Meditation Music - How are They Creating This?

[william lawes]

I am wondering if anyone knows from listening to this how this music is created? There are several layers, minimal texture slowly evolving:


Is it a single piece of software he is using?

[imrae]

You can do this with pretty much any polyphonic synthesiser and some reverb.

I'd suggest setting up a few different reverb/delay channels, and have a few synths that send to all of them in different ratios. This gives you more control over the ambience and can create more depth, like voices are coming from different places.

[DJ Warmonger]

Just play some chords and stretch them to extreme with paulstretch.

[Caine123]

Interesting topic, i am also interested .

@dj warmonger thx, good tip, but what did they or do they use without paulstretch?

I think maybe so the notes and sounds are not boring monotonous some very slow lfo modulation might help and of course a low bpm so you can have noted played very long and modulation setting affect better the slow movement.

I dont want to hijack the topic but how can you be sure to play a specific hz area? Like many videos are 528, 6xx, 7xx etc how do i know which notes i need to play to stay in a specific frequency?

[EdSfer]

You can do this with pretty much any polyphonic synthesiser and some reverb.

Any poly synth, especially when layers are involved, but I would rather choose a wavetable synth over a simple subtractive one, as it will be easier to have an ever-evolving sound. The more modulation possibilities you have, the more you can make it "breathe". Slow random LFO's modulating Cutoff, res, WT pos, FM/PM etc if available.

I think this video does a good job explaining the process for long evolving pads (replace the steppers by random lfo's when using another synth):

[william lawes]

Thanks for those ideas, that's certainly helped go further into this, I will start experimenting with some of the things I have. I use Cubase 9.5, one set of instruments I like is Arturia's V collection, what synths and software are good for this type of relaxation music? I've looked at a lot of these type of new age youtube channels and this one attracted my attention because the quality of the textures he creates and the overall production value seemed a bit more refined than the majority of channels I've seen.

[BertKoor]

I am wondering if anyone knows from listening to this how this music is created? [...] Is it a single piece of software he is using?

The software & instruments are not so relevant. You don't need to stretch anything, it can be made with any DAW and a GM synth that allows for some alterations like slow attack & release times.

The best advice I can give you is to try and replicate it as close as you can. Start off with just the first two or three minutes. Identify what you hear. What is logical to be considered a track? Is there a solo instrument melody? Is there something playing chords? I'd say in the start of this piece it may be just 4, maybe building up to 8 individual tracks.

[tehlord]

It's probably a single Omnisphere preset. There are hundreds in there that sound exactly like this.

[himalaya]

Meditation Music - How are They Creating This?

You need to mediate upon this.

Pretty much every big synth/sampler will come loaded with lush pads, ambinet soundscapes of all sorts including sounds suitable for New Age noodlings. However, I wanted to pop in into this thread and show you how easy it is to make such lush pads with effect plugins. No synthesis knowledge needed at all.

Pick a smooth sound source, maybe a string ensemble and apply some carefully chosen effects and go. Here is an example. This example isn't made specifically for this thread. I made it a long time ago to demonstrate how effects can be used to quickly transform a simple sample into a big atmospheric wash of sound. So it's not meant to imitate the sound in the video, but rather inspire you to start experimening with some effects.

What you will hear at the start is a basic, boring string sample from a General Midi sound module. Can't get more sterile, lifeless than that. Then, you will hear the same sample but this time, it's transformed by a chain of effects that consist of chorus, delays, reverb, phasers, pitch shifters, more reverb....Notice how the cowbell heard with the dry string sample, is then transformed into this shimmering sound in the second example:

http://www.electric-himalaya.com/stuff/ ... owBell.mp3

To make this sound more meditative, I'd slow the phaser rate down a notch, or not use it at all. Then, I'd have a low pass filter plugin somewhere in the effects chain to make the sound darker. It's very easy to do, and really does not require any knowledge of synthsesis. I think the biggest challange here is to choose the right type of reverb and reverb settings. You want a reverb plugin that creates a smooth reverb tail, a belivable sense of space where the actual reverb feels like part of the sound and not 'attached' to it. In my example above, I'm actually using two reverbs insterted at different points in the effect chain.

Give it a go. It's also loads of fun messing with effects like this. For example a chain like this: pitch-shift>reverb>chorus>phaser>delay>reverb should give you beautiful, lush meditative pads. The pitch-shift effect would be set to add an octave down or up, depending on taste. This creates a bigger sound. Try it.

[enCiphered]

All you need for this type of sound is Valhalla Super Massive

[william lawes]

It's probably a single Omnisphere preset. There are hundreds in there that sound exactly like this.

Yes, that's why I wondered if it might be a single software, because the voices sound like they are interacting, or reacting to one another in subtle ways, perhaps according to an algorithm. I haven't used Omnisphere, but that was what came to mind...

[BBFG#]

It could just as easily be Reaktor with the Everything Turns libraries. I doubt Omnisphere though. Processing is different enough to suggest it and lacking its signature character. (Especially in the "sample-in/sample-out context.)

[hoxclab]

Open Omnisphere
Set cateogory to Textures Soundscape
Set Mood to Meditative
Hold down one key on the keyboard for an hour
Add choir sample of the same key to the sample
Add fade in/out
Upload to YouTube

[william lawes]

Just looking into the endless info and youtube videos on generative music, Max/msp, Ableton, and found this older thread on Synths and ambient music: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=496651

[himalaya]

Don't over think it. These sounds are very simple to achieve. Effects are your answer here. In the video you linked to, the basic 'pad' seems like it was made with sine waves or similar, with unison, with lots of ambient effects. Then there are subtle upper layers slightly brighter and fuller sounding, also smeared by effects. They are coming in and out which to me sounds like chords/melodic lines being played.

You can literally pick up any synth and with careful addition of effects get such lush ambience.