Sequencing Secrets 🤫🎶

How do you create those lush, evolving, and organic sequences without using a traditional step sequencer? Here are a few of my secrets on how to create this style using some delay and sequencing techniques.
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⮟⮟⮟ Timecodes: ⮟⮟⮟
0:00 Intro
0:52 Today's Goal
1:31 Example Track
2:03 Sequencing 101
2:13 1/4 Note Sequencing
2:38 The Basics of Delay
3:07 Dotted 1/8th Note Delay Explained
4:09 Adding 1/8th Notes to Quarter Notes
4:55 Eighth Note Sequences Explained
5:26 Using Ping Pong Dotted Eighth Note Delay
5:59 1/16th Note Sequences
6:41 Removing Notes to Create Space
7:35 Main Sequencing Example
8:12 Sequencing Top Tip
9:17 Drawing Organic Sounding Sequences
10:27 Adding Velocity
11:06 Main Example Listening
11:45 Sequencing Percussion
14:25 End Result
15:14 Final Thoughts
15:37 Outro
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#ambient #sequencing #musicproduction

[@DavidRutterGuitarCrayzee]

I was forced to abandon my former life as a classic rock guitarist a couple of years ago, due to manual dexterity problems. Rather than give up on music altogether, I became interested in ambient electronic music production & sound design. So there I was with years of experience as a live performer, but a total noob when it came to psychedelic music genres, production, etc. I like many others no doubt, have scoured the internet in search of knowledge. I have waded through countless hours of so called tutorials and can say with conviction, hand on heart, that you will find no better ambient production tutorials than right here on S1gns Of L1fe. I mean OMG !!! How lucky are we to have one of the finest ambient music producers on the planet, willing to devote so much time into helping others by sharing his wisdom and expertise. Chris Bryant. You are an awesome human being

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

You totally made my day. Thank you!!

[@designhappens8444]

That's a technique useful in everything in life...Slow down, find out what you want to express, and then do it at whatever pace you like...

[@addictedtocraic]

Wow. That halftime tip is a game changer.

[@scottvincent770]

Love this topic. My adds for next-level sequencing would be (1) Counterpoint and (2) Polymetrics. The technique you presented of 'spray & pray" is a good way to get going (especially for random bass lines). Next comes finding the 'motive' for the piece. Since ambient music is more about 'the flow' and sound variation more than writing jingle melodies one needs to think about how to hook the listener into the trance space. I use counterpoint methods to enhance the bass line. for that to pair with the bass line an interesting motivic line (i.e. a catchy sequence) but split it into 'call and response' sections. Having a call then a response is, for me at least, a great way to extend trancey pieces. If I feel really savvy I'll add another motivic line and use notes from a related scale to add some non-diatonic ear candy. Now, these two motives usually run polymetric to each other. That means one sequence might be 7 notes where the other is 11. One could go smaller or larger with note counts. I am an advocate of sequencer plugins such as Thesys, Kirnu, etc... A good sequencer like that will allow you to then add polymetric modulation to your sequences. You can have a 13-step velocity modulation against a 5-step gate modulation against a 7-step note sequence. Some sequencers (e.g. HY tools) allow you to program the probability per step being played for even more organic sound sequences (I often use that for my second motivic lines where I can program the probability of the non-diatonic note).

[@devicemeister]

You are dragging me deeper and deeper into the Ambient realm with your inspiring videos. And I will not resist 😉

[@jenssieckmann]

I'm a sucker for orchestral filmmusic. The term in in that genre is called "ostinato", mainly played by strings.

[@omarfadelhaditopics]

THANKS FOR VIDEO CHRIS

[@mooratnight]

as an aspiring ambient music creator, your videos help a tremendous amount. thank you very much, keep it up.

[@JumpingCow]

Really good! Great ideas.

[@theneonpact9496]

Always good content. Too tired to specify right now, just leaving this to help you with the almighty algorithm.

[@sonfx]

Excellent hi hat trick!

[@raoulznedle8260]

Always pleasure to watch SOL videos.

[@GreenGuitarNerd]

This one was excellent. Lots that I feel I can apply to my own workflow.

[@moondustweb]

Thanks for this tip. Why am i only now founding your video's?!?

[@amado7760]

Nice man, cheers :)

[@behranghakami2781]

Great Video Chris! Really an interesting subject. Didn't expect that slowing down the tempo could be such a powerfull tool. Now i finally know how you made that good damm awesome sequence in Particle Complex :)

[@JackOnSkates]

Always incredibly practical, actionable and inspiring info. Thanks so much for being the clearest and best source for ambient tutorials!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

You are so welcome! Cheers and thank you.

[@voidofwoid]

Greetings from Germany. Very well done!👍

[@Blaq.Liquid]

Another heater. Thanks Chris.

[@PabloRodriguezwhyCharlieWhy]

Great tutorial .. sometimes we forget basic stuff like this.... great reminder for me to get the basics to be creative... and by the way, I love to use randomness on the Velocity, and Ableton random function on the clip is good to do that

[@Hoerschwelle71]

I like your way of imparting your knowledge

[@sion-music]

Love the t-shirt :) i've spent many many hours listening to dronezone 😄

[@pk3776]

Well good 🙏👍💯

[@robbybobbyhobbies]

Without doubt the most useful and inspirational video I've seen on this basic skill. I've already made a couple of little micro-compositions whilst watching and I'm only up to 12:20. Subscribed.

[@musafirutube]

Thanks

[@PhilippBaumann]

Great technique to slow things down! Thx Chris!

[@nate4732]

Awesome work! This was super helpful

[@EdCosico]

Thank you for these great tutorials!

[@linerider5319]

fascinating :)

[@dimakoo2696]

Awesome video! Thanks 🙏

[@cameronw9377]

Good video, thank you for this.

[@shinezacharias3118]

Great video Chris 🔥🙏🔥

[@NatureRelaxingSoundsOfficial]

Love it!!!!! Very helpful!!!! You just got a new subscriber!!!!!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

What's your sequencing secret? 🔊 ⮟⮟⮟ Timecodes: ⮟⮟⮟ 0:00 Intro 0:52 Today's Goal 1:31 Example Track 2:03 Sequencing 101 2:13 1/4 Note Sequencing 2:38 The Basics of Delay 3:07 Dotted 1/8th Note Delay Explained 4:09 Adding 1/8th Notes to Quarter Notes 4:55 Eighth Note Sequences Explained 5:26 Using Ping Pong Dotted Eighth Note Delay 5:59 1/16th Note Sequences 6:41 Removing Notes to Create Space 7:35 Main Sequencing Example 8:12 Sequencing Top Tip 9:17 Drawing Organic Sounding Sequences 10:27 Adding Velocity 11:06 Main Example Listening 11:45 Sequencing Percussion 14:25 End Result 15:14 Final Thoughts 15:37 Outro

[@waveform-synths]

"What's your sequencing secret?" - HY-SEQ32...! Half speed is a good method of checking your results, particularly when using delays...

[@nudger1965]

Nice one Chris! I also experiment with not only the velocity but set the chance to 50% on all notes on certain tracks to get an evolving soundscape as there is a 50% chance any of the notes will play or not. LFO's are also good at randomizing things like rates on arpeggiators too.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Great tip!

[@nudger1965]

@@s1gns0fl1fe No problem. Another one would be to make clip length slightly different if you are after an ever evolving soundscape, It has a tape loop kind of effect where it's never quite the same everytime you play it.

[@lukeroberts3464]

Album sequencing is a musician’s way of telling a longer form of storytelling aka chapters in a book 📖 but for music 🎼.

[@przemekx4182]

thank you....

[@lefriseur]

Yeah more of this

[@PlectrumShorts]

This is the 3rd or 4th of your videos I’ve watched. All have been great and useful. I haven’t searched yet, so I’m going to be lazy and ask: Do you have any related to tones, techniques, approaches to using guitar in ambient music? Thanks for the great stuff!

[@TheCubeMusic]

Yes 🙌 awesome 👏 Chris got to watch it again, but miss ya and wanted to say, I cannot wait to join the patreon but was hoping for beginners absolute beginners in Ableton to Advanced tutorials showing how to use push 2 and Ableton Live you could sell these tutorials on your website and give access to them via Patreon ???

[@KosmoDeuz]

How you made this crackles hi pitch percussivesounds ?

[@TexasTimelapse]

Excellent video! Being a newbie, could you do a video on your gear and PC specs? Did you build the audio workstation yourself? Maybe a room tour video? Thanks for all you do.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Thank you! Check my uploaded videos. I did a studio tour about 6 months ago. Links to all of my gear is in the description. Cheers!

[@TexasTimelapse]

@@s1gns0fl1fe Thanks! I even looked before I posted my question but missed it. LOL!

[@lukeroberts3464]

Is album sequencing and travklisting same or different from each other?

[@starshipdiscotheque6350]

any recommandation for a vst step-sequencer which controls external hardware per step with all hw-parameters, for example an jomox alphabase

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Stepic is my favorite. To control hardware use the VST version with cc's. Link in description!

[@starshipdiscotheque6350]

@@s1gns0fl1fe oh thanks for your quick answer. I just discovered your videos. cool stuff. I have a cirklon and sometimes I despair about the complexity and I fear definitely for my workflow it "stucks" between my hardware and daw (ableton) which I want to record everything in the end

[@starshipdiscotheque6350]

@@s1gns0fl1fe thanks. it's also working in live ? it's bit of confusion on the webseite

[@starshipdiscotheque6350]

I mean ableton live :-)

[@IvarFritjofHansen]

What BPM is reccomended in ambient music sire. is it 95 85 or slower.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

I would say anywhere from 70-85 BPM is a great starting point.

[@IvarFritjofHansen]

@@s1gns0fl1fe thanks for the good tips of good BPM..