Reader Alastair Wilson shared this video, which explores making ambient music without any instruments, using only effects pedals.
“Who needs synths for ambient music when you have a thumb and some guitar pedals?” asks Wilson.
Here’s what he has to say about the technical details:
Chain is: Unplugged cable, Donner Yellow Fall delay, Eventide Timefactor delay, Eventide Space reverb, Ableton.
Taking the buzzing that you get by touching a cable and putting that through 2 delay pedals and a reverb gives you plenty of control over a drone-y, dark ambient noise. Sliding your thumb up the cable gives a carefully controlled buzz, while tapping it makes a burst of noise. I found that turning the feedback on the Yellow Fall up to over 100% creates a distorted scream which I can use (sparingly and cautiously!). I added that to the Timefactor’s dual delays at 100% feedback which are modulated by an internal LFO, which create some wonderful tones and act almost as voices on their own. Finally, putting this through the Eventide Space’s Black Hole algorithm turns the odd noises into a huge, washy, dark ambient pad.
DISCLAIMER: Don’t go around touching the ends of random cables. If you get hurt I don’t want to be responsible for your stupidity, I have enough of that for myself.
Who needs synths or pedals to make ambient music when you have the wind, some trees, some waves and a good microphone?
@ted How is that ambient?? LOL 😉
You know Pierre Henry? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Zsb1w-3iFa8
Ambient or not, this doesn’t sound particularly musical?
Pitched and rhythmic sounds playing over time.
Pretty sure that’s the textbook definition of music.
First line: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music
Maybe you meant ‘Not to my taste?’
Dark ambient has been a significant genre since the 70’s and Eno’s ‘On Land’.
Anything sounds with an Eventide Space… You can just fart in a Space, and make a beautiful dark ambient drone.
These are instruments.
Nice! A great example of thinking outside the box even though it involves 3 boxes. I wonder if touching the jack with different body parts or under different ambient (environmental) conditions would affect the tone noticeably.