Ambienteer » ambient

253 – Dark Parsec

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:28:55 +0000

I’ve been stuck in a non-creative headspace for a little while and decided to go out into the countryside to do a little foraging (black & elderberries) to see if nature could inspire me as well as offering up a fruitful bounty.

I parked up in a quiet layby and started to pick. Only a few minutes in and a couple of other cars pulled up and it was then that I noticed something…

This piece is an experimental idea based on what went through my mind.

Once I have made a few pieces I will share more about this newly discovered (well, to me anyhow) technique. Created using only my Zoom H4n and a Netbook running Live 8 Launchpad edition, PaulStretch, Mammut and using a couple of other little props and tricks.

The sound source in this example is not me… I wonder if any can guess its origin? The distant hum of the A25 can be heard throughout also.

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Dark Parsec.mp3
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252 – Ploaie

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:56:09 +0000

Here’s the result of my late night experimental noodling with Reaktor inside Live.

I’m not usually drawn to beats at night but I was gettting mesmerised by the sound of the rain bouncing of the roof tiles and gutter.

This is how it sounded to me…

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Ploaie.mp3
Ploaie 96kbps.mp3

251 – Harvest

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:30:56 +0000

An emotional week, with my son becoming a teenager.

As the fields around here are bursting with their harvest, I am even more aware of the speed with which time is passing. Another Summer is fading as Autumn closes in.

I felt the need to create and share a little piece that shows both my joy and my lament.

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Harvest.mp3
Harvest 96kbps.mp3

Several Times II

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:26:18 +0000

I was recently introduced via @greenwoods to ‘Sleeps with the Fishes‘ a 1987 collaboration between Pieter Nooten and Michael Brook. I’m immensly grateful to her for enlightening me. If you love ambient, this is a must have album.

One track in particular I love is Several Times II, but at just over two minutes, its beauty is all too short for me. To help me sleep last night, I stretched and layered it with a little bit of additional reverb into an 11 minute aid to allow you to drift gently off. Here is the result of that.

Only available as a stream for copyright reasons. That said, there is every chance I might be asked to remove it. I sincerely hope not.

I implore you to track the album down and buy it.

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Ambient Compilation 25

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 10:53:56 +0000

Here is the twenty fifth and the last of my regular zipped compilations for a while.

It’s time for me to try and spend a little more time and effort trying to make something a lot more rewarding for both my ears and hopefully yours.

I am extremely grateful for all the support that you have shown me and please don’t imagine that this blog is dead… far from it. I intend to document and share ideas as I create my next project. Having you along for the journey would be terrific. :)

There are two zip files, one for lower bitrate MP3s and the other for the rather better 320kbps files.

All of the tracks here are free for you to download and distribute.

241 to 250 – 96kbps – zip file (40Mb)
241 to 250 – 320kbps – zip file (130Mb)

250 – Valediction

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:50:49 +0000

So here it is. My 250th piece in 520 days. A reflective, almost ghostly sounding track that takes a while to say farewell.

Although I will continue to post here, the rate at which I do will slow somewhat. I now want to concentrate on creating something a little more complete and polished.

Thank you all for your ears, your tweets and your words of encouragement.

James x

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Valediction.mp3
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249 – Aethereal

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:32:10 +0000

Sleep came and went. The night sky was a blanket, heavy and warm.

This is how it sounded to me.

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Aethereal.mp3
Aethereal 96kbps.mp3

248 – Esemplastic

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:44:51 +0000

My creative juices feel like they have dried up, but taking advice from some wise Twitter friends, I’m not going to let it get to me.

I wasn’t going to post the results of last night’s noodling, but after giving it a few listens, it doesn’t seem so bad.

Made using a 0.03 second sample of Elgar’s Nimrod as a sound source.

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Esemplastic.mp3
Esemplastic 96kbps.mp3

247 – Mera

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:45:45 +0000

This is a piece dedicated to Team Himalayas aka @teammera, a group of Tweeters from around the world who are going to take on Mera Peak, Himalayas next year for charity : water.

Please consider supporting them by making a donation?

To find out more… go to http://twitterteamhimalayas.com/index.html

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Mera.mp3
Mera 96kbps.mp3

246 – Illetas

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:37:22 +0000

This is noisy. Sorry about that, but getting a clean and clear recording from a contact mic seems to be a real challenge. That said, I have had a fun afternoon and evening creating sounds from scratch. This is made up of one sample using a contact mic and the Zoom H4n, capturing me singing down a six foot piece of plastic plumbing tube. I made it into an instrument and played it though a myriad of effects.

Why Illetas? Well, my son is there with his Mother on hoilday. It’s where we used to live when he was v.young. The piece sounds a little melancholic…

I miss him, that’s all.

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Illetas.mp3
Illetas 96kbps.mp3