definitely enjoying Live 12 🙂

[@F4xP4s]

I'm the same, I prefer to see modulation working. I always opt for dragging an LFO module onto the track, feels a bid more modular too ;)

[@khartbeats]

Glad it’s not just me 🙂

[@juans3909]

I've been obsessed on how to make pads like this, Thank you for the video as always!

[@khartbeats]

I’m glad it was helpful!! 🙂

[@edubblesspirit]

Did you record the guitar parts or use an instrument/sample for them? Everything sounds so nice. And didn’t even know meld was a thing, going to have to try it today.

[@khartbeats]

I recorded the guitar through my audio interface. I have a Gibson Les Paul. And thanks so much! Meld is really cool. Great for stuff like this.

[@minaondrums]

Thank you 🙏🏻🎛💜

[@yodhamheaven]

thanks for the video, btw can you make sugestion ableton reverb that can subtitute valhala supermassive? i want to maximize ableton plugin native it would be perfect if using everything in ableton stock

[@khartbeats]

Supermassive is free if that makes a difference, but you could do similar stuff by combining a long reverb and a delay.

[@iamsimonmorris]

Cheers again.

[@jeffreygrantsr4525]

some of us don't have the suite and have standard instead. i wanted to follow along, but meld is not within the list of choices. :( looking forward to you doing something that is universal to Ableton live 12 standard and suite. maybe it was removed? i do have drift? i saw many dislikes for the meld while in beta.

[@JackPeloquin]

Use drift. There are “work arounds.” Not difficult. Do it your own way.

[@poobens]

Great video! Inspired me! Thank you.

[@khartbeats]

Nice! Thanks so much for checking it out!

[@uvogin3267]

Thank you so much for helping !! Your content truly gives me hope of making it somewhere with music in future

[@khartbeats]

I’m glad my videos are helpful! Thanks so much for watching 🙂

[@lavatr8322]

7:39 Lmfao im an Aquarius too🤣 I use FL studio , why does ableton tutorials already sound professional

[@khartbeats]

Yes, another Aquarius! 😁 I’ve never tried FL, but Ableton is great for me

[@samanthafoust3456]

That was so helpful!! Turn up the guitar and add a pitch bend to it! The sparkle would be cool with heavier reverb on it and then hit a freeze reverb in Raum at the very end to fade out with the guitar in there a bit too. Thats my take :) going to check out more of your stuff now!

[@khartbeats]

Cool ideas! I do enjoy a good pitch bend and sparkle reverb 😁 thanks for checking out the videos!

[@larsb.nielsen4481]

great thanks,🤩 but i think you clipping the video to much. Feels like im missing some info

[@khartbeats]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@gilbertramos3741]

Ngl your tutorial was great! You work at a chill pace and easy to follow along with your workflow also beautiful track! 🖤

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate that 🙂

[@parkcalvin2903]

amazing video, absolutely what i wanted to watch much love!!

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much! 🙂

[@andrejuniomg]

So nice! Greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@khartbeats]

Thank you! 👋 🙂

[@novacascade5005]

Impeccable presentation as always.

[@khartbeats]

I’m glad to hear that! And as always thank you for checking out the video and the support 😊

[@vladimircerovic]

Amazing. So in ambient music like this we dont have to have bass as mono? i noticed lot of stereo stuff and even panning bass hard to left or right. And what about reverb on bass? Too much? Thanks.

[@khartbeats]

You definitely don’t have to have your bass completely mono. Most people say keep it in mono because the lower frequencies can cause phase issues and your bass will completely go silent at times. I like to add panning and reverb to the upper frequencies of the bass to give it some depth.

[@vladimircerovic]

@@khartbeats Thanks for the great tip!

[@Watters2022]

Really good tutorial. Where did you get those vocal loops? Very dreamy

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much 🙂 the vocal sample is from Splice.

[@haystacksniperr]

Sounds like it could be a Ross from friends lofi house joint

[@khartbeats]

Nice, I do like Ross from Friends. Thanks!

[@jroditis1]

Beautiful track!! Well done

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much!

[@mrclaytron]

Another great video K! I really enjoyed the final track here, and you always have excellent sound design and composition!

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! 😊

[@EcthelionGondolin]

Beautiful track! Deserves to be released if you haven't already.

[@khartbeats]

Thank you! Will be releasing it soon 😊

[@vandenburg123]

The arrow next to the device name should allow you to see the lfos and the matrix at the same time like in wavetable

[@khartbeats]

Yes, that's a good tip. Thanks!

[@esahm373]

Maybe you can make a feature request about the missing visual feedback? It looks like a bug to me, since it works fine if you use the separate LFO device, as you said.

[@khartbeats]

Yeah, perhaps!

[@esahm373]

@@khartbeats I mean: that's why beta phases exist in softesre development: to give early users an opportunity to provide feedback and to fix bugs, as well as improve the software.

[@markwtull]

Would love to see how you make stuff like this in bitwig studio

[@khartbeats]

I don’t have bitwig, but I’ve heard it’s really similar to Ableton 🙂

[@ahzootube]

Hey its the first video I ve seen from you and it blew my mind ❤ less is more

[@khartbeats]

Glad you think so! Thank you 🙂

[@joshuacowger4183]

Please marry me ❤

[@christhescientist]

Brilliant breakdown, loved the track and the emotion you created especially :)

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much!

[@concioubandit9046]

the sauceee

[@1augh0utL0UD]

Nice tutorial, thank you :)

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much for checking it out!

[@ЭлектростанционныйСмотритель]

👍👍👍

[@deraluce5714]

New learner here following along :) How did you do the chord strumming at 2:30?

[@khartbeats]

There’s a little headphone icon near the top left of the piano roll. If you click it, you can hear the notes you’re inputting or if you highlight them. Hope that helps!

[@deraluce5714]

@@khartbeats That worked, thanks!

[@bokidjordjevic]

slaaay

[@gulshiniho]

Beautiful stuff maam, god bless u❣

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much 🙂

[@drieshermans5485]

💚

[@did_you_know_trees_can_talk]

thanks so much! it's great seeing how simple one can make thier music - less is more for sure!

[@khartbeats]

I definitely like keeping it simple. Thanks so much for checking out the video! 🙂

[@raahensalophotography]

Beautiful track! 😊

[@khartbeats]

Thanks so much!

[@bboygavin]

You got me to subscribe on this one girl!

[@khartbeats]

Nice! Thanks so much 🙂

[@tinyshadowmusic]

Your track..."I want to go to there".

[@khartbeats]

Perfect encapsulation of the vibe. Thanks so much :)

[@edskodevries]

This is gorgeous! Thanks for all the inspiration!

[@khartbeats]

Thank you so much! Glad it was useful!

[@KGarcia2000]

Ugh I wish you used fl studio need more female music producers to use fl studio

[@khartbeats]

We need more female music producers in general!

[@KGarcia2000]

@@khartbeats yes we doooo

[@martinezdecap]

Great video! Keep them coming!

[@khartbeats]

Thank you!

[@alyssacubed333]

Just discoered your channel today and binge listened to your videos while working (Amazon deliveres). I absolutely LOVE your sound and how you explain exactly what you're doing, I can follow along and know and visualize what you're doing without having to watch the video. I am also an aquarius so makes sense why i'm exrtra vibin' with you :D ♒ keep up the amazing work!

[@khartbeats]

That’s awesome! Thank you so much! Us aquarians have to stick together, for sure 😁

[@darcsiderOps]

@10:15 holy shit that sounds cool

[@khartbeats]

Thanks!

[@juicemna1]

what ableton theme is that? thanks

[@khartbeats]

It's called Immaterial. Comes with Live 12