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Great apps for Ambient drone creation?

jwmmakerofmusicjwmmakerofmusic
in General App Discussion

So I got GAS again! Luckily it's no longer over the OP-1 Field (which really is limited in what it can do for drone creation). It's all to do with drone creation and what apps I can use in a live Ambient jam.

Now I know the PaulXStretch beta is perfect for drone creation, Koala is a perfect sampler for my needs, AUM is a perfect host, and I love using Alteza and Reelbus as well as Velvet Machine. On my "to buy" list for today are: MIDILFOs, Gatelab, Filter Step, Midi Tools, Enso, VHS Synth, and Atom Piano Roll. (Turns out I already have Drumlab, lol!) What other apps would you recommend I add to my "to buy" list (either for today or the future)? (And if I already have it, I'll give it another look, lol. I'm also going to scope through @iOSTRAKON 's vids to see what apps he uses for his signature distortions and monkey about with those.)

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Comments

  • TarekithTarekith

    A brick. Seriously, lay that on the keys of your midi controller and it doesn't matter which app you use, drones for days!

  • godgod

    WOTJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  • Stuntman_mikeStuntman_mike

    My go-to drone is Fundamental.

  • Stuntman_mikeStuntman_mike

    I also use SpaceFields and Esoteric Synth.

  • MartinjMartinj

    LayR is great for evolving soundscapes…

    My GAS and my interest in Drone recently made me buy Ableton Live Intro and the Drone Lab pack. This is really something you can dive into and create stuff which you can then load on your iPad and mangle with Koala, AUM and effect apps.

  • SvetlovskaSvetlovska
    edited May 2022

    Another fave for me, IAA only but still great, works fine in AUM: Droneo:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/droneo/id313811077

    (Does exactly what it says on the tin :) )

    Also: don’t overlook the amazing power of AUM’s own File Players:

    1) drag tempo down to 20bpm. (Pity you can’t go slower)

    2) record a perfectly synced loop of 4, or 8 or more bars of anything (pad sounds on VHS Synth, mebbe?) on a channel using Sync Quantum.

    3) Duplicate the whole channel

    4) Change the File Player rate on the duped channel. Half speed, as Hainbach points out, is the right speed, (dropping everything in tune by a perfect octave) but other speeds may work too.

    5) maybe mess with the Beat Offset too to create loop phasing effects.

    6) create mix busses for each File Player channel, and put different effects on these.

    7) In the absence of proper recordable automation for AUM (oh, how I wish…), use MIDI LFOs to enable/disable the output from the original, duped File Players. (I like to use the Random waveform for this) . The effects chain on their companion mix buses will smooth out the drop ins and outs.

    8) Also use MIDI LFOs to mess with the volume faders (did I mention that AUM lacks a proper recordable/editable automation?)

    9) For a slightly less random auto mix, consider MM 1 Mute Master using the same tricks above:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/mm-1-mutemaster/id1503359958

    10) FAC Alteza init patch on everything! :)

    11) screen cap the whole performance, ride the faders you are not automating live to bring in and fade out the various loops and effect channels.

    12) When you stop the AUM transport let the effect trails fade out before you stop the screen cap.

    And the 13th Step (of course there’s a 13th step - my ambient is dark! ;)):

    13) Use AudioStretch:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/audiostretch/id571863178

    to rip the audio from the screen cap for final top and tailing in AudioShare.

    *AudioStretch also earns it’s keep, together with screen cap, as a quick way of creating wav files from interesting but old or interconnection-limited apps, of course.

  • el_boel_bo

    @Svetlovska said:
    Lots of great stuff

    Thanks for that masterclass :)

  • MartinjMartinj

    13) Use AudioStretch:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/audiostretch/id571863178

    to rip the audio from the screen cap for final top and tailing in AudioShare.

    *AudioStretch also earns it’s keep, together with screen cap, as a quick way of creating wav files from interesting but old or interconnection-limited apps, of course.

    To have the Audio of your jam with effect tail you can also:

    • Export the Video into AudioShare and convert it to a wav (no need for Audiostretch - you can do it directly in AudioShare) or

    • Create a master bus in AUM by routing all output there and put AudioShare in the output slot. Hit „record“ in AudioShare and record until everything has faded.

  • audiblevideoaudiblevideo

    @Stuntman_mike I mean do you use Esoteric Synth or does it use you. If you have any hints as to which controls make the most difference in varying the sound let me know. I've poked around in the synth a fair bit and find most of it very "esoteric" - meaning its hard to know what knob to twiddle to get things that "happen"

  • SvetlovskaSvetlovska
    edited May 2022

    @Martinj : Ooh! Like your AudioShare bus tip, hadn’t thought of that, gonna have to try it.

    Yeah - I like the AudioStretch step instead of going straight to AudioShare with the vid, because that gives you additional leeway to mess with selection, pitch and speed independently before choosing sections for export. Sometimes I’ll re pitch separate elements from the same loop, for example, and take them back into AUM for more rinses and repeat.

    update Ok: not managing to do the AudioShare trick. I can only get it to appear in AUM as an IAA generator. If by ‘output’ slot you mean this:

    I can’t find AudioShare to put it in there, whether or not I have it open outside of AUM. What am I doing wrong?

  • MartinjMartinj

    I can’t find AudioShare to put it in there, whether or not I have it open outside of AUM. What am I doing wrong?

    Well, I typed my comment just after waking up so forgot some important info: you have to load an AUM IAA output in Audioshare and then you can load Audioshare as output in AUM.

  • Pierre118Pierre118

    Starwaves, Fundamental 1, Wotja

  • rs2000rs2000

    If you search for "drone" under https://patchstorage.com/platform/drambo,
    you can find quite a few drone creations.

    Plus: https://patchstorage.com/instant-meditation/

  • monch1962monch1962

    @Svetlovska said:
    Another fave for me, IAA only but still great, works fine in AUM: Droneo:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/droneo/id313811077

    (Does exactly what it says on the tin :) )

    Also: don’t overlook the amazing power of AUM’s own File Players:

    1) drag tempo down to 20bpm. (Pity you can’t go slower)

    2) record a perfectly synced loop of 4, or 8 or more bars of anything (pad sounds on VHS Synth, mebbe?) on a channel using Sync Quantum.

    3) Duplicate the whole channel

    4) Change the File Player rate on the duped channel. Half speed, as Hainbach points out, is the right speed, (dropping everything in tune by a perfect octave) but other speeds may work too.

    5) maybe mess with the Beat Offset too to create loop phasing effects.

    6) create mix busses for each File Player channel, and put different effects on these.

    7) In the absence of proper recordable automation for AUM (oh, how I wish…), use MIDI LFOs to enable/disable the output from the original, duped File Players. (I like to use the Random waveform for this) . The effects chain on their companion mix buses will smooth out the drop ins and outs.

    8) Also use MIDI LFOs to mess with the volume faders (did I mention that AUM lacks a proper recordable/editable automation?)

    9) For a slightly less random auto mix, consider MM 1 Mute Master using the same tricks above:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/mm-1-mutemaster/id1503359958

    10) FAC Alteza init patch on everything! :)

    11) screen cap the whole performance, ride the faders you are not automating live to bring in and fade out the various loops and effect channels.

    12) When you stop the AUM transport let the effect trails fade out before you stop the screen cap.

    And the 13th Step (of course there’s a 13th step - my ambient is dark! ;)):

    13) Use AudioStretch:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/audiostretch/id571863178

    to rip the audio from the screen cap for final top and tailing in AudioShare.

    *AudioStretch also earns it’s keep, together with screen cap, as a quick way of creating wav files from interesting but old or interconnection-limited apps, of course.

    ...So I more or less followed these instructions and made probably the most disturbing track I've ever made within about 10 minutes. Thanks @Svetlovska for laying it out so clearly!

    The original source was a 1.5 second MP3 of Trump saying "People are tired of incompetence" - literally the first vocal sample I came across. From there

    • started AUM and set it to 20bpm
    • loaded the sample into AUM File Player, set the rate to 0.125, sync off, loop on and normalise on
    • duplicated that into another channel, changing the rate to 0.126, beat offset to 0.25
    • ran the 1st channel through Stratosphere (init config), then Panflow, and set Panflow to continually randomise
    • ran the 2nd channel through Filterstep, set it to continually randomise, then Panflow and set that to continually randomise as well
    • routed both through a bus to FAC Alteza on the init setting, then through a limiter
    • recorded it to AudioShare, saved it, then ran it through Audiostretch at 0.3x speed, saved it again
    • normalised it, trimmed it, converted it into a M4P and uploaded it to Soundcloud

    Probably took me longer to type the above than it took to do the whole process. No LFOs, no tweaking of volume, no Mute Master - literally I just hit record in AUM and left it running for a couple of minutes before feeding the output into Audiostretch.

    Here's what it sounds like:

    I call it 'Vertigo' because I felt myself getting dizzy listening to all those low frequency sounds through headphones!

  • jwmmakerofmusicjwmmakerofmusic

    @Svetlovska said:
    Bloody brilliant step-by-step tutorial!

    This is incredible! I'm going to follow this tutorial once I get the apps on my purchase list. :) Mute Master is now on my "to purchase" list as well. Thanks mate!

    @Stuntman_mike said:
    I also use SpaceFields and Esoteric Synth.

    Fundamental, Esoteric Synth, and SpaceFields (especially SpaceFields) are now on my list.

    @Martinj said:
    LayR is great for evolving soundscapes…

    My GAS and my interest in Drone recently made me buy Ableton Live Intro and the Drone Lab pack. This is really something you can dive into and create stuff which you can then load on your iPad and mangle with Koala, AUM and effect apps.

    Added LayR to my...oh wait, how do I already have this synth and why have I slept on it? :lol: Honestly the way my scattered brain works is miraculous, lol.

    Well at the moment, I don't have a PC or Mac to use Ableton Live Intro on. 😅 Everything is 100% iPad. However, if later down the line I do get something I can use Ableton Live Intro on, I'll be sure to dig into the Drone Lab pack.

    @Martinj said:

    13) Use AudioStretch:

    https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/audiostretch/id571863178

    to rip the audio from the screen cap for final top and tailing in AudioShare.

    *AudioStretch also earns it’s keep, together with screen cap, as a quick way of creating wav files from interesting but old or interconnection-limited apps, of course.

    To have the Audio of your jam with effect tail you can also:

    • Export the Video into AudioShare and convert it to a wav (no need for Audiostretch - you can do it directly in AudioShare) or

    • Create a master bus in AUM by routing all output there and put AudioShare in the output slot. Hit „record“ in AudioShare and record until everything has faded.

    I never knew I could export a video into AudioShare and convert to wav! 😱 That's absolutely brill!

    @Pierre118 said:
    Starwaves, Fundamental 1, Wotja

    Now added Starwaves and Wotja to my list as well as Fundamental.

    @rs2000 said:
    If you search for "drone" under https://patchstorage.com/platform/drambo,
    you can find quite a few drone creations.

    Plus: https://patchstorage.com/instant-meditation/

    Nice! I'll check these out soon. :) Thanks mate.

    @monch1962 said:
    ...So I more or less followed these instructions and made probably the most disturbing track I've ever made within about 10 minutes. Thanks @Svetlovska for laying it out so clearly!

    The original source was a 1.5 second MP3 of Trump saying "People are tired of incompetence" - literally the first vocal sample I came across. From there

    • started AUM and set it to 20bpm
    • loaded the sample into AUM File Player, set the rate to 0.125, sync off, loop on and normalise on
    • duplicated that into another channel, changing the rate to 0.126, beat offset to 0.25
    • ran the 1st channel through Stratosphere (init config), then Panflow, and set Panflow to continually randomise
    • ran the 2nd channel through Filterstep, set it to continually randomise, then Panflow and set that to continually randomise as well
    • routed both through a bus to FAC Alteza on the init setting, then through a limiter
    • recorded it to AudioShare, saved it, then ran it through Audiostretch at 0.3x speed, saved it again
    • normalised it, trimmed it, converted it into a M4P and uploaded it to Soundcloud

    Probably took me longer to type the above than it took to do the whole process. No LFOs, no tweaking of volume, no Mute Master - literally I just hit record in AUM and left it running for a couple of minutes before feeding the output into Audiostretch.

    Here's what it sounds like:

    I call it 'Vertigo' because I felt myself getting dizzy listening to all those low frequency sounds through headphones!

    LOL! What an interesting source, but what a really sinister and awesome drone! :) Cheers.

  • SlushSlush

    Skiiid has an interesting drone mode.

  • SvetlovskaSvetlovska
    edited May 2022

    @monch1962 : great work! And I suspect your forensic examination of the vocal effluvia of the pumpkinhead has actually caught the demon that posesses his mortal shell conversing in Enochian, the original language of angels and devils, and that is what we are actually now witness to… ;)

  • jwmmakerofmusicjwmmakerofmusic

    @Svetlovska said:
    @monch1962 : great work! And I suspect your forensic examination of the vocal effluvia of the pumpkinhead has actually caught the demon that inhabits his mortal shell conversing in Enochian, the original language of angels and devils, and that is what we are actually now witness to… ;)

    :lol: LOL!

  • SvetlovskaSvetlovska
    edited May 2022

    @Martinj : Doh! Got it now - and I realise I already knew this, from recording Cubasis and Multrack DAW tracks back before I started screen capping instead. Just never thought of using AudioShare in the same way - and it cuts out an avoidable step or two in my workflow, so, thanks for the heads up.:) Just using now on a piece using some noises from Esion I made yesterday with my Kalimba and a hand held thunder drum…

  • SpidericemidasSpidericemidas

    I like recording stuff into Gauss and slowing it right down for drones. You can keep overdubbing on it with more recordings and you can delete the last overdub and add something else for live variations. I usually feed Gauss through the Eventide reverbs for some shimmer and distortion.
    There’s also a drone module in MiRack that I use sometimes.

  • jwmmakerofmusicjwmmakerofmusic

    @Spidericemidas said:
    I like recording stuff into Gauss and slowing it right down for drones. You can keep overdubbing on it with more recordings and you can delete the last overdub and add something else for live variations. I usually feed Gauss through the Eventide reverbs for some shimmer and distortion.
    There’s also a drone module in MiRack that I use sometimes.

    Co-designed with Hainbach?! Bruh sign me up! Added to my immediate purchase list!

    I have some Eventide reverbs already but always find myself drawn back to Alteza lol. That's of course personal preference. ;)

    I've also added MiRack for a future purchase. 🙂 Cheers mate.

  • BirbHopeBirbHope

    @Tarekith said:
    A brick. Seriously, lay that on the keys of your midi controller and it doesn't matter which app you use, drones for days!

    Ha.

  • monch1962monch1962

    Felt I needed to create something a bit less disturbing before I go to bed tonight - need to exorcise the evil Trump noises from a few hours earlier so I don't have nightmares...

    Approach & tools:

    • start Piano Motifs, set it to generate stuff in 4/4 F Lydian (Lydian is normally the "happiest" mode, and F Lydian is all the white keys on a piano), and keep it generating new stuff till it comes up with an 8 bar sequence that sounded pretty good to me. I'm just using its default piano sound - I'll fiddle with different sounds later
    • save that 8 bars to 3 separate MIDI files, which Piano Motif call "Melody", "Accompaniment" and "Pad". Piano Motif takes care of all that too
    • fire up AUM, and set it down to 20bpm (my new favourite tempo!)
    • spin up 3 instances of Atom 2, and load each of the generated MIDI files into a separate Atom 2 instance
    • slow the 1st Atom down to 30% of AUM tempo (so, umm, 6bpm), the 2nd to 50% of the actual tempo (10bpm), the 3rd to 70%
    • shrink the 1st Atom down to 7 bars, the 2nd down to 7.5 bars and leave the 3rd at 8 bars

    All that should get me some really slow MIDI notes in a single key, that takes a few minutes to cycle through and start repeating. Piano Motif is great for generating random MIDI files that sound good, and Atom 2 makes it easy to get creative with how you play those MIDIs.

    Now for some sounds:

    • fire up 3 instances of LayR in separate channels, and pick a different patch for each from the "Factory - Pads" group. Hook each of the 3 Atoms to a different LayR
    • add a Bleass Shimmer reverb to each channel, then a Panflow after that. Set each Panflow to constantly vary how it's panning its input (there's a little infinity symbol that does that). Slow down 2 of the 3 Panflows to different rates, so not only are the 3 LayRs being panned around randomly, but also at different fractions of the 20bpm that AUM is using
    • throw all 3 LayR channels to a single bus, then put FAC Alteza on that
    • record to AudioShare, trim/normalise/convert to M4P, then upload it to Soundcloud

    That was pretty much pushing my ancient 2017 IPad Air to its limits - I really need something a bit newer if I'm gonna stack reverbs. Bleass Shimmer is pretty light on CPU compared to other reverbs, which is why I used it. Panflow is great for getting some stereo movement going when there's not a lot of notes being played. LayR is one of the really nice sounding iOS synths, and FAC Alteza is probably the best sounding reverb to my ears (even if it's heavy on CPU)

    Here's what it sounds like:

  • SpidericemidasSpidericemidas
    edited May 2022

    @jwmmakerofmusic said:

    @Spidericemidas said:
    I like recording stuff into Gauss and slowing it right down for drones. You can keep overdubbing on it with more recordings and you can delete the last overdub and add something else for live variations. I usually feed Gauss through the Eventide reverbs for some shimmer and distortion.
    There’s also a drone module in MiRack that I use sometimes.

    Co-designed with Hainbach?! Bruh sign me up! Added to my immediate purchase list!

    I have some Eventide reverbs already but always find myself drawn back to Alteza lol. That's of course personal preference. ;)

    I've also added MiRack for a future purchase. 🙂 Cheers mate.

    MiRack is pretty cool for building drones. Along with the Drone generator, there’s a good Noise generator too. There’s LFOs in MiRack which can provide modulations with cycles that can be slowed to literally hours!! Some nice Reverb and Delay units in there too for the spaciousness.

    MiRack is really good connected to a midi controller too for live adjustments to pretty much everything you put in your rack.

  • BirbHopeBirbHope

    @jwmmakerofmusic said:
    So I got GAS again!

    Sorry for being lame, but what’s GAS?

  • jwmmakerofmusicjwmmakerofmusic

    @BirbHope said:

    @jwmmakerofmusic said:
    So I got GAS again!

    Sorry for being lame, but what’s GAS?

    "Gear Acquisition Syndrome", lol.

  • BirbHopeBirbHope
    edited May 2022

    @jwmmakerofmusic said:

    @BirbHope said:

    @jwmmakerofmusic said:
    So I got GAS again!

    Sorry for being lame, but what’s GAS?

    "Gear Acquisition Syndrome", lol.

    Ah. I know it by the term ‘gear slut’. Which I have been since my first Yamaha CX5M in 1988.

  • lasselulasselu

    @monch1962 said:

    Here's what it sounds like:

    Really liked this one...good work!

  • SvetlovskaSvetlovska
    edited May 2022

    @monch1962 : like it! Still dark - just not actively possessed :) And yes, half speed is the right speed, but 20 bpm is always the tempo ;) (need that on a T-shirt)

  • SvetlovskaSvetlovska

    @Slush : Yes. Yes, it does… :)

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