Which gear for ambient music?

vitaminb · Joined: Feb 02, 2016 Posts: 3 Location: Belgrade

Dear friends,
Greetings from Belgrade!
Few words of introduction…I am academically trained composer (in old fashion way…paper and pen) and pianist, but for several years now I am working in non-music areas. Anyway,I feel that is is time to do my best and to try to make my way in to music business in upcoming years.
I am very fond of kind of a ambient, chill, down-tempo, drone…etc…music…something like Cell or Connect.Ohm
Please give me some advice for purchasing some appropriate gear, hardware or/and software for creating such music.
As I am a pianist - I am fond of hardware. I am thinking about purchasing some 73-88 keys solid keyboard. As I searched throught the internet I was attracted to Yamaha MOXF8 and Roland FA08, but I am definitely inloved in Casio PX5S. It is probably because of its mighty synth hex layers and possibility to design sound. Do You think that this keyboard is good to start with…?
Then, I suppose that I need some additional effects module…
…and DAW (which one?)…or maybe I forgot something?
Anyway, I would like to have a kind of equipment that will allow me to focus on the music and moment of creation and sounds exploration and not the kind of “to much programming” stuff…
Please help with gear setup suggestions.
As I am a beginner in this field I am aware that there is possibility that I am on a completely wrong way Smile

And in the end - is there a possibility to earn on internet from composing ambient music...do anybody manages...?
Cheers and thanks in advance!

soundwave106 · Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:28 pm Post subject:

Hardware wise, I think a lot of ambient composers tend to use hardware that aims at more synthetic tones, such as stuff from Waldorf (like the Blofeld). But since you are a piano player, a good 88 key board is probably a nice place to start.

My concern about the PX5S would be if it is too oriented towards "realistic" sounds compared to the workstations. Good for a few things (like a nice piano sound) but ambient doesn't tend to use too many bad tuba imitations. Smile

However, the demo vids I'm seeing may be hiding a pretty nice synth engine for all I know.

If you are a Macintosh user, I would kind of lean towards Logic Pro X as the DAW for the simple reason that it has Alchemy, which is probably one of the top plugins for ambient. (I still use my old PC copy, obtained before they were acquired by Apple, quite a bit). Logic also has a (in my opinion) much wider variety of plugins included than some of the other DAWs out there, which makes it easy to get started.

Beyond Alchemy, I also like Omnisphere quite a bit, and Diva for the analog pad type stuff.

FX, I tend to stick with software these days. To me the Valhalla reverb and echo plugins in particular have a real good ambient vibe and are worth springing for. I also use the Empty Room Systems Dimension D chorus a lot personally. Smile

vitaminb · Joined: Feb 02, 2016 Posts: 3 Location: Belgrade

Thank You @soundwave106!

In my opinion good things about Casio PX5S are:
- good piano action if we are looking for a real thing
- not the best, but solid piano, el. piano, organ and synth presets
- possibility to personaly design sounds using the „preset templates“
- synth hex layers and great possibility with live knobs for in-moment sound exploration (and live recording of it)
Also, as I looked to some net presentation, I noticed that this keyboard has some strange „vibrant resonance“, which is I thing - intersting...
Other things are not so good, for e.g. - orchestral instruments which are really usable only in mediocra live perforamances.
In this department, for composing/recording, I must use much better samples. Also, I thought that I can use almost any sound and to strach it, deform it and work on it to get what I want...
It is not easy to decide when purchasing gear, I belive that it is „safer“ to buy Roland FA08 or Yamaha MOXF8, but there is something about „the soul“ of Casio PX5S that attracts me Smile

PLEASE dont let me do this if I am wrong and seeing something that isnt there Laughing

Can You reccoment me solid effects and filters module with knobs to control lively?

I know about Waldorf, but did not put it in consideration, but I will now.

I am PC user and I thought about Cubase, but i guess Ableton is better for ambience music. I think that most of DAWs can, on one or antoher way, produce similar final product. For me is essential to be easy to use as much as it can and to be „musically intuitive“...

Can You recommend me a minimal computer inner-setup (laptop) for normal working?

Thank You for discussing on all matters!
Cheers Smile

soundwave106 · Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 5:05 pm Post subject:

vitaminb · Joined: Feb 02, 2016 Posts: 3 Location: Belgrade

Thank You for kind sharing of tips, I will have them in mind Smile

Cheers!