Ambient Techniques?

I've been making some new stuff for my project called 'Sleep Assistant', which is mostly ambient with deep bass and subdued (and some times abstracted) rhythms. Right now my MPC is mostly on rhythm, one-shot and sequencing duty while I fiddle with knobs on my various synths/modules.

Everything is working as it should and I've been having a lot of fun with it but, when I was at the arcade last night, I was thinkin' of different ways abouts creating ambient/drony/spacey layers with just the MPC 1K +/- what ever sample sources. The only catch here is that I do not want to have to rely on my laptop/synthesizers to sample already drony sounds. I'd like to be able to start making them from the ground up through just manipulating field recordings, etc.

Any one here use their MPC in such a way or have any tips/pointers to share otherwise?

Sleep Assistant started off as a solo-MachineDrum project. I'm un/fortunately an insomniac so - the goal was to make lullaby music for myself while I was in bed. Trying to get this back to a one-machine deal but no stress if I can't right now.

Figured I'd ask da masterz.

Not to derail your thread, on a side-note: have you heard of slaapwell records?
They specialise in putting out music to fall asleep to.
The guy that runs it said something like "If it doesn't make me fall asleep within 20 minutes, I won't put it out" , or words to that effect.

You can stream most of their releases on Bandcamp.
I particularly like this one...

http://slaapwel.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-paths


I had a similar project to yours about 30 years ago.
I only had a reel to reel tape recorder at the time and used to record mostly ambient music and slow it down to half speed to create bass heavy , dreamy, extended soporific tracks, in the hope of inducing sleep.
Giving my secret techniques away now.

I think with JJOS you can set up the foward-back looping already.
Me'sa very interested in the bowtie loop though, shall be experimenting.

And I'll look into that record label. Sounds interesting!

looking forward to hearing that stuff..


I just finished an album in the works for a long time... composed almost entirely with field recordings taken around town, in abandoned buildings... all over the place. Some added drums in some songs that aren't field recordings.. some songs have some synths.. but the core is field recordings which I have been taking for over 10 years. I am just working on the cover art part of the album and I will put it out.


Field recordings can be very interesting. try stuff you wouldn't expect... if you have some recording of let's say a busy train station with people talking... noise.. now pitch it down really low.... but see what odd sounds might appear in the high frequency range that maybe you didn't hear before.... or mess around with other sounds in that fashion. Let's say you have a recording of the road outside your window... now pitch it down a bit, try a bandpass filter on it... and maybe cut it up. now fill that sound's cuts rhythmically in your drum pattern like it's also a drums pattern... could have crazy results that sound rugged. Never know... plus you have the 1000 so that is like infinite sample time.

@Lamp - Thanks for the breakdown amigo.

@Debauch - Have you already uploaded/released that album? I'd love to hear what you've done with your field recordings. Always had such a blast with them in my other gear, just haven't got around to putting any of that shtuff in my MPC yet.

Tomorrow shall be spent in the laboratory!

not yet.. I did the album mix about a week ago, but didn't get the album cover, art, etc.. done yet. I also have to write the info for the tracks, which I don't normally do but I need to this time around. I will probably post a thread once I get it done, even though it's not really hip hop (there is some sort of hip hoppish stuff in there though)..


I look forward to finding out what you wind up doing too, lately I have been doing some mpc and synth improv type stuff lately..

Get a looping drone sample, then play it several times at the same time, each instance slightly detuned. You'll get thick, phaser effects. You can even apply a slight
Lfo to the pitch for flanger or chorus effect too. pan each layer slightly differently, and filter diffently for extra texture.

Some turntable feedback can give some nice analog droning sounds, just use a cheap ceramic needle and point a speaker directly at the needle.

oh that is cool...


I used to do the bass trick with touching the end of a 1/4" cable that is plugged into the sample input.. then filter it.

recording things and slowing them down. Cassette / something with adjustable head speed will help!

You heard of Bazil Kirchin? Think he used to slow down the sound of fly's flappign wings and shit........crazy dude. Got some really weird ambient / industrial shit before that was even a thing.

So many good ideas! Now I need to go take some acid and go around with a field recorder, learn to speak 'bee' and then conduct them to flap their wings at different speeds.

F*ck samplers, synths, guitars... I'm getting a bee hive and some LSD.

^tiger and wasps can sound good in music

that shit is awesome debauch. cheers