I'm looking for good quality ambient sample cds in wav format ... for use with recycle and so on ...
I have already head zero g's ambient 2, which sounds decent, are there any others?
Regards, jj
What is the best ambient sample cd?
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- KVRist
- 83 posts since 7 Jul, 2004
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- addled muppet weed
- 111294 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
what sounds in particualr are you after?
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- KVRAF
- 2356 posts since 30 Sep, 2003 from Sunny Staffordshire
BT's Twisted Textures is f**king awesome, whether you like the man or not its a work of art. Distorted Reality 2 is also great, a very inspiring piece of work. Unfortunately, in my experience many of the other ambient CD's are a little TOO weird to use. They're great and everything, but i always end up thinking "What the 'F' am i ever going to use that for???".
Alternatively, try making your own stuff. Get a copy of Absynth, and a copy of Hyperprism, a minidisc or DAT and your in business. Go out and record everyday sounds then pitchshift, granulate, vocode etc until you have something useful. I'd sooner do this than pay for someone else to - it costs nothing and you have the satisfaction of knowing that its all yours! Im really off sample CD's right now - I mean unless you're a pro who's working to strict deadlines, then whats the point? I dont see how it can be artistally gratifying to layer a bunch of unaltered, premade sounds and call it 'your' music. Thats what eJay is for!
PS. Not judging you or anyone else, just my personal feelings at this particular moment. Creative sample CD's lick balls imo, they stop people being creative for themselves.
Alternatively, try making your own stuff. Get a copy of Absynth, and a copy of Hyperprism, a minidisc or DAT and your in business. Go out and record everyday sounds then pitchshift, granulate, vocode etc until you have something useful. I'd sooner do this than pay for someone else to - it costs nothing and you have the satisfaction of knowing that its all yours! Im really off sample CD's right now - I mean unless you're a pro who's working to strict deadlines, then whats the point? I dont see how it can be artistally gratifying to layer a bunch of unaltered, premade sounds and call it 'your' music. Thats what eJay is for!
PS. Not judging you or anyone else, just my personal feelings at this particular moment. Creative sample CD's lick balls imo, they stop people being creative for themselves.
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- KVRer
- 1 posts since 26 Jul, 2004 from FL
Well unless you take the sample and twist it and turn it. I do that with Helios, which rocks for simple sample mangling...but then I also do use Absynth 
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- KVRAF
- 2356 posts since 30 Sep, 2003 from Sunny Staffordshire
Oh i agree totally. I have no issue with an artist doing a bit of creative sampling! If you take a bit of vocal or whatever and twist it into some crazy soundscape then more power to you. My issue is with premade sounds. The ambient sample CD's are great and show alot of skill and talent, but what are they really for? They profess to inspire, but instead they stiffle creativity. I mean, if i had Distorted Reality (for example), its unlikely i'd need to go out and make loads of weird sounds for my music - DS is chocker with all kinds of madness! And this is my point exactly - when im using great sounds made by someone else, im not out making them for myself.
For certain purposes sample CD's are the way to go, but for providing the weird and wonderful they really do suck! Learning to do this stuff for yourself pushes you as a creative artist. I have gigabytes on gigabytes of this stuff which Iv many times considered releasing, but at the end of the day i dont want anyone else using it! Not to be tight or anything, i just dont want to be responsible for repressing another artists creative talent. When you do your own sound design, you REALLY start to make music which is 100% you. Sounds and styles which you've never heard before in you life start breaking out all over your hard disk, and the satisfaction is emmense. I think anyone who knows anything about music will agree that the art of sound design and the art of composition have to a certain extent merged into one. Pretty much every facet of harmony and rhythm has been explored, and now composers are turning to timbre to provide greater emotional impact. If you agree with this then Im sure you'll also agree that modern composers owe it to themselves to take their sound design just as seriously as their composition. By using premade textures and ambiences, you are using premade music. This may be fine for commercial purposes, but for the artist whose music means something to them as a form of expression. And this is me all over. The day i score a film, TV show, computer game etc, Im sure it will have DS all over it! But for my own personal music, that i make for me, it really isnt even a consideration.
Sorry for the rant
PS. Once again, just my thoughts on the matter, TODAY. That said, I am a fickle mo' fo', so i dare say i'll be eating my words in a month or too
For certain purposes sample CD's are the way to go, but for providing the weird and wonderful they really do suck! Learning to do this stuff for yourself pushes you as a creative artist. I have gigabytes on gigabytes of this stuff which Iv many times considered releasing, but at the end of the day i dont want anyone else using it! Not to be tight or anything, i just dont want to be responsible for repressing another artists creative talent. When you do your own sound design, you REALLY start to make music which is 100% you. Sounds and styles which you've never heard before in you life start breaking out all over your hard disk, and the satisfaction is emmense. I think anyone who knows anything about music will agree that the art of sound design and the art of composition have to a certain extent merged into one. Pretty much every facet of harmony and rhythm has been explored, and now composers are turning to timbre to provide greater emotional impact. If you agree with this then Im sure you'll also agree that modern composers owe it to themselves to take their sound design just as seriously as their composition. By using premade textures and ambiences, you are using premade music. This may be fine for commercial purposes, but for the artist whose music means something to them as a form of expression. And this is me all over. The day i score a film, TV show, computer game etc, Im sure it will have DS all over it! But for my own personal music, that i make for me, it really isnt even a consideration.
Sorry for the rant
PS. Once again, just my thoughts on the matter, TODAY. That said, I am a fickle mo' fo', so i dare say i'll be eating my words in a month or too
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- KVRist
- 79 posts since 19 Aug, 2003
If you are a composer & have the time to create & record every sound you'll ever use then good for you. But its not the case for everyone. Sample CD are (mostly) for hobbyist & DJs.
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- KVRAF
- 2356 posts since 30 Sep, 2003 from Sunny Staffordshire
Fella, read my post again mate! Im talking about the creative sound design elements of music. A violin is a violin (unless its a viola ), a flute is a flute, so if you use samples to create these instruments then i have no issue. These are 'convenience' samples, designed to help you create realistic instrumental parts with out the cost or hassle of live recording. Im sure you can appreciate that this is very different to using someone elses artist creation in your music. If you take a texture from one of these CD's, you do so for the emotional impact of that sample. You wouldnt plagarise some ones score, yet that is exactly what you do when you use this type of material in your music. If you are creating the music commercially, then who cares, all that matters is that it has the desired effect. But if its for yourself then thats a little weak (imo, Im sure many will disagree). If a certain texture captures an emotion that you feel could be incorportated in a piece, then do your best to recreate that it with your own twist. Dont take it from somebody else, or if you do, how can you consider it your music? Because someone sold it you, on a little cd with a pretty case? I dont think so. If i sold you the rights to a score i'd written, it would be yours legal. It wouldnt make it your creation. Since creative sound design has pretty much the same purpose, i believe the same rules apply.
Your second point is also a little off too mate. Pro's dont use sample CD's? Where did you hear this rubbish! I can tell you now that pro's use sample CD's every bit as much as hobbyist's.
), a flute is a flute, so if you use samples to create these instruments then i have no issue. These are 'convenience' samples, designed to help you create realistic instrumental parts with out the cost or hassle of live recording. Im sure you can appreciate that this is very different to using someone elses artist creation in your music. If you take a texture from one of these CD's, you do so for the emotional impact of that sample. You wouldnt plagarise some ones score, yet that is exactly what you do when you use this type of material in your music. If you are creating the music commercially, then who cares, all that matters is that it has the desired effect. But if its for yourself then thats a little weak (imo, Im sure many will disagree). If a certain texture captures an emotion that you feel could be incorportated in a piece, then do your best to recreate that it with your own twist. Dont take it from somebody else, or if you do, how can you consider it your music? Because someone sold it you, on a little cd with a pretty case? I dont think so. If i sold you the rights to a score i'd written, it would be yours legal. It wouldnt make it your creation. Since creative sound design has pretty much the same purpose, i believe the same rules apply.Your second point is also a little off too mate. Pro's dont use sample CD's? Where did you hear this rubbish! I can tell you now that pro's use sample CD's every bit as much as hobbyist's.
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- Banned
- 6127 posts since 1 Apr, 2004 from Et in Arcadia Ego
Get the Spektral Relativity impulse responses & you can make an infinate amount of ambient samples on your own...
Take a cheap mike & stick it your dog's food bowl at feeding time & get sent to Planet 9 every time..
Take a cheap mike & stick it your dog's food bowl at feeding time & get sent to Planet 9 every time..
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- KVRAF
- 2356 posts since 30 Sep, 2003 from Sunny Staffordshire
Now that is good advise. I dont have this library, but everything i hear about it says its a creative tool that must be owned! I think developers should be making more of this stuff - sample products designed to help YOU create the weird and the wonderful.
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- Banned
- 6127 posts since 1 Apr, 2004 from Et in Arcadia Ego
As a compromise between Tee Boys's & my suggestions, you could check out this up & coming company. He only has one disc so far, but it's a great begining:
http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49480
Not only does he provide what I consider really good samples, but he ALSO tossed in some very good impulse responses that were enough to win him praise from the Spectral Relativity designer, which is something I would be extremely proud of myself..
ps: ignore the flak in the thread, this is a steal at a very, very decent price..($15(?))..
http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49480
Not only does he provide what I consider really good samples, but he ALSO tossed in some very good impulse responses that were enough to win him praise from the Spectral Relativity designer, which is something I would be extremely proud of myself..
ps: ignore the flak in the thread, this is a steal at a very, very decent price..($15(?))..
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Inquisitor5775 Inquisitor5775 https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=14439
- KVRist
- 70 posts since 28 Feb, 2004 from Adelaide, Australia
One of the advantages of sample cds like Distorted reality, is that in the most rudimentry sense, they can be considered unique sounds in themselves ripe for resynthesis granulation, mangling sonic tweaking, and can be bent and twisted to create something uniquely original in themselves.
This is how I work for a lot of creative things I do.
I don't see how doing this is any different to owning a rompler-sampler player like atmosphere, and you have much more control.
like you can sequence rhythmic shifting in xphraze for example, using an evolving sample from a cd.
This is how I work for a lot of creative things I do.
I don't see how doing this is any different to owning a rompler-sampler player like atmosphere, and you have much more control.
like you can sequence rhythmic shifting in xphraze for example, using an evolving sample from a cd.
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Inquisitor5775 Inquisitor5775 https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=14439
- KVRist
- 70 posts since 28 Feb, 2004 from Adelaide, Australia
Acvtually after giving it some thought this thread is causng me conceptual difficulties.
Let me help you understand where I am coming from.
My name is Tim and I am a composer. Above all else I value beauty in originality and uniqueness in music. I like to create something different.
I use synthesisers in my music. A synth is a kind of musical instrument like a violin. A subtractive synth for example generates sounds using oscillators, which pass thru a signal chain and eventually vibrate the air. It is not considered unoriginal to write music for a violin, and therefore it is not different to do so for a subtractive synth.
Some subtractive synths have presets which give them a unique sound. Synth programming, the first opportunity to be original- or to use a preset which someone else has made. Some synths can be sampled, and repackages, and layered to create even mroe original sounds. Some synths have oscillator wavefroms which are so complex, they would be an entire subtrative 3 osc preset in the past. Uniqueness again takes a step back and a step forwards at the same time- for you can uses these oscillator presets to create even more unique sounds. like building blocks.
after this we slide down the slippery slope towards the dim apocalyptic future where everyone uses bt's sample cds to create entire songs. Do real composers use loops?
I argue yes they do. And here is why. As I composer i see that by brain is really the biggest synthesiser. I start with raw materials and I turn it into music- both unique sounds, and unique chords/melodies and musical passages, both working synergistically.
If you supply a melody to a vocalist, or even chords to a vocalist, they will sing a melody, invent one, embishlish it with their own stylistic fluctuation in studio takes and use their musical expertise to add to the music, YOUR music, in an original way. You did not create their larynx, or their improvisational skills, but you use them in your music because they are beautiful.
loops: I use loops in my songs sometimes. They might for example be a single note but with an interesting rhythm. they might be a 4 bar live drum performance which I would not be abloe to record. and I play the drums. I order to make these more original I might for example re order the REX slics intul I like the pattern, then pitch it up 2 octaves, add predelay and reverb, reverse the sample, and automate pitch shifting with an lfo. Now I have something completely differnt. this can be loaded into a layer with x phraze for example to become part of a greater whole. Or I might use it as the modulation signal for a vocoded pad.
A lot of these distorted reality/atmosphere samples were done simply using synths that many of us already use- reason's malstrom for example, or other simple subtractive pads. which were altered/vocoded/resynthesised using methods similar (and very different!!) to the example I gave.
Long story short, I don't see how any sampled loop or texture is considered any different to an oscillator waveform- which can be manipulated in much the same way. (in fact many of these wav loops/samples can be directly loaded into a synth anyway.)
I trust this makes sense- I feel distroted reality does inspire me- because I can hear what is possible. I have started creating my own textures in response to those. and I use both.
Let me help you understand where I am coming from.
My name is Tim and I am a composer. Above all else I value beauty in originality and uniqueness in music. I like to create something different.
I use synthesisers in my music. A synth is a kind of musical instrument like a violin. A subtractive synth for example generates sounds using oscillators, which pass thru a signal chain and eventually vibrate the air. It is not considered unoriginal to write music for a violin, and therefore it is not different to do so for a subtractive synth.
Some subtractive synths have presets which give them a unique sound. Synth programming, the first opportunity to be original- or to use a preset which someone else has made. Some synths can be sampled, and repackages, and layered to create even mroe original sounds. Some synths have oscillator wavefroms which are so complex, they would be an entire subtrative 3 osc preset in the past. Uniqueness again takes a step back and a step forwards at the same time- for you can uses these oscillator presets to create even more unique sounds. like building blocks.
after this we slide down the slippery slope towards the dim apocalyptic future where everyone uses bt's sample cds to create entire songs. Do real composers use loops?
I argue yes they do. And here is why. As I composer i see that by brain is really the biggest synthesiser. I start with raw materials and I turn it into music- both unique sounds, and unique chords/melodies and musical passages, both working synergistically.
If you supply a melody to a vocalist, or even chords to a vocalist, they will sing a melody, invent one, embishlish it with their own stylistic fluctuation in studio takes and use their musical expertise to add to the music, YOUR music, in an original way. You did not create their larynx, or their improvisational skills, but you use them in your music because they are beautiful.
loops: I use loops in my songs sometimes. They might for example be a single note but with an interesting rhythm. they might be a 4 bar live drum performance which I would not be abloe to record. and I play the drums. I order to make these more original I might for example re order the REX slics intul I like the pattern, then pitch it up 2 octaves, add predelay and reverb, reverse the sample, and automate pitch shifting with an lfo. Now I have something completely differnt. this can be loaded into a layer with x phraze for example to become part of a greater whole. Or I might use it as the modulation signal for a vocoded pad.
A lot of these distorted reality/atmosphere samples were done simply using synths that many of us already use- reason's malstrom for example, or other simple subtractive pads. which were altered/vocoded/resynthesised using methods similar (and very different!!) to the example I gave.
Long story short, I don't see how any sampled loop or texture is considered any different to an oscillator waveform- which can be manipulated in much the same way. (in fact many of these wav loops/samples can be directly loaded into a synth anyway.)
I trust this makes sense- I feel distroted reality does inspire me- because I can hear what is possible. I have started creating my own textures in response to those. and I use both.
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- KVRian
- 992 posts since 16 Dec, 2002
*cough*tee boy wrote:Now that is good advise. I dont have this library, but everything i hear about it says its a creative tool that must be owned! I think developers should be making more of this stuff - sample products designed to help YOU create the weird and the wonderful.