Atmospheric, ethereal, meditative or moody, this misunderstood music is becoming increasingly popular as the tools used to create it have become more accessible

The term ambient music was coined in the 70s by ex-Roxy Music band member and ostrich feather aficionado Brian Eno, who developed new ideas about music while incapacitated after a car accident. As the story goes, a visitor put on a record on her way out of the room. Unable to turn up the hi-fi, Eno relaxed to the sound of barely audible music merging with that of rain from outside. “This presented what was for me a new way of hearing music - as part of the ambience of the environment just as the colour of the light and the sound of the rain were part of that ambience.”

Eno was familiar with Satie’s concept of furniture music (music to be enjoyed in the background) and the tape compositions of Steve Reich. He combined the two approaches on his next LP, Discreet Music, fully realising it on 1978’s Ambient 1: Music For Airports.

With its focus on atmosphere over melody and shifting timbres over obvious rhythms, Eno’s ambient records were a radical change from his previous art rock and left some reviewers confused. Still, they had a lasting impact on experimental instrumental ambience in genres as diverse as industrial and new age.

Eventually - and somewhat surprisingly - ambient techniques would be adopted by experimental dance musicians, not least Aphex Twin, whose full-length debut was titled Selected Ambient Works 85-92.

Let’s put these lofty concepts into practice!

>Step by step 1. Modular synth ambience

1 In this tutorial, we’ll create an ambient patch using Cherry Audio’s Voltage Modular Nucleus. Combining the flexibility of a modular synth with a systematic approach like those used by Brian Eno can yield great results to be enjoyed alone, or serve as the stimulus for a more complex production. Let’s fire up Voltage Modular Nucleus and click ‘New’ to wipe the slate.

2 Our goal is to create a patch that allows some control over the notes and sounds, but still offers some element of chance. We’ll do that in a way similar to that used by Eno on Discreet Music, by combining slow sequences with different tempos. Start at the module browser on the left and find the Eight-Step Sequencer module, then click the Add button.