Modulation in ambient music

I use two chorus and two phasers two delays, reverb and flange with compression. Throw on all that and still be ambient. Or musical.

When I think of chorus for ambient music, I always go back to this passage here:

https://youtu.be/Ziw4yd5R0QI?t=20m28s

A few bars in, a chorus effect comes in and I think the sound of it is simply beautiful. Albeit this is less ambient, but it can still be used to great effect. I've never liked chorus as a distorted effect like with Nirvana, but this song here is what got me back to like chorus for more ambient music.

Speaking of, that's on my pedalboard wish list. Probably going to pick up Julia. I'm sure she sounds good.

Choruses at different rates and settings almost constant with delays and verbs to get a wash, With the phasers used to accent phrases. I also have the phasers set up before and after dirt and uses pedal. choruses between delays as well as amp. Mess with your chain to get unique results.

Your compressor is going to squish the highs and lows out of your sound and blur a lot of 'pick attack' sounds and make everything flow a lot nicer. Ambient is smooth etc etc

Chorus is the main modulation for me. At times I will use a Flanger. The rule for me is Modulation is used for color and I try not to over saturate the sound with modulation. I primary rely on the use of delays and different speeds. At first I was using a analog chorus with digital delay it didn't quite come out as lush as I wanted to it sounded a little harsh. The goal was a Robin Guthrie esque sound. Currently I use a bucket brigade chorus with a digital delay in shorter speeds followed by a tape delay to smooth the sound out and give it a touch of warmth followed with light hall reverb for accent.

I don't know what people mean by 'ambient guitar music' as its being referenced here, but all the modulation effects have very similar electronic thigns going on from chorus being simplest to phasers being the most complex.... as a kid I was chorus guy but Iw as a child of the 80s.... as I got older I switched to a Boss BF2 and eventually got into phase, owning a vintage small stone as my sole modulation effect for many years... until going back to chorus when I had a Roland CHorus-Echo for awhile which is a SPace Echo with a built in Juno6 chorus circuit thatw as so lush, yum.... then I was seduced by a friend's rare Mutron foot Flanger thatw as a realy treat, very unique sounding flange with detailed controls found on few vintage examples as well as a tredle that could control the sweep if you wanted.... but then it was back to the smallstone until I finally got an offer I couldn't refuse for her and sold her

recently I went back to flange for awhile but eventually sold the Ibanez FL9 and have been using modulated echo when I want warble.... every time I get on a Cure or Smith's kick I get a chorus or flanger and then I think better of it after a few months

but I kept the smalls tone the longest and used it the most... I think phasing is one of those effects that jumps out without sounding cold, harsh, metallic, whatever whereas chorus and flange sound best when they are too subtle for live work (and I had very good sounding examples)

The way I've heard "ambient guitar" be referenced as is a guitar being used in the style of a synth pad. Think Loscil, but with guitars.

What would have been Robin Gutherie....

why not just play a synthesizer?

Same reason why some metal guitarists don't just use arpeggiators instead of using their fretting hand to sweep on a guitar (if sweep is the correct term).

yes, its a sweep arpeggio and no you can't make a synth's arpeggiator do what a metal player does since a synth is not a guitar LOL

cute, try again

I was supposing its because the guys doing ambient guitar couldn't be bothered to learn to play piano.... I kinda just embrace instruments for what they are but I also have never met a non-wind instrument I couldn't play adequately.... well, the accordion gave me grief, but if I had put more time into it I think I woulda gotten better, but I was too busy

anyway, I do like some of those pad like guitar sounds well enough in context, but being a decent keys player I just tend to reach for synths when I want that sort of thing as I can really get a lot more out of them instead of just approximating with loads of effects --- and if I want effects, synthesizers love stompboxes and rack units and even sound great through guitar amps

My favourite modulation for ambient music has come out of having a chorus right after my delay pedal; I'm struggling to think of any place in my own writing a phaser'd sit nicely, but maybe on a droning chord underneath the main parts it'd sit nicely

yes, its a sweep arpeggio and no you can't make a synth's arpeggiator do what a metal player does since a synth is not a guitar LOL

cute, try again

I would, but you that wasn't my point to begin with.

anyway, I do like some of those pad like guitar sounds well enough in context, but being a decent keys player I just tend to reach for synths when I want that sort of thing as I can really get a lot more out of them instead of just approximating with loads of effects --- and if I want effects, synthesizers love stompboxes and rack units and even sound great through guitar amps

There it is. I personally like the sound of it, but I don't play any ambient anymore. I gravitate towards because I've seen guitarists do it often. Sure, keys started it, but if you can do it on guitar as well, what's stopping you?

Also, the "ambient guitar" I'm hearing seems to be double standard, so bad on me. For some reason, I relate EITS to ambient even though they rarely do that kind of pad/guitar thing.

Frankly, I can't remember where I've seen it, now.

when I think of ambient guitar I always seem to think of excessive use of ebow, drenched in filtering, modulation and echo.... very much a poor man's synth sound

ebow and 'sustainer' sounds are one of those thigns that I think reached its peak in the 80s and got really played out.... really its use on U2's classic Joshua Tree said it all