Make 90s ambient downtempo like in Parasite Eve / Silent Hill

Classic sample CD's, E-MU and Akai samplers, uncanny romplers....the tools used to create some of the best melancholic ambient music found in survival horror games like Parasite Eve and Silent Hill. Let's take a look at how to recreate something similar in the modern age. #silenthillps1 #bitwigstudio #musicproduction
Grey Corp - Global Control Album: greycorp.bandcamp.com/album/global-control
How to create ethereal ambient pads: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnLGmWSHZa6imsU
How to create an 808 jungle bass: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2bUaHdjeJepjM0
How Silent Hill music was made: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5ikqJ98j7Nrfsk
sc: soundcloud.com/thoughtformsdnb
bc: djbobbylight.bandcamp.com
ig: tf.dnb
Need some atmospheric pads for your next choon? I gotcha covered: thoughtforms.gumroad.com
Want to support the channel AND get access to even more videos like this one? Check me out over on Patreon: www.patreon.com/thoughtforms
@0:00 Intro & Final Example
@0:59 Example Tune (Parasite Eve)
@1:18 How was it done in the 90s?
@2:08 The Ambient Pad
@5:12 FX & Atmos
@8:43 Drums
@10:25 Bass
@11:48 Final Tune
@12:28 Sample CDs to check out
@12:50 More Silent Hill Music History
@13:11 Grey Corp - Global Control on Bandcamp

[@Thought-Forms]

Hey Gang - Greatly appreciate the support! If you enjoyed this video & others on the channel, be sure to check me out on Patreon for even more exclusive videos in the same vein: www.patreon.com/thoughtforms

[@worldofmuu]

Save Room jams forever

[@Thought-Forms]

Idling in the save room for 9 hours while i fall asleep

[@vonexel6046]

need more psx's horror games inspired tutorials

[@davidmcgirr]

Absolutely, you've got a great style too.

[@ghostflask]

yeah please

[@Lo-r3s]

Nexw ave

[@BEATSBYJAREL]

👍👍👍👍

[@BlackbirdProjectOne]

The 90s were a golden age for video game soundtracks, and this style was really the best of the best from that era. Thank you for the detailed breakdown and for taking me on this little trip down memory lane.

[@Thought-Forms]

Amen. Still pop in some ps1 games from time to time for the vibes alone. Thanks for the watch and comment!

[@pwnisher]

Dude GREEAAATT video! The nostalgia is strong in this one for sure. I'm messing around with making ambient music like this and it's honestly super inspiring to see this approach. The sample CD method is gold. I'll have to look into those.

[@Thought-Forms]

Cheers pwnisher! Definitely check some of those sample cd's out, goldmines for the style. Doesn't get much better

[@vadersgoldfish]

Oh the nostalgia! I’ve still got a copy of that old Dream Zone sample CD somewhere. It was one of the first sample CDs I bought.

[@Thought-Forms]

Such a good one, too!

[@jvedra9041]

PE stuck with me for it’s soundtrack and the fact that I NEVER forgot what mitochondria is.

[@Thought-Forms]

> Silent Hill soundtrack, imo :)

[@MegaIceLynx]

As I’m working on a Parasite Eve sampled vaporwave-esque project: this greatly helps to craft more songs. Everyone’s favorite is Out of Phase

[@John-mf1sz]

Oh yeah. I love that one. I love the entire OST though, it’s such a classic. That theme goes so hard especially.

[@jakey1306]

I definitely want to hear this when it's done!!!

[@nickwallette6201]

This scratches an itch deeeeeep within my musical soul.

[@Thought-Forms]

Same here, Nick! Loved Myst back in the day. Soundtrack is so important. PS1 games 100% had the best soundtracks out there. Still have my PS1 + a solid collection of games, largely for the soundtracks / aesthetic alone. truly amazing production technique from that era

[@dmitrygreen2960]

3 minutes in and the dedication to recreating the vibe of these classic tracks is already very apparent. Thank you for all you do! 😎

[@Thought-Forms]

Hey, thanks dmitry! I love this stuff, just happy to share with the crew

[@tfdima]

Nice name 😎

[@sophisitcatedpsyco]

Love a good safe room type beat

[@BEATSBYJAREL]

Same❤

[@MattStevens9824]

I knew those library covers looked familiar from the zero-g site 😅 Listening to the music here without the game, I'd never think they'd fit within a horror soundtrack because it makes me think of a hotel or bar lounge. Recalling these games now (PE and SIlent Hill) the music echoed feelings of wonder, cold mystery and reprieve just before things went crazy in-game. Thanks for the lovely tips and walk through amnesia lane! It made me fire up the DAW to see what I could play with from the developer games in the same period.

[@Thought-Forms]

Hehe :) Kind of cool they still sell some of these sample cd's on their website. I've always associated this kind of music with the same, "hotel / lounge" music is such a good description. Hope the production session went well!

[@juliocallirgos1998]

Wow, I like what I'm seeing here and I'm very happy. I mean, I love the 90s, That's my favorite decade and Those years were wonderful times because There was good music and There were good movies. I wasn't born in those times, but I'll always remember that decade. Thank you very much for all this, I really appreciate it.

[@VultureCulture]

This video is why I come to KZbin! Thank you so much!

[@Thought-Forms]

Much appreciated, Vulture! Love your videos my friend. Keep up the great work with all those great classic synths

[@brainc0la-_-]

I like how relaxed these sounds feel. I don't want to party all the time y'know?

[@threeeyedtribe]

I do indeed!

[@LL-yd8zz]

They make me really uneasy actually. It's not really party time music indeed, but I couldn't relax to it at all, it makes me feel like something is burrowing into my head.

[@AvithOrtega]

This tune really yells the 90s atmosphere sound, I also liked how you fine tuned the samples to make them fit even better with the rest of the sounds, so this was a really good tutorial. And of course thank you for the shout out!

[@Thought-Forms]

Thanks so much, Avith! Keep doing what you're doing, you're one of the best for this sound. :)

[@monokuromasu2409]

Fam, you have no idea how much these two games have inspired me. Seeing this video and hearing Out of Phase is gonna be your musical compass made me smile ear to ear brodie. That or Breeze in Monochrome Night are my references before I get started on any track. Mad love for turning more people on to these immaculate vibes. I've made two projects over the last few years that are directly inspired by Silent Hill, Maria and Mary that you can check out. I wanted to run these vibes through my musical filter, so to speak. I made them for us and for others to get into this over the last 10 years. Please stop by and see how Yamaoka and Shimomura are out here inspiring people all over the world. P.S. My next project is Aya 😊

[@monokuromasu2409]

Also, if you're looking for more ambient/electronic vibes in this style, Avith Ortega produces this style like no one else. He's also doing his part to get more people into these beats that bring us peace. Be well, forms. Edit: ah, I see your a man of culture as well.

[@Thought-Forms]

Much love my friend! Thank you for the comment & sharing love. Love to load up one of these games and let it run while producing, really helps get you in that creative mood, like you're scoring the game personally. I'm excited to check out some of your projects, and stoked to hear there is a community focused on this type of sound

[@crownchakra9202]

what’s your projects called? Would love to listen

[@LeReal]

Bro how the heck did I find you here on this video the algorithm gave me 🤣

[@BuiltbyF]

SSX/cool boarders style y2k dnb/jungle could be a good future video! Possibly a bit redundant after the 90s jungle one, but I'd argue they're distinct enough to warrant it 😅

[@DistantStations420]

I really like the way you present the tutorial those little silent hill clips add a lot of charm , most tutorials feel like a sterile product

[@Thought-Forms]

appreciate it my friend! thank you for watching

[@SWVNGGVNG]

Can’t wait to get home and check this out

[@Anwah]

this contribution is greatly appreciated.

[@biokode]

Would love to learn how to create those 90s pads from scratch too!

[@Thought-Forms]

Already got something cookin 💪

[@r4x2]

Get a Roland ROMpler or other similar PCM rack module synth.

[@EchoFaustMusic]

Loooots of layering and filters. I personally use the Korg Triton for a lot of that myself

[@then_comes_dudley9142]

did you make this video specifically for me? because i think you made this video *SPECIFICALLY* for me

[@Thought-Forms]

🤫

[@SneakerP_FnF]

One of my favorite games of all time. Scared me when I was younger

[@jjbeatss4275]

these vids are so good man and insanely relaxing to watch. great insight as well for me as someone getting into sound design. Keep it up!!

[@greycell2442]

Remember the EMU Orbit 3 yellow rack? I want it, just to have it. I miss the 90's trance and chill-out. That was the physical embodiment of that era. A whopping 64MB rompler

[@Thought-Forms]

That thing was a beast! I had the OG 9090 Orbit, always wanted the 3, super hard to find now

[@nofrownrecords]

Just wanted to say thank you for all you do, without this video I probably wouldn't have made my last album. Forever grateful!

[@Thought-Forms]

AWwwwww yea! Thanks mate, really makes me stoked to hear that. Keep it up

[@kudziisuuASMR]

Really enjoying this series in specific, this genre, stuff with ethereal pads, down tempo, ambient drum and bass its gotten me back into music, hope you can do more you earned a sub

[@Thought-Forms]

Awesome! Thank you. Glad to hear you're back into music, keep it up!

[@kudziisuuASMR]

I've been trying to think of how to get my own style, I play a lot of electric guitar but have been struggling to figure out how to incorporate it into this style of music. do you have an artists or songs where they used a guitar in a more ambient / 90s drum and bass style? for inspiration and such. i've done digging but cant find much @@Thought-Forms

[@domovoi_0]

Amazing! THANK YOU! Love and blessings.

[@steviewolfeofficial]

You have noooo idea how long ive wanted a tutorial like this.

[@XERAEN]

Excellent video! Thanks for taking the time to make and for putting so much effort into it!

[@Thought-Forms]

thank you XERAEN! glad you enjoyed it

[@HAZARDOUS88]

Thanks so much, it's beautiful!

[@MXXNMUSIC]

Such a great tutorial. Nice imagery and sounds too. Love it

[@Thought-Forms]

thank you!

[@kensley94]

Thank you again. love making ambient jungle

[@Jakeos2]

This was a great watch, gave me just the inspiration kick I have been looking for. thank you so much

[@Thought-Forms]

Thanks Jake! Glad you were able to get a kick from the video

[@totopolo2379]

great stuff i like your ambient approach

[@Thought-Forms]

thank you my friend!

[@learlawliet6197]

You are INCREDIBLE thank you ❤❤❤❤

[@qasperr994]

The Playstation 1 start-up sound.❤❤❤😊😊😊

[@adri.progression]

love the atmosphere, I'm applying these techniques to my own production. Your video editing and the pacing is great and the recommendations are super cool. thanks for sharing :)

[@Thought-Forms]

thanks so much adri! stoked to hear what you come up with

[@koenignero]

This is fantastic!!!!!!!

[@Thought-Forms]

Thank you mate!

[@megamatt1915]

amazing tutorial!!! thank you so much!

[@Thought-Forms]

thanks mate!

[@djentlover]

I'm so happy that I'm not alone with being in love with silent hill sound design

[@XandroR2]

THANK YOU I FUCKING LOVE YOUR AMBIENT PAD TUTORIALS 😁😁😁❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@Thought-Forms]

thank you!!

[@nsjx]

appreciated. i just hear good ol'. 90's warp tuneage... gdamn missed so bad. some lovely lovely musick was made. really appreciate the vid. nice result

[@ChristopherGun]

beautiful nostalgia

[@MrJoldroyd]

Man, I appreciate your channel so much. So rare to find such high quality, bitwig specific videos on exactly the kind of music I want to experiment with

[@Thought-Forms]

Thanks man! Glad you're finding everything useful, and always good to hear from another Bitwig user :)

[@nuclear5748]

Amazing... I was able to do this on FL Studio as well. Thank you so much for creating this video!

[@djdspence]

I just want to say thankyou so much. This was one of my personal favorite games growing up. I played the this game non stop and the soundtrack definetely helped me along the way because it was so beautiful to listen to. I still play the sound track from the final boss called Femme Fatales and Myas theme from the chrysler building for my own leisure. This is a striaght nerd moment for me 🤓. Now that I produce I can finally start making video game music

[@Thought-Forms]

You're welcome, thank you for watching! One of my favorite games too, the soundtrack helped enhance the experience no doubt. Get after it!

[@effortless4588]

Needed this

[@witheredmedia]

love that dreamy pad

[@SkippyZii]

9:07 I instantly recognized that sample also being used in the game over theme of FNF

[@mutedmutiny9542]

The parasite eve soundtrack is one of the best ever. EVER.

[@Thought-Forms]

100%!

[@AmbientAssemblage]

fantastic video. need to try some of these techniques for my own music now :)

[@Thought-Forms]

thank you friend!

[@LdotSdot210]

always been into trip-hop but my family was too broke to afford video game consoles growing up so i missed out on a lot of these game soundtracks. gotta check em out though.

[@OmaReign]

Man I love your videos and tutorials, I would like to see you try creating the PAD used in the soundtrack White Noiz by Akira Yamaoka from Silent hill 2 that pad has a special place in my heart, I know he used a sample but I can’t remember the CD but I believe the sample was called DayBreak.

[@Thought-Forms]

Thank you so much! Looks like it was from Distorted Reality 2: Darkness & Light by Spectrasonics (came out in 98.) Being that Eric Persing was behind that, I wouldn't be surprised if that sample was in Omnisphere. I know Eric has a few interviews talking about the synths and techniques he used to create those old cd's, can try digging around and giving it a go

[@OmaReign]

@@Thought-Forms thanks for the history behind it really appreciate it, keep up the great content 💯

[@fatalkookie]

amazing video!

[@Thought-Forms]

thank you!

[@russiangoose7053]

Please do more PS1 style music tutorials! Maybe something like resident evil or silent hill! Im so glad i found your channel, im new to electronic music and old games are what got me into it haha

[@Thought-Forms]

hell yea! happy to do some more in the genre. appreciate your comment and hope your production journey is going well

[@LORDSofCHAOS333]

need to use theme for my retro style games too nice too see that is sample magic so

[@TheColorofQuantum]

Literally all I had to do was see this title and I subscribed

[@Thought-Forms]

:)

[@d3vs3b96]

Really love this video, I feel motivated to make Trip-hop thanks silent hill OST, Massive Attack, Portishead, and Nine Inch Nails (well is industrial rock but Yamaoka feel inspired by Trent's noisy, saturated an raw sound). I have released music with a similar sound like this since 2021. But I guess I defined my own sound since this year, and maybe I'll keep evolving idk so far I enjoy watching videos like this cause keeps the vibe and those memories of me being a kid playing PS1 games at home alone and the fear for the unknown with those survival horror games. Keep the good videos bro

[@Chillmvster]

Trent is the man

[@Thought-Forms]

Thank you! Been listening to a ton of Portishead lately, amazing group. Hope this gave you some ideas for your productions. Keep grindin!

[@robertjustinbrown1564]

Recognised the Fog Sample from Zero-G straight away, was used in Lemon Jelly's 'In The Bath' (1998) kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5rIY56Hndtor8k

[@Thought-Forms]

Oh wow! Great ear (and bangin tune too)

[@robertjustinbrown1564]

@@Thought-Forms Thanks, keep up the good work.

[@christiantorma2440]

Klasse gemacht

[@matias9929]

amazing video bro! looks weird at first bc i never saw that "bitwig" daw, but all the knowledge could be interpolated to any daw

[@Thought-Forms]

thanks matias! bitwig is pretty crazy looking isnt it? But exactly, all this can be done in any daw - just gotta transfer the technique

[@Povilaz]

Very interesting!

[@uwulydia]

Great vid!

[@Thought-Forms]

thank you!

[@lhzawk]

Hey man, it's cool that you've touched on the industrial side of the 90s rompler/sample cd sound. It would be cool if you made more tutorials for the harsher style of this kind of music. Some suggestions, The Digital Hardcore Records and ATR/Alec empire stuff, Illbient, trip hop and ambient dub, maybe even noise and death industrial/PE if you wish. And other stuff with simmilar vibes("aesthetic" ) to all of these collections of sounds👍

[@Thought-Forms]

Cheers, thanks for the comment and suggestions! plan to cover some trip hop / downtempo stuff, will explore those other adjacent genres too and see what makes sense :)

[@Hauteclaire16]

@@Thought-Formsplease do! Really looking forward to seeing trip-hop and downtempo content!

[@TABBYMUSIC]

7:17 off topic but I recognise this sample from Lemon Jelly - In The Bath

[@elianmusic7452]

YES DUDE

[@raspberryarizona]

As a kid I loved watching my dad and brother play Parasite Eve... the dog cutscene forever engraved in my head. Was too scared to play it though. Really enjoyed the intro song.

[@Thought-Forms]

The original dark souls style boss intro :) Cheers!

[@bs_blackscout]

Parasite Eve 2

[@theMaxTero]

My only critic of the video is that the music overpowers you. It should definitely be WAY lower since it annoyed me so much that I had to just skip to the moments were there was no music/low music. Other than that, you really did the damn thing! You were able to capture the feels of the games from that era!

[@giullianomartini]

Man, i love your channel so much; it helps me be more creative as a composer. But when I go to make the same things from your tutorials on my Ableton Live they sound terrific bad. hahahahaha It's time for me to switch to Bitwig!

[@Thought-Forms]

Hey, thank you my friend! Glad to hear they're helping you get the creative juices flowing. Practice practice practice, you can get there in Ableton too :) (Though I am biased to Bitwig, hehehe)

[@yourunemployedfriendat2pm]

The DAW has nothing to do with the sound

[@LilCreps]

Dude that demon sample sounds so awesome! U can make a banger techno track out of it! Where do you even find these kind of sample packs??? They are so unconventional and underground.

[@Thought-Forms]

Wild samples on that CD! There were a ton of these sample cd's out in the 90s, some a bit more popular (Spectrasonics stuff) and some a bit more underground. I dig on Ebay a lot and try to find some of the lesser known ones. The ones in this video were all pretty "known" to be fair

[@timornoscommovet1111]

This kind of Ambient-Electronica music reminds me of the Space Night Earthviews and FlowMotion shown on german TV

[@Thought-Forms]

Yes! I was looking at getting a couple of the Space Night videos on DVD, can still find them pretty cheap

[@timornoscommovet1111]

@@Thought-Forms The CDs contain even more Tracks than the video versions, including artists like The Orb, Leftfield, FSOL, Groove Armada, Massive Attack and lots of projects from the Rhein-Main area. I'm happy that you like those ones too :)

[@RedVelvetUnderground333]

Hella deeep

[@kkrvsh]

great video, is there a way to quickly get the key of any of the pad samples so that it makes it easier to add some other instruments

[@collinsutherland311]

Depending on your DAW there are tuning plugins, if you play it back you can see the frequency which should correspond to a note or notes

[@Thought-Forms]

collin's suggestion ^ for 3rd party stuff...there are VSTs by Mixed in Key and Hornet Plugins that will do something similar

[@TMsite12]

Great videos! Know of anywhere to get those old sample cd's still? =) thanks!

[@Thought-Forms]

Ebay / Reverb, Reddit search "90s sample cd's" and you'll find the goldmine

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

Okay

[@HeloIV]

What's the difference in using Bitwig's built in sampler vs something like TAL sampler? I'm currently using Ardour but I've just started using more samples and unfortunately as a daw it doesn't have as many options as Bitwig or Ableton so I'm looking around at different options. Awesome video btw

[@Thought-Forms]

Thank you! Biggest thing, imo, would be level of integration. You'll notice Bitwigs sampler can be controlled / edited directly in the device chain inside of Bitwig - meaning you don't have it open it in a new "window" like a 3rd party VST. May seem small, but it's nice & streamlined to work like that. Outside of that, really just comes down to features. Tal-Sampler is designed to emulate the "old school sampler" workflow from a feature perspective, whereas Bitwig's sampler is a much more modern take on the sampler

[@grxvs8519]

Who is the producer at 1:38? I couldn't quite hear what you said, thank you!

[@Thought-Forms]

Apologies, the audio was a bit off on this edit! That's Yoko Shimomura

[@catpriest]

whats ur opinion about kontakt libraries, omnisphere?

[@Thought-Forms]

not a fan of kontakt, but i do like omnisphere. Eric being behind it means quality, and you get a lot of sounds from some of these old sample cd's baked in

[@autistikicecream]

Oh man, old samplepacks were sooo creative and interesting! Those sound designers really thought out of the box... unlike the modern ones.... Thank you for the great video! ✨

[@Thought-Forms]

Yes! So much creativity in those old CD's. Appreciate the kind words on the vid, cheers

[@CygnusOrb]

How to make 90's game soundtracks: Insert breakbeat. Use lush pads and play only 2 notes Add twinkly piano amd plucks. Insert ramdom samples from anime. Repeat for 4 minutes. Done.

[@discothequeplus]

I used to (try to) do ambient on my initial projects 20 years ago. Tried to release a compilation recently on Magroove and they ask me for the payment receipt of samples! Free CDs I bought in the 2.000's, free VSTs I used. Now they took off and erased from Spotify my album without even tell me why. (on my track 'Denise' from blue_notes_orchestra i used a sample almost identical 4:31)

[@bmguitar]

reminds me of megami tensei games

[@nickdijcj1]

I think these tutorials are great but it would be more helpful if you did some tutorials on making these pads from scratch because you can't manipulate the chords properly its all transposition which is limiting imo

[@kade9476]

can anyone tell me what track is playing during 1:40 ?

[@Ryzasu]

where do you acquire these classic sample packs?

[@0ero809]

CAN YOU PLEASE DO THIS USING FL STUDiO PLUGINS? PLEASE

[@soydave1988]

Just apply the same concepts shown here to FL Studio. You can achieve most of the same stuff using the sampler in fl studio, directwave, or even slicex and applying effects in your mixer and whatnot

[@LonelyOwl]

Where did you download those CD samples from?

[@Sincerely_V_]

What is the song being used at 12:28 ? it sounds super familiar.

[@atavismdream]

It's just Parasite Eve again

[@AdiiAv3x]

Great video. What’s the track playing at 1:23 please??

[@PLT4MR]

The day of night - sh2

[@123456789tube100]

What song is played at 1.50

[@mht8461]

Akira Yamaoka - The Day Of Night

[@krisgebruers8471]

Some of those samplepacks are so hard to find :(

[@Thought-Forms]

For sure! Ebay / Reverb you can sometimes find a physical copy. Google and the website archive (org) will provide some additional direction (also, Zero-g still sells a lot of their classic sample cds on their website)

[@krisgebruers8471]

@@Thought-Forms Okay i wasn't aware of that, i have checked discogs and ebay several times for that Dream zone but without any success. Cheers

[@skwaab]

Internet archive has a whole bunch of these to nab. Download manager is recommended to bump your download speed.

[@xenstalker02]

Sounds like BoC

[@durko03]

What is the OST that plays from 1:19 to 2:09

[@dennishudson2407]

What is the name of the producer at 1:40? Can't make out what he said.

[@jojopac5055]

what genre of music is this called?

[@soydave1988]

Ambient /downtempo / IDM /Trip-hop (sorta)

[@vaiman7777]

Most of the samples were from Spectrasonics

[@cc_rbbit]

What is the name of the program you used?

[@Thought-Forms]

bitwig studio

[@cc_rbbit]

Thanks