Microwave Background

[mariosprt]

Hi guys.
Here is my first ambient track, so I'm counting on your comments for ideas to improve it.
I was sitting on it for 2 or 3 weeks, trying to find what needed changing, but in the end I didn't change much since I started it. I was afraid of filling the arrangement too much (maybe I did it anyway).
Not sure about the melody at ... or the perc. And definitely needs better mixing.
What do you guys think? Too much? Too little?


Thanks
Mario

https://soundcloud.com/mariosprt74/microwave-background

[S1gnsOfL1fe]

This is your FIRST ambient track?!? And it's THIS good?

Wow. :eek:

You've got a VERY bright future ahead of you my friend in ambient music. Seriously!!!

I'm not joking either. This is such a gorgeous piece of music. Personally I LOVE that percussion sound. I love the melodies too...they're hidden and it's full of deep emotion and mystery. Why were you sitting on this so long? Dude you've got what it takes!!!!!!!

Really great work Mario. Now I can't wait to hear more!

Cheers!

-S1gns

[seismic1]

Great atmosphere. The drone is great. It has a soft quality that sits very well with the melodies in the mid/background. Love the percussion too. The sound choices were great on here. I wouldn't have guessed that this was your first ambient track.

Good work, Mario :thumbsup:

[Bobbotov]

One thing might want to try is spatial panning. Especially on the percussion. It will add some movement against the drone sound. Not sure what plugins you have but there are some surround sound plugins that will allow for automatic panning. It can make a big difference and opens up the panorama.

[mariosprt]

Thank you guys :D
After a couple of trials, I found the resulting tracks to be too busy to be ambient.
I wasn't sure about this one at first, because it seemed to just feel right! I really can't take the credit for the sounds, they are mostly Alchemy standard presets (what an amazing synth), modified, of course; Arturia Jupiter8V, and a drum machine sample pack in Ultrabeat, processed with delays and reverbs.

@Bobbotov: thanks for the suggestions, will try panning some sounds w/ automation, I'll look into Logic's more creative plugins for that movement. Great ideas!

Thank you for your support guys!

[Bobbotov]

I wouldn't worry too much about how "busy" an ambient track is. Ambient does not necessarily mean minimalist or amorphic. Drones can have movement in them and subtle evolving sounds. Be creative and experiment. Don't be afraid to include melodic elements either. To me personally, Ambient is about sonically sculpting space: i.e. width and depth, with movement. And don't be afraid to add some surprises. Drone music can actually become quite boring and tedious after awhile and the mind needs stimulation to keep it interested.

[Frozen Lonesome]

I like the dense sounds and the wave like pulses of the sound coming and going. The percussion really fits the drone. My only suggestion would be to add more bass into the percussion for more impact.

[asteroid anxiety]

Good stuff