Thank you! I hope to make more for my channel soon! (I'm make some guides for the Sonicware channel at the moment, the first of which was recently published.)
Nice one, glad you're on this 👍 I mention this deep within my tut video, but i like the idea of using the 8 samples like 8 tape loops you can overwrite. Randomly recording a snippet of something without quite knowing how it will turn out invites some mild chaos and i love that 😄
I probably heard it at some point there and forgot! That's a good way of thinking about it-the automatic looping with cross-fading lends itself to that, and 8 seconds can be a lot for a loop!
Really good showcase and cool calculations at the end. I believe that huge number does not even take into account the additional sound possibilities when adding the filter, LFOs, FX etc. Crazy how many different sounds one synth can make
Thank you! And yes, you're right! Those would multiply all of the possibilities exponentially! And the LFOs also bring up another thing, which is that all the possible combinations I mentioned are like particular static states the engine can be in at any given moment, but then with the LFOs, you can dynamically shift between those states over time in who knows how many ways, which complicates things even further, especially when you take into account the various LFO shape and trigger possibilities.
I’m still learning the best ways to record audio from my synths, but my only video on my channel so far is combining the Ambient 0 with the Texture Lab. I had a sequence going on the Ambient 0 that only got through 16 of the 64 steps, and it turned out to be 17 minutes long! I had done some rough math and found that I was looking at over an hour in length if I were to let the whole 64 steps play. I love the capabilities of the Ambient 0. Thanks for making your content!
Thanks! I'm currently a bit preoccupied with making tutorials for Sonicware. The first one is on their channel, and the next one will be coming out soon, and then I hope to make more content on here soon after that!
Haha, thanks! And yeah, for this video, I was filming with my phone with a teleprompter app on the screen. That made it 100 times easier to record the narration than my other videos where I'm speaking off the cuff
Thank you! Can you do a full use tutorial of the Ambient 0? I feel like I can’t past the basic making sounds and can’t quite comprehend how to use the sequencer to get more organic looping tracks.
You're welcome! I have various ideas for tutorials I'm going to do, but the more I know of what people actually need help with, the better I'll be able to help with them, so any more details about what you're having trouble with would be useful. For instances, what do you mean by more organic looping tracks? Could you describe what you mean and/or just give me some examples (like videos of other people's music on the Ambient that you want to emulate)?
I was curious too about “FLUT”, so I asked Chat GPT. I described the sound as a slow pitch modulated sound, much like a siren. But definitely not a flute. It suggested that FLUT may stand for Fluctuate. So perhaps it is shorthand for fluctuated pitch? Sounds like a reasonable possibility.
I was wondering what is the best way to record this synth without losing quality? Since it has aux out and most of the audio interfaces have the bigger plug, does a regular cable from aux to plug work?
I'm not an expert on this kind of stuff, but I use a cable that goes small TRS plug into the synth and then splits into two big mono plugs that go into the H4N Pro that I use for recording, and it seems to work fine.
Yes, I’ve thought the same thing. If I had to choose, I’d even rather have the effects have a send value per layer than the reverb, since I’m usually fine with having the same level of reverb per track, but with something like delay, it can become unusable at higher values. (Having the shimmer be per layer is good, though; I wouldn’t want to lose that.)
Great video. I have an 8-bit warps, but find the sequencer part hard to master (especially parameter lock - even after watching Chris L's videos). Is Ambient Zero any easier to work with or are there any recommendations for how I can learn how to make patterns? Thanks.
The sequencers are pretty similar. I’m going to make a video on sequencing on the Ambient, and there will be some overlaps with the Warps. If you want, could you describe a little more what you find difficult or confusing?
@@SonicCartography thanks for the reply! finally got parameter locking to work on a pattern, which is helpful. I guess I need more basic knowledge on sequencing like when to use which time signatures, how long my pattern should be to get patterns to sound like I want (especially rhythm). I have a pretty decent sense of rhythm generally but can’t seem to transfer it to this or maybe any sequencer. I do a little better just recording live my pattern but that is pretty random. Any pointers are greatly appreciated!🙏. One other question. Do you like the ambient 0 better than the 8-bit warps for music making? Your songs sound great.
@@jteichma If you feel comfortable recording live, I'd suggest taking advantage of that as much as possible. I think it's a more natural and intuitive way of making music, and it's what I often do. I record on the sequencer live, sometimes multiple times to try get the best take I can, and then I go back into it in manual recording mode to clean it up if need be (e.g., if a note got recorded for more steps than I wanted or came in 1 step late). I'm rarely playing anything outside of 4/4 time (only one song in my previous video was outside of it, in 3/4), so the sequencer is usually set to a multiple of 4. Beyond that, picking the right length and note value setting is a bit tricky and can take some trial and error. I'd have to think more about it to give better advice. I hope to make a video on it. But in the meantime, I guess I'd just say to keep in mind it's okay and normal to not know right away what they should be and have to bumble around a bit to figure it out. Re: the Warps, I would say I slightly favor the Ambient, just because of the 4 sequencer tracks and LFO options. But I like the character of the Warps’ sound and the simplicity of the loop recording on it, which can make it easier to get a piece of music going. Oh, and thank you (re: the compliment)!
Thanks! You can import and export palettes (page 92 of the manual: www.sonicware.co.jp/DL/LIVEN_Ambient/DOC/Ambient0_manual_en.pdf). Or did you mean something else?
That fits the letters, but it doesn't seem to fit the sound to me. It sounds like a siren, which is the opposite: a *slow* variation of a frequency/pitch parameter 🤔
The only real problem I've encountered with the Ambient0 thus far is how there's 128 pattern slots but only 8 different sample slots. Even the Texture Lab has 32 slots for samples.
Yeah, I’m guessing that’s a hardware limitation, unfortunately. Maybe the Texture Lab could support more samples because it wasn’t multitimberal? Not really sure
With devices like the Korg Drumlogue only providing 32mb of storage, and the TextureLab only providing 32 sample slots, I've become accustomed to making the most out of a few specific and curated samples. But 8 samples is going to be a challenge. My recommendation is to make a file with multiple sounds on a single sample file, and then navigate to the sound you want by manipulating the starting point. On the opposite end of the spectrum, my Polyend Play and Elektron Model Samples each offer sample storage in the GB region. But in my opinion.. that can sometimes be too much of a burden, as a desired sound might be buried. Soon enough though, I will know the challenge of the blue box with 8 sample slots. Despite the dockworkers strike, mine is supposed to arrive shortly... and to be honest... I forgot it had any sample slots!!🤣
Unless there’s some trick I haven’t seen yet, I don’t think you can select the starting point on the Ambient, unlike the Texture Lab. I think it’s best to think of it as a bonus layer, especially if you’re using it in the unintended way I show in the video. I mean, I don’t think many of us would be complaining if it came with just the three synth layers, and if you need more sophisticated sampling, a lot of us already have devices for that.
Thanks for the heads-up. At $220.00, this certainly isn't a deal-breaker. Plus, as you pointed out, many of us already use other machines for including samples. And besides, up until today, I'd completely forgotten it even allowed for samples. Cheers!!
Spot on! The names and labels are meaningless! Loving the extra effort to get a decent video out too. Im still struggling to get any traction with my vids about my gear. Any advice?
Thank you! It might be my first and last video like this because I was shocked at how much work it takes to edit this sort of thing together lol… Re: getting traction, I think the crucial thing for me was that I started making Texture Lab tutorials when no one else was making them (beyond the tutorials on the basic controls), so I had a niche all to myself for something that was new and had a little buzz. While I’d like to think I have some talent for this stuff, I’m guessing I’d have a small fraction of the subscribers and views I have if I had started off with, say, Volca Keys videos… So, yeah, I think finding an untapped niche is pretty crucial for a new or smaller channel.
@@SonicCartographyha! I wondered. It seems like several recording sessions and multiple setup. I see what you mean. Some of your vids were the first I came across trying to learn Sonicware gear. Thanks for the quick follow up and helpful tips as always.
No problem! And good luck / stay at it-I think a lot of it’s also just sticking at it for long enough to find your way and have some luck, like a lot of things…
well, put my friend in terms of you can pretty much make anything on this device. Sometimes it reminds me a little bit of a Juno in terms of the synth engine mixed with the effects.
I love this machine. I don't love Sonicware's branding and marketing of this machine. Is it the "Ambient Oh" or the "Ambient Zero?" Not even Sonicware's own marketing seems to be sure what it's called. I do love the groovebox itself though.
Wikipedia: The null sign (∅) is often used in mathematics for denoting the empty set. The same letter in linguistics represents zero, the lack of an element.
![Ambient Ø Beginner's Guide [#1 Basic Operations & Playing Techniques (without using the sequencer)]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3glp_V_lfTQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ambient Ø Beginner's Guide [#1 Basic Operations & Playing Techniques (without using the sequencer)]](/img/tr.png)
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
love the clear, straight to the point delivery. so refreshing compared to all the rambling and gimmicky youtubers.
Thank you!
8:38 Thanks so much for this tip. I never even considered parameter locking different samples on the one layer. Thank you.
You’re welcome! Glad that was helpful!
Awesome video, i am really excited for more liven ambient 0 content!
Thank you! I hope to make more for my channel soon! (I'm make some guides for the Sonicware channel at the moment, the first of which was recently published.)
Nice one, glad you're on this 👍 I mention this deep within my tut video, but i like the idea of using the 8 samples like 8 tape loops you can overwrite. Randomly recording a snippet of something without quite knowing how it will turn out invites some mild chaos and i love that 😄
I probably heard it at some point there and forgot! That's a good way of thinking about it-the automatic looping with cross-fading lends itself to that, and 8 seconds can be a lot for a loop!
Really good showcase and cool calculations at the end. I believe that huge number does not even take into account the additional sound possibilities when adding the filter, LFOs, FX etc. Crazy how many different sounds one synth can make
Thank you! And yes, you're right! Those would multiply all of the possibilities exponentially! And the LFOs also bring up another thing, which is that all the possible combinations I mentioned are like particular static states the engine can be in at any given moment, but then with the LFOs, you can dynamically shift between those states over time in who knows how many ways, which complicates things even further, especially when you take into account the various LFO shape and trigger possibilities.
I’m still learning the best ways to record audio from my synths, but my only video on my channel so far is combining the Ambient 0 with the Texture Lab. I had a sequence going on the Ambient 0 that only got through 16 of the 64 steps, and it turned out to be 17 minutes long!
I had done some rough math and found that I was looking at over an hour in length if I were to let the whole 64 steps play. I love the capabilities of the Ambient 0. Thanks for making your content!
Your song sounds good! And yeah, there’s a lot of room on the sequencer for pads and drones-I’ve only used a fraction of it so far.
@@SonicCartography thanks so much!
This was really good; informative and entertaining. The maths bit at the end made me chuckle. :) Cheerfully sub'd!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
thanks! cant wait for next video on it!!
Thanks! I'm currently a bit preoccupied with making tutorials for Sonicware. The first one is on their channel, and the next one will be coming out soon, and then I hope to make more content on here soon after that!
@SonicCartography perfect! I look into it! Thats what i want!
You are so concise. You got a teleprompter back there?
Good vid
Haha, thanks! And yeah, for this video, I was filming with my phone with a teleprompter app on the screen. That made it 100 times easier to record the narration than my other videos where I'm speaking off the cuff
Thank you! Can you do a full use tutorial of the Ambient 0? I feel like I can’t past the basic making sounds and can’t quite comprehend how to use the sequencer to get more organic looping tracks.
You're welcome! I have various ideas for tutorials I'm going to do, but the more I know of what people actually need help with, the better I'll be able to help with them, so any more details about what you're having trouble with would be useful. For instances, what do you mean by more organic looping tracks? Could you describe what you mean and/or just give me some examples (like videos of other people's music on the Ambient that you want to emulate)?
I was curious too about “FLUT”, so I asked Chat GPT. I described the sound as a slow pitch modulated sound, much like a siren. But definitely not a flute. It suggested that FLUT may stand for Fluctuate. So perhaps it is shorthand for fluctuated pitch? Sounds like a reasonable possibility.
That could be it!
Nice, thank you 🙏
I was wondering what is the best way to record this synth without losing quality? Since it has aux out and most of the audio interfaces have the bigger plug, does a regular cable from aux to plug work?
I'm not an expert on this kind of stuff, but I use a cable that goes small TRS plug into the synth and then splits into two big mono plugs that go into the H4N Pro that I use for recording, and it seems to work fine.
I wish the master FX were send FX which could be altered/toggled per layer. The delay gets very messy very quickly when it applies to all the layers.
Yes, I’ve thought the same thing. If I had to choose, I’d even rather have the effects have a send value per layer than the reverb, since I’m usually fine with having the same level of reverb per track, but with something like delay, it can become unusable at higher values. (Having the shimmer be per layer is good, though; I wouldn’t want to lose that.)
Brilliant video!
Thank you!
Great video. I have an 8-bit warps, but find the sequencer part hard to master (especially parameter lock - even after watching Chris L's videos). Is Ambient Zero any easier to work with or are there any recommendations for how I can learn how to make patterns? Thanks.
The sequencers are pretty similar. I’m going to make a video on sequencing on the Ambient, and there will be some overlaps with the Warps. If you want, could you describe a little more what you find difficult or confusing?
@@SonicCartography thanks for the reply! finally got parameter locking to work on a pattern, which is helpful. I guess I need more basic knowledge on sequencing like when to use which time signatures, how long my pattern should be to get patterns to sound like I want (especially rhythm). I have a pretty decent sense of rhythm generally but can’t seem to transfer it to this or maybe any sequencer. I do a little better just recording live my pattern but that is pretty random. Any pointers are greatly appreciated!🙏. One other question. Do you like the ambient 0 better than the 8-bit warps for music making? Your songs sound great.
@@jteichma If you feel comfortable recording live, I'd suggest taking advantage of that as much as possible. I think it's a more natural and intuitive way of making music, and it's what I often do. I record on the sequencer live, sometimes multiple times to try get the best take I can, and then I go back into it in manual recording mode to clean it up if need be (e.g., if a note got recorded for more steps than I wanted or came in 1 step late).
I'm rarely playing anything outside of 4/4 time (only one song in my previous video was outside of it, in 3/4), so the sequencer is usually set to a multiple of 4. Beyond that, picking the right length and note value setting is a bit tricky and can take some trial and error. I'd have to think more about it to give better advice. I hope to make a video on it. But in the meantime, I guess I'd just say to keep in mind it's okay and normal to not know right away what they should be and have to bumble around a bit to figure it out.
Re: the Warps, I would say I slightly favor the Ambient, just because of the 4 sequencer tracks and LFO options. But I like the character of the Warps’ sound and the simplicity of the loop recording on it, which can make it easier to get a piece of music going. Oh, and thank you (re: the compliment)!
@@SonicCartography thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback. I’ll keep at it.🙏
Great ideas! I just wish we could export a palette, like sharing ZOIA patches. I can imagine a community building around LIVEN units.
Thanks! You can import and export palettes (page 92 of the manual: www.sonicware.co.jp/DL/LIVEN_Ambient/DOC/Ambient0_manual_en.pdf). Or did you mean something else?
@@SonicCartography it never occured to me that this might work (I'm a MIDIot unfortunately). Thanks for yet another good tip!
No problem!
Noise sample switching per step?! Genius....
“Flut” = Flutter: the rapid variation of signal parameters, such as amplitude, phase, and frequency.
That fits the letters, but it doesn't seem to fit the sound to me. It sounds like a siren, which is the opposite: a *slow* variation of a frequency/pitch parameter 🤔
The only real problem I've encountered with the Ambient0 thus far is how there's 128 pattern slots but only 8 different sample slots. Even the Texture Lab has 32 slots for samples.
Yeah, I’m guessing that’s a hardware limitation, unfortunately. Maybe the Texture Lab could support more samples because it wasn’t multitimberal? Not really sure
With devices like the Korg Drumlogue only providing 32mb of storage, and the TextureLab only providing 32 sample slots, I've become accustomed to making the most out of a few specific and curated samples.
But 8 samples is going to be a challenge.
My recommendation is to make a file with multiple sounds on a single sample file, and then navigate to the sound you want by manipulating the starting point.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, my Polyend Play and Elektron Model Samples each offer sample storage in the GB region. But in my opinion.. that can sometimes be too much of a burden, as a desired sound might be buried.
Soon enough though, I will know the challenge of the blue box with 8 sample slots. Despite the dockworkers strike, mine is supposed to arrive shortly... and to be honest... I forgot it had any sample slots!!🤣
Unless there’s some trick I haven’t seen yet, I don’t think you can select the starting point on the Ambient, unlike the Texture Lab. I think it’s best to think of it as a bonus layer, especially if you’re using it in the unintended way I show in the video. I mean, I don’t think many of us would be complaining if it came with just the three synth layers, and if you need more sophisticated sampling, a lot of us already have devices for that.
Thanks for the heads-up. At $220.00, this certainly isn't a deal-breaker. Plus, as you pointed out, many of us already use other machines for including samples.
And besides, up until today, I'd completely forgotten it even allowed for samples.
Cheers!!
Spot on! The names and labels are meaningless! Loving the extra effort to get a decent video out too. Im still struggling to get any traction with my vids about my gear. Any advice?
Thank you! It might be my first and last video like this because I was shocked at how much work it takes to edit this sort of thing together lol…
Re: getting traction, I think the crucial thing for me was that I started making Texture Lab tutorials when no one else was making them (beyond the tutorials on the basic controls), so I had a niche all to myself for something that was new and had a little buzz. While I’d like to think I have some talent for this stuff, I’m guessing I’d have a small fraction of the subscribers and views I have if I had started off with, say, Volca Keys videos… So, yeah, I think finding an untapped niche is pretty crucial for a new or smaller channel.
@@SonicCartographyha! I wondered. It seems like several recording sessions and multiple setup.
I see what you mean. Some of your vids were the first I came across trying to learn Sonicware gear. Thanks for the quick follow up and helpful tips as always.
No problem! And good luck / stay at it-I think a lot of it’s also just sticking at it for long enough to find your way and have some luck, like a lot of things…
well, put my friend in terms of you can pretty much make anything on this device. Sometimes it reminds me a little bit of a Juno in terms of the synth engine mixed with the effects.
Thank you! And I wish I could make that comparison (meaning I wish I had a Juno)!
i wish the Ambient0 included the ability to delay the onset of LFOs.
Yeah, that would be nice.
I love this machine. I don't love Sonicware's branding and marketing of this machine. Is it the "Ambient Oh" or the "Ambient Zero?" Not even Sonicware's own marketing seems to be sure what it's called. I do love the groovebox itself though.
I propose calling it the Ambient Weird Letter O That Norwegians Use
Isn't it just a symbol for median or average?
Wikipedia: The null sign (∅) is often used in mathematics for denoting the empty set. The same letter in linguistics represents zero, the lack of an element.
@@mixrasta I'm pretty sure the null (∅) symbol is intended, but typographically, I think they do use the Norwegian, Danish, etc. Ø letter
@@mixrasta Yeah, I like the Ambient Empty Set. Using that could set the bar low for my next performance. ;)