Learn to make ambient music in 4 simple steps

In this video I explain a simple 4 step guide to make ambient music. It’s a bit more methodical than other approaches I have seen :) For some it might give structure and be a lot of help, but for others it might be something they do without thinking about it. Some might have complete other ways. Feel free to let me know what you think about this video!
Patreon: / monotrail
Affiliate links:
Perfect Circuit - US - bit.ly/3Yn0Gll
Sound of You - EU bit.ly/3DzdFYi
Clockface - AS - bit.ly/3YkDJ1B
Timetable:
00:00 - Introduction
01:24 - Make sounds with variations
06:59 - Evolve sounds
12:24 - Combine sounds to make a story
15:02 - Keep it clean
Special thanks to Legendary & Crazy Patrons:
Michael Rutchik
Wayne Cowan
Steve Williams
Glnds
Kickroot
Christoph von der Heyden
Giorgio Festa
Sebastijan Semiz
James thompson
Redheart/Freak Nasty
Quinn Fahey
Bruce Selmon
Barns Anderson
Oliver Henry
Let’s connect!:
Instagram: / monotrail
Facebook: / monotrailmusic
Soundcloud: / monotrailmusic
Bandcamp: monotrail.bandcamp.com
KZbin: / monotrailmusic
#euroack #ambient #studio

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hello everyone! I'm excited about this video, and curious what you all think of it. It's a bit more methodical than others. For some this might be to simple, others it might help and give structure, so feel free to let me know your thoughts. In any case, all the best!

[@neuzethmusic131]

Great work there! Don't worry, you're a fabulous teacher.

[@ghmc]

Thank you. On Patreon I asked for these types of explanations and walk-through and you made one! That’s great and so usefull.

[@xavierxeon]

Like it

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice glad you think so!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

And thanks a lot for the support on Patreon @ghmc!

[@linewizard]

I think I've said this before, but your videos do something special that I rarely see in the modular KZbin community: They make me excited about the gear I have, rather than making me feel like I need to buy something new to make great music. I'm only halfway through, but this has been another excellent instructional video!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Wow, thank you! Verry happy to hear that! Am a bit curious how people will respond to this video, but in general, that is the goal :)

[@xavierxeon]

I fully agree.

[@AmbientMusicStudio]

Same here. I always go away from your videos imagining what I can do with my current system.

[@Taipou]

Well said! I feel the same. Your videos open up a ton of possibilities. Keep up the good work! 💪

[@aleksdizhe]

Agree!!!

[@MoreThanSilence]

Best Eurorack ambient tutorial I saw on KZbin ever!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Wow, thanks! That makes me happy :)

[@sinistar3198]

One exercise I've been doing lately is taking a soundscape I'm familiar with, like night time sound of birds, frogs, and traffic, and mapping it to abstract synth voices and foley. I eventually want to do like "horrible creature in the dark" and whatnot.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, sounds nice! Good to and fun to have exercises like that and see where you can end up with them :) Enjoy!

[@neuzethmusic131]

Making ambient is a lot like classical painting... Silence is the canvas, you create layers of sound, from the very front to the back. And as you mentioned, a good ambient track has progression, a story. Sonic poetry. Ambient with modular is just the perfect combination imho. Splendid video btw!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Well said! Like the silence is the canvas idea, good to leave some space and quite parts! I didn't talk about contrast and things in this video. More to do ;)

[@echomodular]

The track progression notation format with „presence“ and „location in the frequency band“ is sooo good! Simple, yet effective. Stellar video, easy to grasp yet truly essential. Thanks!

[@Taipou]

Absolutely! Excellent work on all of the diagrams. They're clear and beautifully designed 🎨

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, glad you like it! I'm happy that came across well, as I plan to use and refer to it more often. All the best!

[@echomodular]

@@MonotrailTechTalk I thought about it a bit more, and I would just like to toss in, that with regard to frequency bands and placing sound sources, ALM's Jumble Henge is kinda like cheating. My own system barely has filters (Ripples and Ghost... and that's it) but I can sort of circumnavigate this to some extent by using the on-board filtering of Jumble Henge. The disadvantage is that I would need to repatch single sources when I would like to change the placement in the mixes frequency spectrum. So, my ambient tracks sometimes get too static, and now I understand the limitations of Jumble Henge a lot better.

[@robsch]

@@echomodular Instead of repatching two voices when you want to change their placement, couldn't you also use a stereo mixer where you change the placement in that mixer to affect which input(s) of Jumble Henge the voice ends up on?

[@mynewcolour]

Presence > Amplitude seems obvious but to be deliberate about that is an interesting shift for me. Thank you.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice! For sure amplitude is a great tool in presence, and will very often go hand in hand. But indeed I think it's good to see what other elements in a patch or sound you can use to bring sounds back and forward in attention, story, or track. Cheers!

[@FakthorX]

Man you are very skilled and creative with patching. Gets me more excited to be in eurorack with a sense there is so much more to learn and explore. Thank you for what you do.. I should jump on your patreon.. if theres anyone who deserves it its you

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! Thank you so much, very happy to hear it :) Love to see more people finding joy in using and exploring the modular, without just chasing the new and latest. Of course any support is welcome, patreon is the reason I can make this videos. Thanks for watching!

[@Johanthegnarler]

This is probably one of the best videos ive come across on the internet for electronic music thats not what i would traditionally make. My brain is weird and riddled with learning disabilities, i love sound and designing it. Music, while i love it just doesn't necessarily scratch the itch like sound design. Occasionally though i want to create a space for all of these sounds to live and i can never quite figure out what i want to do and just spend a ton of time kind of stuck. This definitely encourages me to try and break my boundaries down some. Even if the information seems so basic, sometimes i need to be hand held before i can completely explore with more purpose on my own. Appreciate the post! Definitely subbed and going through all of your videos now.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! Thanks for sharing, and hope it helps :) Love the idea of this inspiring people to try things and or take a different approach to things. Cheers!

[@AmenBreakBro]

Top quality content on this channel, and always musical!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Much appreciated! Cheers :)

[@rayderrich]

Brilliant video, very helpful on my modular journey. Thanks a lot.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad it was helpful! Have fun patching! :)

Outstanding video and tutorial, as always. Thank you!!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

My pleasure, and glad you liked it :)

[@richarddorfner698]

Another great lesson and sharing of ideas and methods! Exactly the reason i support you on patreon. Please keep up the great work!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! Verry happy to hear you like the video! And of course a huge thanks for your support on Patreon! It's the sole reason I am able to make videos like this without any sponsors or product placement. All the best!

[@manasbass]

Love all your video and tutorials. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

You are so welcome! Cheers :)

[@kratersignal]

insightful..great stuff 👍

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers :)

[@Pheekofc]

Love all your tutorials! Very insightful and useful.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! All the best! :)

[@Pheekofc]

@@MonotrailTechTalk As a mastering engineer, I agree with the comments you provided. I would recommend a few points: Cut the low end under 20-30hz, try to keep your tone flat and record close to 0dB. If you record at low volume, once you master it, you'll bring up the noise floor by much more than you might want. Cheers.

[@orphic-trench]

This is such a great and interesting video. Lots of ideas I'll be trying in the next few days. Thanks!!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, nice to hear you got some use out of it. Enjoy! :)

[@yodhanhunter]

This video is amazing. It breaks it down into very easy to understand steps. And the block layouts for patches are awesome. Thank you!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! very happy to hear it! I mostly did patch-only videos, but very excited to share more ideas like this, and glad to hear people appreciate it. Cheers!

[@obsidiananvil9719]

Oooooh... nicely done! Fun stuff, man.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@Stardust_Ziggy]

Great video, thanks for this. It's always nice to see module independent videos that focus on techniques. Makes me want to start playing immediately :).

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Happy to hear it! It was (and is) a bit hard to say no to all the people I build friendly relations with, and who keep making awesome modules! But I wanted to go this route for some time, and this year I finally put the focus on just patch ideas, and making music. I think it's valuable to not just feed the new and latest, also for my own fun in the studio, as tempting as new stuff is. In music a lot of value comes from control and diving deep with stuff you have :) Cheers!

[@FindingSpeed]

More of this! Amazing content and all the inspiration (and help with execution) I’ve needed to make new progress. Looking forward to getting the PDFs when you’re able 👍

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Great to hear! It's nothing crazy, but it's a bit of new territory for me, not just showing patch ideas or modules, but more of my thoughts and process. But have been wanting to make a step in this direction for some time and have a lot more ideas for things! Happy to hear your thoughts, and will work on the pdf's as well. But in the same way, the patches are nothings special, and have to think how I can maybe turn my thoughts into a cheat sheet version or similar. Cheers!

[@MartinDoudoroffLLC]

Lots of great food for thought!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you think so! Cheers :)

[@jurgendabeedin441]

Great tips and ideas! 😎

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, glad you like them! Cheers!

[@tomverheyen8858]

Wow, very insightfull tips! Thanks a lot, I will be saving this video for a step by step experiment on my setup later on... Great work!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad it was helpful! Very happy to hear it, and planned to do the same things :) A little while back I made a 'small' system, and thought it would be fun to go through the steps with that setup as well :) Enjoy!

[@jamesburke2311]

This vid's timing is perfect! I normally do psych/house type of sets with my modular but doing an improv ambient set tomorrow. Thanks for the tips!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice, glad to hear it! Hope you get some use out of it, and have fun with the improv!

[@PabloRodriguezwhyCharlieWhy]

well done dude!!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Ha, thank you Pablo!

[@LEdHeadW]

Really, really great video. Some of these concepts I already figured out myself, but the way you presented them was very clear and there's plenty more for me to keep in mind going forward. Can't wait to sit down at my synth again!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Happy to hear it! I always hope there is something of value for a variety of people in my videos :) Cheers!

[@doverbeachxyz]

I've been following you from the start of the channel. Great work as usual. At 10 min those abul mogard vibe were really great

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, glad to hear it! Thanks for watching, and all the best :)

[@maxk4258]

I think it is a first video I've seen for years about how to actually make music on modular ) Thanks!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice! Glad you like it, and plan to make a few more videos like this time. Cheers!

[@rfinz]

great stuff as always and resonates a lot with my own ambient creation process 🥹 also it's pure magic when you really dial in "the instrument" and get all the voices and variations working together ❤️ hard to beat, often has me exclaiming in excitement

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear you like it! Enjoy your music, and all the best :)

[@GeorgeLocke]

A+ advice. Thanks very much for sharing. I'll probably watch/listen to this a few times to absorb the ideas fully. Structure over time is hard fur me, so I really appreciate it. 🙏

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey thanks! Glad you like it :) All the best!

[@JeveMCD]

Keeping this in mind when I make future tracks

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice! Enjoy the music making :)

[@jussikorhonen3142]

Thanks a bunch for this one. I know what I'll be cooking tonight. :D

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Haha, nice! And enjoy :)

[@Limbic1000]

wow thx for thisssss

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

You're welcome! :)

[@NickVu]

I would welcome more videos on composition. Learned a lot!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it! I'm very happy this video is doing well and people comment positive! There are quite some more ideas I like to turn to videos over time. Cheers!

[@michaelgarrigues7886]

It's perfect, again ;)

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Oh, thanks a lot! :)

[@Taipou]

This is such a great video! I love how you explain based on functionality rather than a specific module ❤ I find it easy to follow (even as a beginner) but at the same time, they also get quite advanced. You're a great source of inspiration to me. Thank you!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it! I have been wanting to go this direction for some time, but this year it's finally happening. It's hard to say no to all the great companies I have worked with and who keep making awesome modules, but I plan to stick to this direction for a while, and just focus on fun things and idea whit what have, and don't require the same things from the viewer. Love to hear people appreciate that! Cheers :)

[@Taipou]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Btw, I became a Patron today. I'm looking forward to your next creations. Good luck!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, that's great! Patreon is the only reason I can make these videos, so your support there means a lot to me :) All the best!

[@krazywabbit]

Excellent ingredients you provided that will make a delicious home cooked meal or even a slice of frozen pizza. Thank you.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it! Cheers :)

[@kaykramer9045]

Congrats! This is such a good video. Most ambient is really like drowning some pentatonic shit in large reverbs and stacking some muddy shit on top 😂… or below. Everyone who wants to do ambient music on modular synths should watch this video first!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you! Glad it's of some use :)

[@savagemessiah.]

I wish this video existed when I got into modular in 2018 lol. Would have saved me a lot of inept flailing.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like it! And wish I started earlier as well, it's so much fun! But took till covid for me to go for it :) All the best!

[@berniedurnheim]

My step 1 for ambient would be to develop your sensibility. Step 2 trust your sensibility. Step 3 shape sounds and based your your sensibility.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! Lot's of people will have their own ways and words, that's great :) I'm always trying to dig a little deeper though, and see if I can make some things that a lot of musicians might do without even thinking about it, and are 'locked' behind words, more clear. How to explain your step one to a beginner, sensibility? What exactly are you trying to develop? Who is judging that? How do you know it's getting better etc etc. This video is a bit of a starting point, giving a simple framework, with a lot of space to dive deeper into composition, conveying emotion, etc. Cheers!

[@neuzethmusic131]

Amazing comment! I'm struggling often with my tracks and keep asking myself, are they emotionally touching enough?

[@berniedurnheim]

@@MonotrailTechTalk I wouldn't assume that people who are beginning something are beginners. We all bring our life experience to whatever we make. That is a huge part of your sensibility. Another huge part of your sensibility is made of the music that you love in the genre in which you are working. Developing your sensibility just means listening to a lot of stuff and figuring out what you love.

[@studio48nl]

I use a 'Flurry' for that rumbling sample sound. Even a 'Chimera' is able to create those sounds in extreme settings.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice! I did a video on noise a little while ago, and indeed there are lots of fun way to make and use noise(y)/textures and what not. Enjoy!

[@denniso7937]

this is SOOO interesting and helpful!! Can we get a second edition with more ideas?! SUPER NICE! Maybe you can take some famous Modular artists as inspiration? "How to Caterina Barbieri" or "How to Helene Vogelsinger"? or maybe just a "How to Monotrail" ;)

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, thanks! Verry happy to hear it :) Was a bit nervous about this one, as indeed there are many things that could use a lot more attention, but happy to shine more light on things in the future! Cheers!

[@dessiplaer]

Hi, new subscriber here. I was wondering. When finalize your composition, do you record it all at once, or do you multitrack the various sections. Is it cheating to use multitrack in a DAW? I am using a software based modular system, and although it is possible, it's difficult to jump around trying to get to all the controls in real time. I very much enjoyed the video, and I though it was very helpful.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

There's no rules and cheating in music. All depends on what you like, and how you get the results you are after :) For me, I like to focus most on music I can perform live, so that means I mostly jam and record things as a single stereo track, and try and improve my skills on making that sound better. But also enjoy sequencing more complicated melodies in a DAW. And I think multitracking is for sure best when you want more freedom to finetune and eq a quality release. So, as you like :)

[@neuzethmusic131]

Btw I find the "mixing" part by far the hardest... I always feel bad somehow when EQing, it feels like cutting away a part of the body of the sound. Hard to explain, I hope you understand what I mean. Another problem is, I really adore the works of Alessandro Cortini and Caterina Barbieri... and I compare my ambient tracks with them... which is really hard and painful, because these two artists set the level so high. Sometimes it's overwhelming for me, it's is hard when you want be really good, and the more I know after 10 years into ambient, the harder it gets.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

I agree. Controlling levels is a rough job. For a final mix, or when performing I'd say controlling levels is perhaps the main job. Also get the 'cutting' part. For this it really helps to mix/cut in the mix. If you solo a sound and then cut it feels like you are losing a lot, while you might not hear the difference in the mix. Also note that what I say and do in this video is a bit crude and more aimed for live, and or as as a concept. When mixing you often don't want to just cut all lows and or highs from a sound, but look at the frequency spectrum of individual sounds in more detail.

[@neuzethmusic131]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Thanks for your detailed reply! I watched your channel growing for years now... And the mixing, I just love grainy textures and a low fi sound somehow, to me masters of ambient are also masters of texture. I have a real problem with too polished electronic music, I find it sterile and lacking character. But this is my personal opinion.

[@el_dani]

Buy Mutable Instruments. (one step: goal achieved) or in the box: buy The Century by Puremagnetik (costs half as much in sale as the regular Mutable module)

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks for sharing! Mutable is hard these days, but there are some clones out there. will have a look at the Century! Cheers :)

[@russ254]

sorry, I'm 38 seconds late!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Better late than not at all, 38 sec is fine ;)

[@eyeprod3101]

Ahh! C'mon man, don't empower noobs to try and make ambient music on a modular. I'm kind of kidding, but not really. The world is saturated with beginnners who think they need to post every little epiphany online. It's becoming tiring. Good ambient music is made by people who put in the time and honed their skills and craft. It takes an understanding of subtleties and a healthy bit of taste, otherwise it can be VERY generic. Less is more is a concept that can take many years for some of us to understand properly and be able to put into action. Thanks for the work you do on this great channel :)

[@ElectronisoundsAudio]

Wow... gatekeep much?

[@eyeprod3101]

@@ElectronisoundsAudioMaybe in some ways

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

@eyeprod3101 Hi there! Glad you like my work, but have to share there are some thoughts there I think you should reconsider :) I don’t think you meant that sentence to heavy, but denying people empowerment to create or maintain a forced ‘superiority’ is bad in any case. On a lighter note, I think a healthy community, music or otherwise, thrives when people support each other, join hands and welcome new members on all levels. A lot of people that listen to ambient music are interested in it, curious about it, and thinking of making it, or making it themselves. If I go to modular conventions, literally the entire community is based on people making music, or interested in making music. Welcoming new members, helping them along, letting them have fun on whatever level they like, or surpass you and become a staple carrying the community further is the way to go. My entire life is based on sharing, and people rewarding that. Just some thoughts!

[@neuzethmusic131]

Everybody should make the music they want to make! Making ambient is often also a form of therapy for the creator. But I agree, not everything and every fart should be thrown on YT or other platforms. It takes 3 weeks to a month for me to create a decent 4min ambient piece. And I mean, working on it every day.

[@eyeprod3101]

@@MonotrailTechTalk I agree for the most part. I stand by my assertion that music is something that takes time and dedication to succeed, or become "superior" at. There's nothing stopping a person from becoming great given enough time and passion. I always enjoy talking to people at my shows and am happy to answer any questions about my gear and methods with long or short answers. I also like working with kids. That said, I strongly oppose the world of "canned" music that exists nowadays with too many cheats and easy ways for non-musicians (those who haven't put in the time to learn an actual instrument) to think they are musicians. I may be a snob, but once you learn to make real homemade food then a slice of cheap frozen pizza isn't so tasty.