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BIG NEWS: I'm Writing an eBook on Ambient! (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-10 10:00:04
Edited:
2023-05-10 18:10:31
Imported:
2026-08
Tags:

Content

It's finally time to put all of my secrets in one place!

I've had this idea kicking around in my head for awhile now - an eBook about Ambient for the Modern Musician. This isn't a documentary of the origins of Ambient Music or the history of synthesizers, this is going to be an actual field guide, filled with core concepts and techniques about the process of making ambient.

The best part, I'd LOVE for you guys to be an integral part of the process. I'm still laying things out and getting my thoughts together, but it would be great to get feedback from you, the core users of this platform, about what kind of content you'd like to see. That being said, I have a few questions for you that would help me structure the eBook:

1.) What would YOU like to read about in an eBook about Ambient? Would it be helpful to go over the fundamentals of synthesis first and then get into tips and tricks?

2.) Given that we all use different synthesizers and software, I want this book to be a timeless guide that you can continually come back to for years to come. That said, what are the most important pieces of software you use and how would you like to see them used in the eBook?

3.) Because it's an eBook, I'm considering the format and how it would work best for the reader. How important are illustrations to your learning and would you rather read step-by-step guides or have them illustrated out every step of the way?

I appreciate any and all feedback that you could provide at this stage as I'm confident that if we do this right, it's really going to make an impact on your production journey.

Cheers and thank you in advance!

Chris | S1gns Of L1fe

--

UPDATE 1: Thank you all for your WONDERFUL responses! This is exactly why I asked you guys for your input and you delivered. It's given me a lot to think about and you've opened my eyes to new possibilities. Truly appreciated. More to come! Stay tuned...

Files

Comments

Ralph S

Love the idea. A chapter about basic concepts would make sense I think and then you can show how to apply them using real world examples in later chapters. I would love a chapter about Arrangement Theory and Practice. I don't use much software except for DAW, probably it makes sense to talk about commonly used Synths like Vital and Serum. Give the reader a list of options.

Ethan McCaffrey

Hey Chris - I fully support this idea. Here are my thoughts: 1) I think a book like this is best structured in pieces: Part 1 - Basic synthesis concepts; If you don't need that, start at Part 2 - Tools and how they interact; If you don't need that, start at Part 3: Arrangements, etc. 2) There are several concepts that are common to most synths, so you can generalize on that - ADSR, LFOs, Envelopes, etc. For example, not only what ADSR is, but if you change any of the parameters, what actually happens to the sound? 3) I think illustrations work best on a book on guitar theory, not on synths necessarily. That said, some illustrations of control settings that accomplish sound types related to item 2 above could be useful - people learn in many different ways. Surely not original ideas, but I think that might make the book more useful to a variety of audience skill levels. I look forward to it!

Joerg H

Hi Chris That's an excellent idea which I support. I think Loopop's "In-Complete Book of Electronic Music" could serve as a reference. Having said that, I would recommend not to reinvent th wheel and replicate stuff that's already out there. Basic synthesis is probably one of those things to skip. More interesing might be to address items like: - Overview about the whole genre's history, development, trends & styles (Dark, Space, Dub Techno, etc.) - Sound design specific to the genre (drones, pads, leads, FX, etc.) - Music theory and application specific to the genre - Producing, playing & mixing technics as well as workflows - Different production setups - Aids, tools, plugin and hw/sw synthesizer tests - aso, aso Cheers

robmlisanti .

Looking forward to this! I would love to see more on Theory of chords and how you come up with structures in making pad for them and arps too!

Sander

1.) Well, the best way to learn stuff is by 'doing'. So, learning to make music is best to create music itself etc even though some might not be completely clear on how stuff works etc. Learning about 'synths' and how they work is not of the essence at first, it is a bit of the dry theory stuff actually. It is like building a house. Lets just build one, follow along. And then later we can learn about the cement that actually makes these bricks. And then we can start making relationships between the theory of these cement bricks and how it affects the house and endresult.

John Tyler

Having many years of experience interviewing experts at what they do, the biggest challenge is bringing to the surface those aspects of your knowledge and skill that have become unconscious. Ask anyone to explain in detail how to tie their shoes, and you will understand this concept. I recommend you examine your videos where you are making decisions "on the fly" and unpack the thought process that allowed you to make that choice. You have a lot of deep knowledge, and that shows in your videos. I would love a "double-click" on those moments to better understand the "why" behind the decision.

Javier - Itinerant Ghost

Glad you’re working on this, Chris! I’ll get the book, the day it comes out. 1. There are so many books about synth fundamentals out there, so if you skip that, I won’t miss it. But it might be worth considering covering some of it to ensure all readers can benefit from the chapters coming after. That way when you cover a tip, you know everyone will be able to follow along. And as was stated above, if the book is organised well, power users can skip those first “basic” chapters if needed. I’ll be mostly interested in the “recipes” or tips section. But I always go through the fundamentals section as it helps me ensure I haven’t taken stuff from granted. 2. I would love it if this is as timeless as possible so focussing on fundamentals instead of specific synths would be my preferred approach. Choosing a free synth might also work for this…. But I have a few books on this and ten years on, you cant use the free synths they’ve recommended or they’re too basic, and unappealing to download. etc etc etc. Definitely a hard one, but i’d err on the side of showing actual examples somehow. Regarding the bits of software I’m currently using the most? Ableton, Omnisphere, Serum, Phaseplant, Hive, Vital, Ozone, Arturia effects collection, Valhalla effects, to name a few. For me, it would be great if the format you decide to go with would allow us to jump between synths, daws, effects. I’d say I don’t mind too much about the software you use, ad i I care most about the concept itself: For example, - want to recreate a huge pad, here are a few very different examples! - Adding a delay before your reverb can help you achieve this… These are just silly examples but I hope they get the point across. 3. Illustrations and images would be great if you can, but I wouldn’t expect them to guide me all the way, perhaps a description of the process and an image of the end result? But I don’t have strong opinions on this, I just wonder how time consuming it might be. But I definitely prefer having some illustrations or pictures to help solidify. Anyway, I hope that’s helpful. I also second Loopop’s incomplete synth book as inspiration https://www.patreon.com/loopop I love the idea that it gets constantly updated. What I like about this approach is that there wasn’t a lot of pressure to get everything included at once. He adds to it constantly. So the book gets more and more impressive with time. Of course, this might not work for every book, but as you’re constantly learning and pushing yourself, this means that we all have access to the knowledge you choose to share there. Of course, the economics of that enterprise elude me, and you might want to sell the book outright, this is just a suggestion as e-books can be constantly updated. Anyway, I hope this helps!

John Tyler

Also as someone who is dyslexic af, I LOVE the video mentoring format because it is easier for me to grok in fullness. You might consider making a companion videos series (I realize that would exponentially add to the task). Just a thought. :D

Al H

Hi Chris Great idea, My thoughts: 1. Some fundamentals are helpful, but I'd suggest to keep it brisk - point to deeper treatises on e.g. FM synthesis, but keep focussed on creation, rather than theory. Personally, I'd love thoughts on structure and length - e.g. why use a soundscape vs a pad, examples of effective layouts for tracks etc. I know it's piece of string stuff, but I often just end up "noodling until I get bored with the track", rather than getting to a compelling focussed piece that I want to listen to again. 2. I'm a magpie for soft synths, but as you say we all have our favourites, so maybe focus on the benefits/comparisons of each type (e.g. Wavetable vs Sampler) rather than the specifics of current synths du jour. By all means use current examples, but keep in mind times indeed change. 3. Illustrations can help, but they're best when something can't be better readily explained in text, e.g. a synth layout. Hope this helps.

Wes Darling

I agree with Al. I've watched a ton of different production videos and keep missing out on the basic sequence. To me that's something that should be laid out every time: "we can begin in countless ways but THESE are the things we are going to end up doing every time going into finishing our work". Starting isn't a problem for me, it's finishing. I don't even care if it's good at this point, I'm just too stressed for time to do any more than play around or perform maintenance tasks. Also consider the format that another fairly famous gear dude on YT uses. He's got thousands of people subscribing to a monthly update of collected notes on electronic gear and operations theory for a model of 4 dollars a month and I would never stop subscribing to him because he works so hard at it, it's up to around 1000 pages now. Building your book around production and related theory (including your helpful mindset ideas) could take on a similar approach as a subscription model, depending on how much you like to write. Whatever you decide, know that you have a ton of love and support coming your way!!

Scott Garman

For me personally, the struggle has never been with how to do things technically with software or hw synths, but developing an intuition on what sounds good. So an area where I know I need to focus more on (and which would be a good chapter in an ebook) is how to *listen* to ambient music to learn what makes it sound the way it does. Related to this could be tips on how to use reference tracks, and lots of ideas on how to get un-stuck when you've got 1-3 instrument tracks doing something good but can't figure how how to 'hear' what is needed next.

Uwe Kullmann

Hi Chris. I tell you what. 2020, beginning of the pandemic, i started making music. I never done music seriously. I visited a school in germany for a year or so, learning more or less the fundamentals of ableton and music (Trance, techno). Since 2022 i am part of Will Darlings EDM Class. He serves sooo much content, i believe more then 6 weeks of videos, in chapters etc.,. Well you need another two years to build content like that! But all that content will not explain one essential thing: Why should i make music? Do i have to say something by using that language? And if so, how? Minor, major, dorian, F# or better Gmin? NO IDEA! And then, what sound fits and how to create such a sound? Honestly because or YOU, i started to love that Vital monster. Even Serum makes more sense now, and i don't need to browse 100000 presets any more because i start to make my own sound. And another important topic comes into my mind. I have done Trance, Techno, Hard techno, Psytrance, House, Tropical. All that was easy in comparison to ambient! I though what the hell is the reason why Ambient is so different and i believe it don't accept any mistakes. It is very slow, many times no rythmic, a lot of spheric accords which has to fit together and the sounds are somehow washed together. It is not Four to the floor :-) And as the other already mentioned, a lot of books are already on the market. Therefore, i have a lot of manuals on the table, i have a big toolbox with one million tools but no idea how to drive a nail into a wall without smashing my thumb :-) You know what i mean? :-) Another topic i am struggeling is how to setup live performance sets. I used Ableton to DJ, i build a couple of DJ Sets by myself. I can mix down my songs into stems and cut them into scenes so i can play them live as well. But i want to play e.g. my Push2, MPK Mini and Midimix in live, like ONE instrument, maybe in future in a band. And here comes the biggest blocker: The invinite amount of possibilities! None of my trials end up in something i am happy with. From something i believe it is sooo stupid easy to use that i only press a button and 105% is done automatic so can drink some bottle of wine until ableton is finished with the set, to something where i wish i am an octupus to turn 20 knobs more. And it seems that many people i spoke have the same issues regarding the possibilities. You know, a guitar can play like a guitar, thats all. Ableton can play everything, and in parallel, and even more. Fuck, to many possibilities....

Jamie Mundo

Curtis Rhodes "microsound" and "composing electronic music" or "Musamathics" by Gareth Loy or "Listening to noise and silence" by Salome Voegelin. I feel there is a responsibility to the community for anyone adding to the common language of synthesis to have a solid background in the language, history and philosophy that has come before. It is important that we elevate this genre... There was a book written about ambient music a few years ago called "Music Beyond Airports". It was written after a conference celebrating Brian Eno's "Music for Airports". It's a well write abstract about the form. Not a how to, but a study of the true nature of ambient music and how we see it as a culture.

Riigs Music

Hi Chris. I’ve been a publisher all my life so am pleased to see this happening! Part of my career was as a publisher of the For Dummies books which are a great model for this potentially. Features that made them successful included -

Riigs Music

Regular features in boxes through the book - so for this maybe - sound design, arrangement, things to listen to, music theory, VSTs. That way these things are spread through the book rather than being in one place. Exercises and ‘things to do’. Practical ideas for upskilling. A clear pathway through the book - a coherent journey so that learning is progressive from intro to more advanced. An end goal - maybe an album, or three finished tracks. Something to work towards. Graphics and media. The books had associated websites or VDs with video and other assets. Super useful to add Ableton projects or videos here as well. Good luck!

Javier - Itinerant Ghost

Chris! Something else I thought about, is a complete breakdown of a track. Where you share how each patch was made, considerations when arranging, mixing, and mastering. I think that would be super helpful because a lot of the time we get a glimpse into each of these areas but for different tracks, it would be great to see a “from conception to Bandcamp” kind of thing.

Geoff Warren

Hi Chris! Sorry, late to the party here, but just to second a couple of thoughts. Andreas Krüger suggests 'homework', mini-projects to help work through the ideas you've just given. When watching a tutorial vid it's easy to follow along and do whatever's being done because you can hear what's happening and try to get close even if you're using a different synth or whatever. We won't get that same effect from reading, so suggestions from you as to how to take the lesson on might well be useful. Secondly, javier silverio's point about synths etc. going out of date is a good one, so it might be helpful to concentrate on the principle behind what you're doing rather than just say, 'Stick four LFOs on it and use the noise oscillator to do whatever'. The speed at which synths are evolving is phenomenal, but basic principles of musicality will remain similar, so it might be worth coming at it from that angle. I await the result with considerable interest!

Ken Blanton

I think by default ... if it's gonna be titled "Ambient for Beginners" ... it's gonna need beginner stuff. At any rate ... stuff I'd like to see is ... how to milk a preset for all it's worth ... how to creatively use filters ... and how to create sounds that tonally complement each other.