Ambient

[VikingBlues]

The Blues Room - not just for Blues here, but "open for Jazz and Rock" too it says!
I'm off beam for any of those styles with this Ambient style though!

But what the heck - someone might like these. A mix of VST MIDI synth and the use of Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch software.
A basic form of the stretch software is included in Audacity but the full software has filters and various octave additions that can be applied.
It's a great backwash for adding synth to, and with the right choice of audio makes for easier mood creation.

Recommend headphones / decent speakers to pick up the bass frequencies.

"Night Stretches On"
https://app.box.com/s/jzf6vtpmxgkwjooj7empaix05d9ybgvb
This has a female solo singing voice stretched x 12, plus a Spitfire Labs Synth Pad, Astral Dreamer "Heavens Gate" (2nd half), and an Avatar ST64-"Bells of Destiny" nearer the end.

"Fading Days" - a long haul at 11 minutes I'm afraid.
https://app.box.com/s/sadb61o9rn7kxtqfwomf8lm1nu5emecq
Acoustic Guitar Stretched x 8. Plus Spitfire Audio Labs - "Scary Strings Cool", EW Harp 2, and Garritan Instant Orchestra "Full Choir Slow".
Interesting how guitar sound is dispelled with the lack of attack at the beginning of the notes, and how what seems like a continuous smooth sound ends up sounding a bit like a roughly bowed instrument.
I don't think they make films depressing enough to have this as the music.

[12bar]

Ambient is Blues, somehow. Well done!
I like psychedelic, ambient or whatever you may call it, when there's a movie inside your head.

I don't think they make films depressing enough to have this as the music.

I sure can make one!

[VikingBlues]

Cheers! Glad you liked it sir!

I'll just take the opportunity to post a link to another experiment. I seem to be in a mood to try different things recently.
I've just got hold of a Passarelle Bridge. Developed by Kaki King and a luthier called Rachel Rosencrantz.
It's a bridge cast out of bronze that turns any regular six string acoustic guitar into a twelve note instrument that can produce sounds reminiscent of the Japanese koto or the Chinese guzheng.
Detune strings, insert bridge under the strings at a particular fret. Tune up to some sort of open tuning (keeping strings quite loose to avoid strain on the soundboard. If it's the 16th fret the strings at the nut side of the added bridge will be a 5th removed from the tuning at the bridge side, so will be in harmony.

Here's an early attempt with the added bridge at the 16th fret.
I added a couple of free VST synths to try hide the fact i don't know what I'm doing.
Shame that i don't know what I'm doing with the synths either.

The shivering fearful guitar used for this experiment was the Tanglewood TW73.
If anyone is bothered, tuning at the bridge end is : D G Bb D F G (makes the notes on the nut side of the passarelle G C E G Bb C).

Takes some concentration to play with this very different playing technique. Plucking strings with the left hand seems weird!

https://app.box.com/s/hyh8erwooabht3ema282i6bk6xkg125p

[12bar]

Didn't know of this bridge, had to google it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDznkKo3-YI

Sounds really chinese/japanese, you have already mastered it quite good!

[VikingBlues]

All the detuning and retuning before and after installation is a bit of a pest, but it's probably unwise to keep the extra bridge in place for long. It does exert a downward pressure on the soundboard.
If you like an acoustic guitar with a good resonance (which I do) it's likely that the soundboard is relatively thin therefore it needs to be treated carefully.

But using one of these is much easier than learning a new instrument!

[VikingBlues]

Another go at the Ambient Stretched Sound. A wee 3 minute piece.

Called "Owl Stretching Time" because (a) that was a possible name for Monty Python and (b) because stretched sounds of Owls form the foundation of the piece.
But it's rather more like a soundtrack of something a bit creepy - exploring Draculas Castle maybe. The thunder helps!
Includes VST "instruments" for Percussion (in Samplitudes own VSTs) and A Full Choir (from Garritan Orchestra).

https://app.box.com/s/rf1gqyib9ypw6hwpm56awrt8hwsdzgyw

[12bar]

Did you get a call from George Lucas?
Really creepy, would fit to any horror movie

It's amazing how many things can be done via vst instruments.

[VikingBlues]

Did you get a call from George Lucas?
Really creepy, would fit to any horror movie

It's amazing how many things can be done via vst instruments.

!!!

Thanks Gerd!

[fenson]

On the other hand Blues is Ambient somehow ;-)
Well done!

[VikingBlues]

Thanks Fenson!

I've recently watched a commercial film on dvd where there was an extra about the music soundtrack.
The composer of the film score mentioned he'd used the Paul's Stretch software a good deal to incorporate stretched sounds into the film soundtrack.
It was quite a low budget film though - I'd guess there's much more expensive software that the high profile composers use.