How to Compose Relaxing Music | Mikael Baggström | Skillshare
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Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

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Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      Your Journey in Relaxing Music

      0:58

    • 2.

      The Amazing Power of Relaxing Music

      15:01

    • 3.

      Live Example 1 Ocean Deep

      10:08

    • 4.

      Live Example 2 Peaceful Mind

      7:49

    • 5.

      Live Example 3 Chillout Room

      7:02

    • 6.

      Live Example 4 Summer Dreams

      7:23

    • 7.

      Live Example 5 Infinite Universe

      7:33

    • 8.

      Assignment Sound Instinct

      0:58

    • 9.

      Ambience is King

      6:38

    • 10.

      Harmonic Focus

      4:44

    • 11.

      Long Notes

      3:33

    • 12.

      Low Contrasts

      5:16

    • 13.

      Low Dynamics

      4:53

    • 14.

      Minimal Rhythms

      5:35

    • 15.

      Silence for Air

      4:37

    • 16.

      Simple & Minimal

      3:25

    • 17.

      Slow Movement

      5:53

    • 18.

      Slow Tempo

      3:42

    • 19.

      Space Effects

      6:12

    • 20.

      Warm Sounds

      5:42

    • 21.

      The Cloudy Pads

      7:26

    • 22.

      The Deep Drones

      8:00

    • 23.

      The Delicate Winds

      5:10

    • 24.

      The Dreamy Soundscapes

      3:59

    • 25.

      The Emotional Strings

      5:41

    • 26.

      The Expressive Voices

      10:28

    • 27.

      The Light Plucks

      7:43

    • 28.

      The Magical Pianos

      6:55

    • 29.

      The Moody Keys

      7:42

    • 30.

      The Smooth Bass

      6:31

    • 31.

      Congratulations

      0:44

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About This Class

Your Journey in Relaxing Music

Hello Composers and Creative People! Do you love to listen to relaxing music. Music that feels like a soft blanket, and puts your body and mind at ease.

In this course you will learn how to compose relaxing music in any style, from ambient soundscapes to chillout beats.

  • Learn the Guidelines of Relaxing Music

  • Explore the Sounds & Colors

  • Discover Practical Tips & Insights

  • Get Live Examples & Demonstrations

  • Become a Master of Relaxing Music

My name is Mike, and I am a composer.
Just. Like. You. =)

If you are ready to learn the secrets of relaxing music composition and production, then take action, and begin your learning adventure, right now!

Meet Your Teacher

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Mikael Baggström

Music Composer | Sound Designer | Video Producer

Teacher

Hey Friends and Creative People!

My name is Mike, and I am a Music Composer, Sound Designer and Artist. I Share my Story, Journey, Experience and Knowledge, to Inspire and Empower Creative People like you. =)

MY PASSION

I believe that learning should be fun. I love to bring my personality into my teaching style. I also try to make my courses dynamic, to be more interesting to you. =)

Friendly regards,
Mike from Sweden
Compose | Artist | Educator

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Level: All Levels

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Transcripts

1. Your Journey in Relaxing Music: your journey in relaxing music. Do you love listening? Teoh. Relaxing music music that feels like it's soft blanket and put your body and mind at ease. Well, in this course, you will learn how to compose relaxing music in any style, from ambient soundscapes to chill out beats, learn the guidelines of relaxing music, explored the sounds and colors, discover practical tips and insights, get live examples and demonstrations. Become a master of relaxing music. My name is Mike, and I am a composer. Just like you. I now invite you to learn the secrets of relaxing music, composition and production. So take action and begin your learning adventure right now. 2. The Amazing Power of Relaxing Music: the amazing power of relaxing music. Music is the single most powerful language in the entire world, and every style, color and shape of music will have a different effect on the listener. Relaxing music comes in many different flavors as well, which all have a different effect on the listener, ranging from very slow ambient on atmospheric music that would work well for meditation or sleep, to chill out music, which can be grateful, reading and studying. Cashel Melo background music, etcetera all the way to Mawr, upbeat but still relaxing tracks that will make you feel good and calm at the same time. I will now give you a behind the scenes look into one of my music compositions and explain several aspects of it, including my creative vision on the decisions I made to achieve my goal. But let's start by listening to the entire composition first, and then I will show you behind the scenes. This track is called 1000 Dreams from Home. - Uh , no. Now let's have a look at the main creative choices I made in order to create this track. So the first thing I almost always go for is finding a nice tempo for the vibe. I want an energy level. I chose 70 bpm because I wanted that Melo chill out mood without being too ambient and atmospheric. So 70 b p. M sounded good for me. And then I went ahead and shows a minor key because I wanted that emotional ah, introspective vibe. Now, as you heard now, the main focal point of this entire track is this piano track here. Um, because I find that a soft piano tone like this is very relaxing and melo to listen to, which takes us to my next. Chose with the kind of sound I wanted a very soft tone based on lower dynamics, low to made and soft piano tone, but also very intimate sound. Because if you listen to this so you can really hear the noise from when I, uh, lift and Andrea and push the sustain pedal, um, in some piano billions, you can choose to have that tone remain because that is the more real natural, um, noise for over real piano. So I wanted to have that remain there, e I think it actually work, especially in a minimal arrangement like this one. So it adds to the atmosphere, almost like when you listen to true orchestral recording. And you here all that background noise from all the players moving in the receipts. Um, you know, everything like that. So the kind of performance if we go into this is what I call it makes between arpeggio and comping. As you can see here is like your pet, your patrons and here can see more of a comping patterns like this so more or paid you here . And then here we get Mauricio Comping or a couple of Boris, and he had little or pigeon again. So it's a mix in the performance style of arpeggio and compaign. I find that very mellow and relaxing, and also all these air in between the nose, especially or patios, um creates that magical atmosphere. Um, and then what I wanted to use to complement the piano was mainly smooth strings. Ah, so these strings hair playing the cool progression here it's if we can play from here like very soft, smooth voice leading. And then I double that with this pad. Ah, which is an octave above, I believe, give us some more depth. Of course, the low strings here. A swell. So they asked the little strings like here long. Just the root note. Because I wanted that smooth aspect in all of the hormone ISS backing up the piano. Now, Not only that, because I also born at some kind of mellow dick vibe, but I wanted it very smooth And what I call soaring melodies, which means long, smooth Ah, melodic knows that shows this cello here. No, I think it's actually the violin is playing here so very long notes Very smooth voice leading. And then, um, I have these low. I don't believe there are low winds. Well, this winds and these chill owes complementing the violence Basically a counter pattern going on there. Um, but I still believe the violence is what is the main focus for the metal Dio Because it is the only thing that is in the higher register. Then why did I choose to add some winds in this arrangement? Here wins oboe and flute like here. And of course, this one here. Okay, so it was low wings. Well, because I find wind instruments and woodwinds to have such a smooth and I even called a silky tone, which I think added to that, because I have this magical, mellow tone overall. So that especially, goes well with the high violins for that hi shimmering and silky tone in the high wrench. And another thing I added by the by the way I have. These are horrible here, just complimenting about the piano does. Then here, when the piano goes into comping, the pope still does. It's ah, or did you think just for like, a counter pattern with this or paid your rhythm? And finally, in the final section, I wanted to have something Mawr. So one thing I did was to add the Squire's Harmonists. Yes, for some extra ah, depth way, Theo, add even more of that magical tone. And then I actually have some rhythms, which is not used that much in relaxing music. But I call this every rhythms because it's violas, winds and chills, but they are playing more or less in the mid to high range and lots of space here in between. So if you take a listen to this here, so it's basically comping the corporation. But it's such short stack a Tous Imo notes and also because it is, ah, woodwinds here and very light strings. Everything about this rhythm is so light and airy, but without it I mean you could use, Ah, play this composition without it. But if I add it, you got that. It's the final sense off something you in the final chorus, basically, but it's also slower of rhythm, so you have to be careful about percussion and rhythm in relaxing music. But it's light, it's thin, it's very airy, and it's slower rhythms, so it doesn't add too much off an energy level of which makes it still fit into the composition, in my opinion. And finally, if we take a look at the actual chord progression I used, So I've actually, um, named this base track every region, the actual courts for the corporation. And, as you can see, a minor e minor, a minor e minor. Very simple. So this is one of the five chord Ah, here again and then we actually get you G and D. A minor e minor C D. But a. As you can see, they're mostly one bore cords and sticking to the main ones here. So it's actually very very simple of a chord progression. Um, I do make some changes here in the breaks. I actually go to be here, the miners. So I do something something for the break. I usually like to have Ah, different core progression for the breakdown with great shore, whatever you wanna call it, just to, you know, at some variation to the composition, But other than that is is basically focusing around the one and five chord a lot in this composition. All right, so those were my main creative choices for making these relaxing music composition. I'm going to put the main chord progression on the screen now so that you can practice and experiment with it if you want. But when you already and you have analyzed this track and the creative choices I made, let's go ahead and move on into the next video. My friends 3. Live Example 1 Ocean Deep: ocean deep in this composition, I wanted to create a sense off majesty elegance and beauty off the deep oceans. Let's have a listen to the composition first and then double diving and show you my creative decisions. - So I started by trying to find a good temple to set the energy level. I wanted for this track, and since I wanted a very smooth, ambient and atmospheric, almost meditative vibe, I set the tempo at 50 bpm, which is at the lower range over your average human heart rate at resting levels like you lie down and daydream almost as you can hear, compared to, let's say, 75. Still smooth, mellow and warm and sound. But I mean with 50 bpm, it really is very atmospheric. An ambient Andi that takes us to the next point that goes together with this is long, smooth notes, So super slow temple with long, smooth notes not only for the courts. As you can see, one board cord here here, this is half pork or with 50 bpm. One boar is very long, and it's the same for the harmonies of the strings. Even more so, since I can connect the notes here for even smoother voice leading. So the status the same for the next chord. Longs moved notes even. Ah, the main melody. What about the shallows and Iowa? Very smooth. And of course, not only that, but also very connected, as you can see here. So they go to smooth the goal to transitions for basically everything. Um, and number three is curvy progressions. What I mean by this? Well, take a look at, for example, the piano track here. So if you basically drew an invisible line here or a curve, it goes, start straight moving. So the upwards then downwards and upwards the same with a leading milady. Even more so, Up, down, up on settling down And these kinds off store retailing with the actual progressions for melodies, course and harmonies really creates a very smooth, um, ambience in the actual notes of use. So I wanted to have that very smooth wave type progression creating these orcs and curves for all the basically war patterns. It's even pronounceable here in the or videos, of course, up and down and up and down as the one. So as for the sound palette I'd shows for this ocean deep to have a very hi focus on smooth soft strings and pads almost pad like, um, sound for the strings, in fact. So if we take the strings here, Joe played here by cinematic strings which are very lush according in a hole Oh, and the leading milady chills and violas. So that's a very much focused on the strings. The piano is yes, back as marking the corporation basically. And then I have these pads here, Um, like So this is actually kind of a pad or paid you course I had it. This choir here. But it's mainly there as a pad basically was. It's just long. Hormone is here very smooth. So that takes us to the next one, which is this choice I made, which was to add some kind of bobbly atmosphere to represent the deep ocean here. So I went with the this patch, which is actually kind of repaired or paid you as well as this one. So it's actually nor paid you. Here's which, as this kind of bubbly, sparkly vibe as do this, which is eso These one is actually playing the cold pressures basically and this one place on or PDO just like these horrors here. But it's not short plaque sounds, but more like like you sparkly pad or paid you and those together really create a lot of that ambiance I wanted for this ocean A deep sound. Ah, that takes us to the re verbs off course, deep under the sea. Ah, you really want to emphasize that big reverb? Ah, recall it drowning in reverb. So if we take I think I have put it on this. So this is recorded in a hole. Ah, But then I also added even more reverb here on top of it all instead of this or in fact instead of the internal reverb. So this is the recorder sound if I stop there. But if I heard that again the default setting for the onboard river plus extra reverb stopping and you really get that drowning reverb on It's also the case for I mean this pad probably pad on da. A lot of these sounds have actually extra river not only wrecks of river bottles of extra delay to a depth stop. There is this delay here, which is also the vintage digital to get that warm sound which takes us actually to the final creative stories, which was to go for a very low and warm mix. So for most of these instruments I actually used here, I cut most of the focus frequencies on the strings to make them even softer. Ah, if we take a look at to see this one here this horror Pierre, there are actually cut the low end. But I think for this one, Yeah, cutting more of the focal frequencies and a little not only, um, the sounds and EQ use. I mean, for the base here. I actually went for a warm character to push it back. So everything I wanted to go for more warm and low eso for the low part. I mean, if you check here Well, if we just consider. I mean, this is the essence. Ah, apart from the piano, which is this orange ones here is very low here. It's below sea for which is middle C. Most notes, actually. And then I just doubled up with very light touch here. This actually also billows middle c Think it's justice? No. Okay, so a bit higher. But all in all mainly focusing O na here the oak save bill from middle C and below, apart from these light pianos again because I wanted a kind of a shimmering tone there, so Ah, but I didn't to do. I don't think so. Yes, I needed actually. So I put everything on their stereo output at a warm setting with some saturation and a very relied compression. So basically, this born coloring? Nope. Here is equivalent off a slight each. Your filter off, reducing the high frequencies to to basically make it former and full character on that. All right, so those were my created choices for making this composition that I call ocean deep. 4. Live Example 2 Peaceful Mind: peaceful mind. In this composition, I end for a very mellow and meditation like ambiance to give the listener a call and gentle mindset. Let's listen to it first, and then we will dive in and I will show you my creative decisions for this track. All right, - so my first creative choice almost always is what temp I will go for. So I actually started with a lower temp about as I experimented with the ports here, I increased it slightly to 75 bpm, which is on the higher scale off the relaxing range off BPM. In my opinion, now, if you listen to it, it still feels super slow Witches. The other aspect off the energy level is how long your notes or how many changes are there . How B c is basically your patterns in your music. And in the case of this, if he disregard the, um, piano, I mean is basically only long notes, very few changes, just graceful movement in the, um, dynamics and so one. So that's with the temple. My next choice was what kind of sound palette I was going for. I wanted a very minimal sound power to give that very peaceful atmosphere as the track is called peaceful mind. So I only use based piano these strings, which I calls cloud strings, which because they are so soft and the an extra string part Ah, home in it, higher up, which I call feather strings. So all in all Holy four performances, basically now my next choice was to use piano as the focus for the track and a very soft piano sound. I'm using ill Isha delicious keys, which has a very warm sound without too much bottom end because I wanted the bottom end to be filled up with a base this year. And then I added some delay and reverb on it to push it even further back. Because with this soft piano sound like this, you can really add some more notes to the performance and still have it feel, Ah, very slow and beautiful and smooth. So especially with the extra delay and reverb now that's takes us to my next created shows . Talking about the smooth sound here, I wanted to have feathery sounds or cloudy sound, So all in all, I mean, I used the string basis here in sort of dino without close mikes because I wanted it to be bi but to re smooth in every range. So that's with the base. The piano as I older and showed you super low in dynamics can see here with a soft sound on the piano and some reverb. And then these clouds strings here, which are also Sardinha without close mikes, super soft on the feathery strings. There also extra reverb. Montel. So this is a higher in range but still even call them feather strings because of this, Because again, on here and here, I don't use any calls. Mike, No Decca Mayes Onley whole Mike's plus extra reverb. That's why you get super soft and magical vibe from it. Ah, the next creature shores was if we check if we disregard the piano once again here and just go and take a look at all the other instruments. Rectal. Assuming Ah, I call this every voice distribution so you get lots of gaps in between the voice leading for each part basis. The lower strings here on the highest rings, a huge space here because that adds more headroom or room in an air in between the ports because with relaxing music, you want the opposite off that wall of sound kind of sound to get on epic music, powerful action music and so on and instead, leave los off through agreed especially for a peaceful track like this. Ah, which takes us into the next created shows, which was lot's of space effects specific, mainly river. But also, as I already showed you, this a delay here this echo which is actually a jewel delay left and right. So a different delay 1/8 doctored in 1/16 straight here on the piano. Extra reverb on basically everything. This is a dark room preset, um, cloud strings, extra reverb here as well. Concert hall More reverb. Um, here. So basically had it extra reverb on everything and then some delay on the piano and also the final thing here. Overall, I wanted a very heavily low and focus on the final output. I have shows in a fat character which really boosts more of the low end. Then if we go back here As for the heavy low and focus again, take a look in what happens. I mean ah, here is middle C. So draw a line here, and you can see that most parts are actually in the lower range of music and, as you already saw from some of my dark room there on the reverb. So the re verbs added re verbs are also more heavy. Focus on the lower end range, Um, and also you get this from not using any close mikes because close mikes are boosting the the higher frequencies and the focus of frequencies. So if you if you remove the clothes, Mike's will push it further to the warmer and lower range over the scale of frequencies. So those were my main created choices for this track hold peaceful mind. 5. Live Example 3 Chillout Room: chill out. True in this composition, the goal was to create an atmosphere with a chill out and Kosi background mood, but not to ambient. Let's have a listen to it first, and then we'll take a look at the creative decisions I made to achieve this goal. - So for this track, I wanted to create that Melo Jesse and Moody vibe. So I set the tempo as if at a fairly low B p m 75 not too low, because I don't want it to be ambient. Ah, but more mellow, relaxing background beats on. That's the next choice was to actually include a percussive beat in this. So for this, I use Ah, an acoustic drum set studio Papa Feather head, because it has a very soft and mellow I've been here, and the velocity off course on the high has or is super low like 21. Here. The cake is louder, but it's so soft, Um, then for the base. I've wanted to go for a very smooth baseline, were slow but still adding some notes there for some groove, and I chose a sub base simply synthesizer with the starbase tone. This is a mini move deep cream and then a electric bass here and together, those really ready, warm and smooth vibe. Now this is probably the most important, ah, track in this arrangement because it's electric Reese. It's the roads L A custom in key escape with some added tremolo together. These is what I get that moved it. She loved by the uh so it's more in the softer mid range, not too much of the base, since I wanted these groovy bass line or this movie smooth baseline to take care of that. I don't have any bass notes in it that is basically playing some kind of, well, soft comping drinks like this. Um, then I have these piano, which I call a an ultra soft or Peggy. What do I mean by that? Well, it's called the Gentleman The piano, with a very soft tone on character on very low dynamics. Overall is going to see here a swell which creates this force will sustain pedal here a lot of cases here because I want that magical, though relaxing in tone without it, it still works. But if I had it no so soft and beautiful in the background there and really adds to the atmosphere. Ah, then the final track, it shows there was I called eco plucks or magic Pluck echoes. So this is a jazz guitar. If using fingers, not a pick, and it's harmonics. And then I used some situation warm character went in and got rid of all the low end and then put it in Avery ah, ambient room setting to get this kind of. So even though it's a plucky, a tacky tone, it's still soft, and it has that ah, spacy sound. And finally, what about the mix? Well, in this case, I actually went with a fat colder off this and quite a lot of separation because I wanted some, you know, vintage kind of low and grit in this track and some compression in parallel mode, and it truly makes a huge difference. Listen, when I remove it and then I will turn it on and I really don't know. You really hear that base a twist on headphones? I hear it very clearly. The base gets a fat low end there because I want the entire makes to be warm and had that fat vintage sound keep in mind. The B tier is super Milliman minimal. It's just a kick drum. Super soft high hats. Then a couple of like lo extra Tom hates and symbols for those fills tiny fields in transitions. Ah, so because I wanted to have, you know, the low end, even warm sound, even in the drama kids, even the high has. Or there are nothing the low end, of course, but they are very soft in tow. Chris Electronic Drum Kit Tie. As so, those were my main created choices here for this track called Chill Out Room. 6. Live Example 4 Summer Dreams: summer dreams here. I wanted to create that amazing feeling off summer joy mixed with a relaxed daydream vibe or freedom and complete absence of stress. Let's have a listen, and then we'll take a look at the creative decisions I made to achieve this vision. It's so finding a good temple for this track was a bit more difficult because I was imagining someone lying in a hammock on a beautiful summer day, sipping from a dream can just enjoying the moment, which means more relaxing and chill out. So I went with a chill out temple, which I consider here about 70 bpm. But since it is more of a summer upbeat feeling in the core progression and so on, I could have gone with, let's say, 75 or even 80 bpm on the higher scale, off relaxing temples to make it a bit more upbeat. So listen to the difference way super relaxed. If I increase it only 10 bpm, 2 80 All of a sudden it is not that relaxing anymore, but still relaxing but more upbeat. If that makes sense, s so that is some sources you really need to make as a composer Sometimes it's hard. Just have to make it shows and go with it. The next thing is, I really wanted it to have a focus on detours because I don't know why, but I just I was funding. Son of the guitar is so it just works so grateful these summer feeling. So I went with this strumming guitar here. Okay, so what did I do with it? Let's see, um, I reduced everything in the low and because I wanted Teoh. I don't want those low and frequencies. Um, this one's here. It's too in your face. I just wanted strumming along there in the background. And then I added a room reverb kind of a warm, small, ambient reverb again without it, too in your face. So I added that, and now it's bird in the background. But you still hear it. So then I have, of course, the main leads or both. These guitar plucky guitar told Ah, very important is this beautiful echo, which works great on this plucky kind of sounds. I have a vintage digital delay here in juvenile settings. It's different delay on the left, Shano and right channel. Now. Next. I wanted a very smooth baseline. So I went with the kind of walking bass line. As you can see, if I assume in, for example, here So it works. Do the next note like that. Um, because that adds, That's smooth groove, so to speak and talking about groove that takes us to mood. And I really love Dewey using these vintage case. This time I didn't use the roads because it was too soft. I went with a very litter rocker blues This beautiful, airy overtones which I love Let's see what I did with equal Yeah, I removed the low when there s well cause again The base really takes care of that, Including the kick drum here, um And then the main focus, of course, the Guitarist of rule. But these two tracks I actually doubled the guitar. So I have these acoustic get over here blocking alone just a natural tone. Then I wanted to think thicken it up. So I went with this ominous fair ballad guitar stack and put it in octave below on also added some extra saturation and fatness to it and parallel compression. Teoh on that adds a lot of depth. So together you get, which makes it the complete focus here. But since it has this plucky, soft, plucky tone with the extra delay and depth of the reverb here, um, it really doesn't take too much of your attention. It just feels smooth and airy with that space in between the notes. Now, of course, with a more upbeat track or chiller track. I feel this really nice to have some kind of beats I went with again. Addictive drums, shoes, acoustic drama studio put further ahead because it has such a soft sound, you can hear the snow. It's a very filtered like only clack off the tone, basically almost like a tap. Um, and a high hat is very, very low dynamics. And finally, I wanted to feel it up, so E wanted to add some more depth. So I added these ambient piano. It's a river studio grand here, so listen to how it sounds when I had really asked a depth and fills up the warmer frequency range there as well. So those were my main creative choices for this kind of strange mix between relaxing and upbeat at the same time, but bore on the chill out, chill out upbeat Scahill things 7. Live Example 5 Infinite Universe: infinite universe. I wanted to create the feeling off the mighty ever lost ing and amends universe with no limits to space and time. Let's have a listen first, and then I will show you the creative decisions I made to achieve this goal. - No , no. All right, so let's have a look at my main creative choices for this particular composition. So first I went with a slow Ambien temple over 65 slightly above the average resting Paul's for a human. So the Metrodome, you feel how slow it is. I could have gone a bit slower, but I still since there are you so long. No, it notes. I didn't really have to. So for the main sound palette, I wanted to go for that biggest cinematic sound. Which meant, of course, focusing on strings and low breath. In fact, I even used layered born breast in the baseline here on DA. That takes us to the next choice, which was practically everything here is using very long notes, the baseline to bar notes, the corporation here, main corporation mainly to to Boris a swell. I mean, you can really feel it if I take, for example, the choir trace that super big and powerful majestic tone. Um, on da. It's the same here for the melodic ports. I mean, if we assuming you can see that this is actually half board nodes or the melody, shorter ones are here, it's still 1/4 note. So the focus here is on very long notes, and the next thing is smooth voice leading. I mean, take a look here at the corporation on piano. These notes are the same Onda. Overall, you have very smooth voice leading. If I still mount, you can see it here. So these voice moves to here to here in half steps, holds that there and here. I've even connected these notes all overall, you can see and for the melody que line here, this is pretty much the biggest step is here. 123 4/2 steps. Um so everything is very smoothly connected with the voice leading. Um, Now the next thing is, I wanted it not only to have a deep, big cinematic sound, but also very powerful low end. So that's why I laid sub bass strings, bass and breasts. Well, this very powerful low end and I Bill Thieve or Snow, which see now it's basically only the bass part track that takes part of the low one. But it's very powerful, and I wanted to have it because without it I mean you lose a lot sense of majesty and power . It really makes a huge difference. Probably the biggest difference in the entire track, to be honest, but not only a powerful low end. I also wanted that sense of air that vest space of the universe here because the track is called infinite universe. Um and I think wires work amazing for this. But I also added this pad I called shimmery or time where I believe I used extra river. But also I removed the low end because I just wanted to be stream hearing every frequencies on together with a choir. So the choir basically like always, angel choir. It takes care of that majestic, divine feel on the shimmer time. Take care of that infinite space, Um, and finally, off course to make it big, cinematic and deep, you need a deep the huge reverb. So I mean, I added river practically everywhere. So I mean these angel choirs vocal hold of the warm river bus. Well, it was setting, but also very long. 4.3 seconds. Here, shimmer of time. I have the reverb, enormous fear, or you can also use long release time for synthesised sounds on these Galaxies strings, dark room. But it's still four seconds long, which is very long reverb feather strings here a bit shorter, but still added reverb on top over the recording, which is also, as you can see here, only the whole Mike's to get that very lush big sound. And in this case, I also used So Dino, which makes them warmer, and all in all that creates a deep sends off the universe with these big, huge re verbs added to the whole recordings. It feels like you or basically some were lost in the vast universe and floating around in the emptiness of space. So those were my creative choices. My main creative choices for this track called Infinite Universe. 8. Assignment Sound Instinct: your assignment. Sound instinct. If you want to level up and evolve as a music composer in any show Aunger and Style, you will have to develop a good ear for music and sound by listening and analyzing professional productions. Your first assignment is there for what I call sound instinct, meaning, listening to music with your full attention and analyzing everything that is going on. In this case, your focus will, of course, be relaxing music. Here is a list off artists I recommend you to listen to to develop your instincts, off instruments, sounds, playing styles, arrangements and performance is used in relaxing music, good luck and have fun developing your composer instincts within relaxing music. 9. Ambience is King: ambiance is king. Relaxing music is all about mood, atmosphere and overall ambience. This means that when choosing instruments sounds in presets, you should really think about what kind of atmosphere that sound will add to your music. Using sounds and effects with the goal of creating a certain ambience will give your music and more relaxing vie. So if we take this composition again, there's one sound here that is purely there for adding that magical atmosphere. So I purposefully shows this particular prison in atmosphere called eternal evolution, because if I play something here, it's so smooth, als and low in the mix. But it has that magical she mirroring sound, which is why shows the court shimmer of time here in the composition. So it's just plays two notes harmonies following the corporation. There's some movement here in expression and modulation or the sound itself. It's simple there, too, some extra ambience, because without it and with it just a slight difference. But it can really hear it shimmering in the high range there. Ah, I also chose, for example, on these acquires to add a super big river because to create atmosphere and ambience, reverb is often your go to effect. And since I use such long notes to to bore to bark orders here, that doesn't even have any voice leading, it just goes on and on. The main purpose is again. I have some modulation of Corporates or expression dynamics, but okay, so it's a corporation about east. The sound itself creates such a big difference in the ambiance and F most Feyerick vibe without required on this ship. Time with you really get that dreamy big ah and warm sound. The track itself is called Infinite Universe. I really wanted to have it super deep in the soundstage, which of these two tracks really create creating that atmosphere and ambience that I was going for? So let's have a little get another example of this composition here, right? So very atmospheric. And it has a lot off Deep cold and Ian's. So, of course, whatever instrument you add doesn't have to be a pad or synthesizer or texture to have ambience. Every instrument and sound will have a certain atmosphere to it. For example, what style piano use sample, library plug in the priest that the effect Yet, of course, the filtering the equals, but also certain sounds or atmospheric in nature such as, for example, pads. And this one I shows, was this precept, which I call Deep Baba Booey pads. Why? Well, because the track is called Ocean Deep. I wanted it to reflect that underwater character. So I found this particular preset that has what I consider a bobbly pad character like that . It's, Ah, some kind of running or pay Geo, which is super soft and deep and, um, really takes care off that aspect of the track. And I wanted even mawr depth factors. So I found this one because I have this horror, Pierre. Why a heart? Well, because it has a short, placket tone, but it's also very soft in nature, especially you. You some added delay, as I've have here, that also creates a certain ambience. But then I doubled the fact, and in this case I found another had plucky type of pre surgical reign of elitism in this begin called alchemy, and it's the same port. However, in this case, off the horrible I have chosen to represent it with some gaps in between. But since these are slightly longer, I reduced these gaps. It's still kind of an or pidio style pattern, but it's kind of a pad with those a Scharping kind of fast echo sounds. Listen carefully again through unique in character and in ambience, and I wanted that as well to add to these overall atmosphere. So what I want you to think about is the sounds were used. The actual presets, like, in this case, also the tones off the particular sounds of use. For example, what kind of choir do you want when you play something on it and use some reverb, EQ use and effects? What ambience, What atmosphere do you feel and that it suit your track? And, of course, more river, more softer sounds more of his long pad like textures off sounds, which could be strings as well. Shallows. Whatever the more of that kind of vibe you get, the more ambient and atmospheric your track will become, which works grateful, relaxing music 10. Harmonic Focus: harmonic focus. Harmonies and chords are mainly used to create a certain emotion vibe and add a dipped to music compositions. The focus for most music isn't rhythms and melodies, however. In relaxing music, you're basically avoiding sounds and ports that grabs too much attention, which means reducing the rhythmic and melodic focus in favor of Harmonists. This means that the courts and harmonies or the most important fundamental elements in relaxing music. So if we take another look at this composition here, infinite universe heavy, listen first. Okay, so how have I reduced the focus on rhythms and melodic ports? Well, first of all, there's no percussion, and there's really no driving melodic rhythms at all. And second way, if you think about the melodic aspect, these tracks here are playing so slow on long notes that it basically becomes more off harmonic voice leading on top off the court progression instead of a melodies. I can easily demonstrate this by simply removing all these tracks here, and it will still have the main essence off this. You know, the vibe in character off this relaxing music from the corporation on piano, these choirs and these hormone a progression on the pad with the baseline. Of course, it becomes even more atmospheric in ambient When I all the used baseline found these harmonies, if I add these tracks here, which are which are melodic in nature, I mean, there is one note at a time here, but since they are so slow again, they more become a flow off. Harmonic voices in the chord progression the voice leading off the courts. So ah, again focused mawr on When you're only record your parts for your relaxing music, focus on what kind of a harmonic progression are you going forward? Don't calm too much like let the nose ring out so that the focus is own the actual harmonies. Some smooth voice leading way went from F major to see Major, with some voice leading there, but in a very smooth and slow fashion. And if you're choosing to go with adding some percussion, make sure it's very low in the mix. Very simple Groove. Few percussion instruments used inside the overall percussion mix. If you use any rhythmic ports, melodic rhythmic parts, I would say Go with some slow or pay Joseph very, very slow, comping like like that like, basically ah, a faster record progression that seemed, belong one or T look courts. You can add some extra courts in there. Don't go overboard if you make it. I mean, that is core progression. That is harmonic progression. But it's still way too, and much focus on the rhythmic side of things. And also, of course, don't any add any rhythmic housing synthesizers and Austin 02 strings chugging guitars or anything like that that really grabs the rhythmic attention, reduced rhythmic, the melodic focus and increase the focus on the courts, ominous on harmonic progression. So those leading like this 11. Long Notes: notes in relaxing music. The norm is to use mainly long sustained notes for melodies, harmonies and chords. This will make the music feel calmer as there is less going on in the actual notes, and more focus is only atmosphere, with slow movement and his sense off air. So let's have a look at the note lengths off this relaxing music composition. First, just listen to a short part of it on. You can really feel the calm atmosphere here, so let's start with the course and harmonists. So the piano here you can see t bores for every court here just ringing out, letting the atmosphere from the sustained off the piano and the reverb of the whole ah, carry the emotion and ambience. And it's, ah, the same with these choirs here just sustaining, not adding anything more, just bringing that atmosphere. We have the base doing this long note to force starting some movement. Hearing dynamics on that goes for the choir, us well, and then you take this shimmer of time. It's just to know Tallman e pad type texture very, very low levels just for that magic shimmering tone on then l let's move on to the more melodic side of the one note at the time here, which is strings and other strings and then some horns here. And if we go in and have a look at all of them at the same time here, you can see that they first of all, it's long notes. I mean, ah, bar to hear Bar three here. So this is half bore notes and then 1.5 bore note here. And you can also see another aspect of these not only all the notes long, but they'll lay uring off them. They move at the same time. If I had added movement here, for example, in the middle, that would feel to the listener as Mauris happening. But now it's just This is actually an octave below this, and this is a harmony here, but they play at the same time. And that is also another aspect of the how much is going on in your music. In fact, the shortest notes in this entire arrangement or in the melodic side, but it's still as Long s 1/4 note right here. So these are quarter notes and then we get to have more notes again, So keep this rule of thumb in mind when composing relaxing music. Use many long nose for your courts, your harmonies and your melodic lines. 12. Low Contrasts: Vaux contrasts. High contrasts like accents or sudden increases in volume or intensity will attract your attention in a big way. This is something you want to avoid in relaxing music. Keeping the contrasts at a lower level is a good guideline, not Onley in the dynamics, but also in the arrangement of rule, meaning that it might be a bad idea to go from one section with only two instruments to the next section, having an entire orchestra playing that creates high controls and will feel like a big and sudden change, which will break the relaxing vibe. So if we take a look at this example again because contracts are mainly recreated by, ah, big changes in dynamics, that is how we create an accent. So have a look here at the velocity levels here. You can see that it's very gradual in its changes. If I, um, Teoh, increase these these crates contras from higher, we'll also just here Teoh the lower surrounding velocity levels or dynamic levels. So now if we listen to this, a lot of a sudden something big changes. That is what contrasts are all about. Ah, big and ah, huge changes in something mainly the dynamics. It could be that I added, for example, four layered ports on this beat to basically create an accent and accents in something you really want to avoid for the most part in relaxing music. But not only that. Check this again with the dynamics here. Um, you can see that it goes in a smooth curve. It doesn't go up like this and then down like and even if you I mean, keep it here in the low level and just do something like this that will feel like, um, too big of a change. Well, you really heard it there. It's on a pretty old to be honest, but I I really want Teoh. Bring this point home that you want everything to be more smooth and gradual because that will create in the world contrast level in average, avoid accents, avoid big shifts and also avoid big changes of role in the arrangement. So if we take a look at the contrast in arrangement you can see in this complete composition is very minimal on da here is it's on the base low parts and piano chills and violas. Here in this section And as you go into this section while there are a couple of more ports , I mean, for example, these ports here, cello, first violence and, ah, winds or basically unison, plus Horman a line by. They play pretty much the same things here. The pad is just some soft and chords. So it doesn't really feel that you don't get that abrupt contrast when we go into this section. So let's listen from here. These two bars and they go in here you don't really feel that high of a contrast, and especially since these are so low in dynamics and very ah, soft overall, that also takes care of it. And another thing you can do if you want to reduce the contrast is don't introduce things straight away. But as in this case, for example, the Paired actually introduced one court here in this previous section. And you can do this by introducing, for example, the violin taking the 1st 2 notes, Um, right here before, like a transitioning into the next section so that you basically smoothed out the transition. So, for example, this Battier stores here with a cord before we go into the next one at that helps in ah, smoothing any smoothing out the transition between the sections. Because when I talk about minimizing the Contras in the arrangement, I mainly talk about these transitions between every section making them or smooth, um and, ah, basically voice leading, um, positioning way with things going into the transition point like I did here and also out, like, you can do a slow, gradual D Christian or diminuendo going down in, ah dynamics as you approach these news section here, which is more sports, as you can see. 13. Low Dynamics: so dynamics. A general guideline for relaxing music is to keep the dynamics, though, for your parts and performances, because lower dynamics have less intensity sounds softer and warmer, even if you turn up the volume off the music. I like to use the P P P to MP range off dynamics mainly for relaxing music, which in medieval OSCE ity terms would be from one to around 60. And with instruments that you can change dynamics over time with expression curves like strings, for example, I like to stay in the lower half off the spectrum, So let's have a look at the dynamics off this particular composition here. So again, there's two ways to control dynamics with so for instruments, media velocity, onda expression over time, like this one here with modulation Well, in most cases. So let's have a look first at the piano here because most instruments are controlled. Ah, with medieval city when we're talking about the dynamics. So if I change this to show the velocity here on the coloring, it goes from blue to light green, which is on the lower velocity scale. If I take this note and increase it, it will see its changes to read. It's Ah, orange before that, a bit yellow scale. Then it goes to green. Now, if you take a look at the overall velocity in the automation here for all the sports there , so you can see these lions and the dots here represents the actual velocity level. Now you can see that the highest velocity is this note. Here it's 60 on. You can see that everything is around. Well, if I draw line in the middle around here, it's around there. So average velocity is around 30. This is what gives this such a mellow, relaxing vibe. I mean, take a listen again. Here to only the piano. What happens if I increases to the max? You get that hard almost, uh, you know, brittle honky tone on the higher dynamics. It's also, of course, important. What kind of piano you use the tone and sound of it. But Dynamics plays a huge role, so that is dynamics on velocity again. Ah, as a general rule, keep it in the lower half off dynamics here, and that goes for dynamics over time. So these strings here, ah, sustained strings or mainly control. If we're going to the funeral, not by velocity values, but if I shift your next one here by expression, so expression curves cc values most often it is the modulation wheel that controls this. And as you can see here, the highest port here is 50 56 here. So I e on the higher parts off this curve. It's still on the MP range of dynamics, and and then it goes down almost to pee pee pee. And if we listen to this on its own, you can really hear how much this have an impact on the and also the strings are sardine articulations of very soft and warm. Now, ah, if I increase this to the highest like so it is way more focused. And of course, if we open up this, you can see that I'm actually using Sortino and no close mike. So if I ever do remove this Sorvino soft articulation and used to close mikes and now have they steal the high blows over high, um, dynamics hairless, move it up again compared to again, Lo dynamics sardine Oh, no close mikes and you have these wonderfully soft, lush, magical, shimmering string tone has the gentle a soft blanket of strings in the background of this, so that is low dynamics in relaxing music. 14. Minimal Rhythms: minimal rhythms. Vitton is the core off energy action and drive in music. That is why you should be careful of using too much rhythmic focus in relaxing music. In fact, for many styles of relaxing music, you can avoid percussion altogether and any rhythmic driving ports like chugging guitars or Austin Or it'll strings. If you decide to use percussion and melodic rhythms, you should use them in a minimal way, with simple grooves and at lower levels in the mix. So if we take this composition here, which is Mawr, chill out and moody as opposed to ambient and atmospheric, it is still relaxing. Even though I have a drum kit here, I have these keys here doing more of a comping rhythm. Ah, I have this piano doing or pidio style pattern. Now these plucks here on guitar are providing some rhythm with delay. Nothing in these composition is too much focused on rhythm. Take a listen first here, right, so it still feels relaxing. So let's take a look at why. So if you start with the drum kit here, it's an acoustic drum kit. But ah, it's very sports in the arrangement as you can see if assuming here, this is one boards just based kick here in the high head groove, which is very slow, as you can see it, too. Threes. There is only eight notes, but there's nothing else really going on except a little bit of a fail over here. But it's also very soft in the tone, so you can see Ah, the dynamics on the hi hats are very low. That Thomas as well, is just the kick drum, which is a bit hiring dynamics, but still. Ah, since it is so warm in sound on in the lower range, it doesn't take up too much focus, and I also have added the super short trip again. Put the character on board and boost it to Max, which means resulted with that. It makes it even more warm and mellow in tone and character, and the overall level off these from is very low in the mix. Now the other aspects that melodic rhythm. So let's say the baseline here. Let's call that in the Nordic rhythm on its own, asking here. So it's very simple, longer notes again here, so I could have used a banned done being boom like a driving baseline. But I shows not to, because, I mean, if you choose to have some kind of rhythm of one fact, um, well, it will make sense to have less over focus on rhythm on other facts, because the more tracks are really making nature, the more the overall energy and action vibe will be, which go against your goal, wishes to make it relaxing these keys also or comping like electric case here, uh, but asking here it's a very slow kind of rhythm. If we assume in here to the beginning, you can see it's like here and on the half board changed any accord on the last beat. Here it's new courts. It's basically three courts here before the next bar, so it's very sparse. Not too many nodes in the groove off the rhythm, you can say, And this rhythm or this piano here, eyes rhythmic in a flow we way like arpeggios are because bum bum, Pam, Pam, Pam, Pam. You can call that a written report instead of just using big block courts and holding them , which is even more relaxing or ambient. The this freedom still feels relaxed and mellow. And now the final part here, this plaques here or longs to stay notes with some echo, echo or delay. Figgins can, of course, added rhythmic sense on their own, but it's very spacy and shimmery, so that doesn't take up much. Britney focused on his own, either, so I mean, you could make it is even more mellow by, for example, taking these piano chords and instead of you doing arpeggio just using book course. So you have to choose the direction the more you add read them and changes in the groove, the more you go in the energetic direction on them, or you add just long notes that hold out with out and really focus the more ego in the ambient direction. But all are, in my opinion, stealing the relaxing music range. 15. Silence for Air: silence for air one off. The most important elements of music is silence. This means two things air in between the notes and spaces in between phrases off your performances in relaxing music. The use of silence to add that sense of space and air is even more important for a comb and atmospheric vibe. So let me demonstrate the first aspect off silence first, which is air in between the notes. So this relaxing music composition no does not really use that other aspect, which means spaces in between phrases. But it uses silence with air in between the notes when it comes to these two instruments here, because this is a whore, which I've added a delay to, and it's pallets Tiffany sketch pad here. So listen to it soul. So the thing about plucky instruments and short protect type notes like this is you really get a sense off this air in between every note. I mean, I could even represent them by making them even shorter, like so, because there's really just the reverb from the notes afterwards, here on the delay. So if I added this in so these are like, what am I using your eighth notes If I have used um, if I double this up like so, no, I will have reduced that central there. It's still there because it's so short and plucky. But e I could even exclude, for example, the fourth note here and this one here and that will air some more air. So get a sense off what I'm talking about here. That is what I call the air in between the notes Now the other aspect the silence in between your phrases in your performances. ISS You can basically think of this as the degree off silence. So complete silence is of course, if I just release everything like this and not using the sustain pedal just and that's just a natural reverb that fades out. But let's say I play something and then, um, I just press down the sustain pedal and let it fade out. In my opinion, that is one of the best ways to use silence. It's not completely start silent, but it really becomes air to breathe here because listen to this. So stay in pedal and let it fade like so that that is ah, silence in the sense of you. You're ending your musical phrase, but you let it sustain and fade out. Naturally, you don't really want any abrupt endings of any phrase in relaxing music, like you don't want to have any fast attacks of a new phrase. You wanted to move in smooth curve. So if you play something that, in my opinion, is considered silence in the phrase because he just let it fade out with the reverb and the sustain pedal here owned the piano fade out. I mean, you really feel that sense of air and eso you shouldn't not think of silence as complete silence, but mawr as a way off, giving the listener a sense of space and air in your music. 16. Simple & Minimal: simple and minimal. Relaxing music is about creating an atmosphere and vibe that does not take too much of your attention and does not feel overpowering in terms of instruments, sounds and performances in the composition. This is why I feel that simple and minimal is a good rule of thumb when composing relaxing music, a few parts less notes and overall reducing what goes on in your music. So let me demonstrate this with this short composition. And as you can see, I only have full tracks. So there's not lots of stuff going on here. There's this bass track here, just long sustained notes. This piano is the main focus, but very ambient on. Then there's these. Ah, this string section here. Very soft, smooth gold transitions and these extra string harmony. So all in all, it sounds like this super relaxing and atmospheric, even at a higher BPM 75 since the notes are so smooth and long and the low dynamics really get more off that ambient atmospheric part off the scale of energy. But the main point here was that I only used four tracks. The notes are very long. There's not much going on I mean, there, you see, I belong these notes over you have the hormone apart as well on da all in all very little, very minimal and very simple. And that adds to the relaxing vibe. You can even take into the most extreme level if you won't, let's say, a solo piano that is providing everything for the composition. So something like this playing soft, smooth on and slow and Onley using a few instruments. A few notes really brings that relaxing vibe. Eso When you composed. As you can see, these are four tracks. Don't go overboard if you use more tracks. I generally recommend layering the same kind off parsing, for example, unison or octaves over a harmony line. But don't do too many different stuff going on at any one time. So for relaxing music, keep it simple and keep it minimal. 17. Slow Movement: slow movement. If you're relaxed and calm, everything you do will be in a slow, gradual way, breathing slowly, moving smoothly, talking in a relaxed way. No sudden bursts or signs of excitement. This is what you want your music to convey in order for it to feel relaxing, slow movement in dynamics, slow movement invoice leading, graceful, smooth curves off any aspect of your sounds and ports. Even the effects and parameter automation you use should have that slow movement in the curves that shape the final sound. So let me demonstrate this guideline with this composition. So playing it now, right? So very smooth and relaxed. Of course. Now, if you take a look at one of the first thing here, it's the voice leading. So as you can see here, especially these two upper voices and melody and harmony here, well, you can see that it moves very gradually here. It really doesn't have any big, huge leaps like this note doesn't go up all of a sudden Ah, big jump like that. But instead, this is was called very smooth voice leading. So that's the main harmony here. Um, and also for these feather strings thes are actually mimicking the two highest voices there on if we take a look at the base, it's the same. If you can't avoid it, don't do any too big leaps. Um, and for the piano, I can actually see that I have, um, kind of a bigger leap here. This is because any time you have a bigger lead that is will become more focused. So But still, you can see if you think of this as a curve going up like wave and down and up and down. So if you think off anything in music as curves and movement to create your story, basically, um, in relaxing music issued, basically make those curves smoother. If you go in and look at the actual dynamic expression here, the mod wheel that controls the dynamics, you can see it moves up and down like a wave, as well as the expression which is basically overall volume your level here even longer, but still very smooth. So it doesn't go always starting up like this and then spiking down like that, but instead, very smoothly so. But as it progresses now, you can also use the same things If you were to add any effects, so you have voice leading. You have graceful slow movement in dynamics and expression or any kind of parameter, even automation on the volume. So let's say you have evolving motivation. Don't do something like this here. So that's a we start there and move. All of a sudden, appear that will sound the risk strange, but instead do it gradually like this. If you're going to use, for example, that's automation automation on the volume, whatever you automate, do it gradually and slowly. Another aspect is using effects such as here I have reverb, but let's say you use some kind off movement effects like, let's say, a tremolo or could be a stereo panning effect, something like that. So here you have the rate well, to keep it very relaxed, make it longer the rates or slow where more Garrett gradual. Let me demonstrate this with what is 1/16 notes first, and you will hear it, um, very fast, rhythmically, almost right. But if you go down to let's say bar and also reduce the depth so it doesn't ah, go all the way. But let's say 60% just some gradual movement here. You hear it in the stereo field slowly, gradually moving. And this could be the case for rotary speak your effects and no any type of effect that has that added moved to Facer Flander Any type of insert effect that adds movement to your sound or ah, the third cases using LF owes in a synthesizer always go for a slow were rate so it feels more and gradual in his movement. And don't go too deep. So if you think of this curve again, don't go Whether LFO to the bottom and the max keep it flatters, so to speak the curve. Let's take a look here at the this again. So the difference in Contras between the end scales here is not too much like I showed you with a tremolo dark. A 100% reduce it downwards, so it's also gentle as well as low 18. Slow Tempo: slow temple. The tempo of your music is what will set the overall energy level. And since relaxing music should have a low energy level you bought to keep the BPM at a lower tempo, I would recommend a starting point to be from 50 BPM 2 80 bpm. The lower the DPM, the more atmospheric and Amby and your music will become on the higher port. Off this range works great for amore chill out or laid back groove. So let's have a listen to some examples. I'll have a composed for this course and focus in on the DPM the temple. As you can see here, it's 50 bpm, which is basically about as low as you can Co Ah, unless you wanted to feel like like an ambient wash of sounds. This is still musical but very ambient in atmospheric in nature. So playing in 321 you feel like you can lie down on a beach somewhere and close your eyes and just day dream from these super low temper, which ah creates that atmospheric or more am being style over relaxing music. All right, let's move on to the opposite scale of this temple range. This track here is in a TV PM which I would consider about the highest range to still have that relaxing music atmosphere. So this is called Summer Dreams and you will really here. Why, If I play it now in 32 one, right, So let's stop there. So what? What I feel at least right away from this is you really get to feel that amazingly Melo vacation type of I've where you sit in a sun chair and just sip. Ah, drink and enjoying the moment. It is very relaxing anymore. Chill out, Melo. Ah, vacation type manner instead of these ambient atmospheric more Ah, in the lower scale off the Temple range as the previous example. Now I also want to show you what would happen if I increase this temperature. Let's say 1 20 all of a sudden it becomes more of an upbeat pop style track. Even feels rushed because these performances are made TB suitable for these lower temple. So I would say even 90 bpm, Mr Bit on the higher end skin it works, but it doesn't have that super mellow sipping the drink vibe as as it had on 80 eyes. Why? I feel that the guideline for best ranges of tempo for relaxing music is around 50 to 80 bpm. 19. Space Effects: space effects, adding depth, space and a sense of air and sound. Stage is a very important port of making your relaxing music, even mawr, calm and atmospheric, the main effects to use for these or reverb and delay, but also the microphone mix for the instruments you use. So if we take a listen to these comp assistant again, it is so gentle, smooth and atmospheric, and port of this is, of course, the dynamics, the long nose and stuff like that, but also the space effects. So let's take a look at how I implemented this into these tracks. So first, the base sporty. If you check, take a look here I'm using. Ah, these lush basis shown like this. And the first part is I set it at Sordi know to make it muted, and I also removed the close mikes. So the close mikes on their own or, of course, more focused, and I just used his decker and whole mike to push it back into the room. I also have this internal of reverb on added on top of the actual recording, which of course makes it very atmospheric. So that is the bass part If we continue with this piano here, let's open it up and see what we have. So this is delicious keys. Onda. What's open up the track, Inspector her here, and it sounds like this on its own kind of roomie. Intimate but not a lot of reader. So it's not a big room, which can were really great with this soft, intimate tone. But if you want your relaxing composition to be mawr ambient, an atmospheric, go ahead and apply some space effects. So the 1st 1 is I added thes echo effect or delay as insert effect lips eso here I put it on Jubal mode, meaning I have a left delay and the right to delay. So if I just hit one note here, and there is a different setting for the eight no tear inducted and straight 16th notes, I could probably use uh, um shoulder or longer delay, Um, values, dear. But I just wanted to add some extra space effect with these delay and equip, fix or delay effects, or especially good for sounds that have an initial attack like pianos, blacked strings were any short notes basically. Then I added some river because I wanted to push it back in the room, and I had chosen this dark room priests a tear. So without it you have justice. Intimate tone. Of course, you get some space from those delay bounces, but with his room reverb again. Without, of course, you can choose to use an even longer reverb room mawr wet setting here, push it back even more. But I wanted the piano to be the main focal point. If you can say that there's no real focal point in relaxing music, but it's what is heard the most, then continuing with these clouds strings here, as I call them Sardinha again, some added, Ah, reverb there on top of the recording. No close Mike again. So I get this super, and if I want to push it even further, just apply extra reverb here as an insert effect. Let's go for a whole or, yeah, a whole reverb here or maturity room. Now I would go with a piano concert hall, see how that sounds. Course it is so soft Dynamics and sardine. Oh, that's why I call it cloud strings, By the way, I recommend actually name in your tracks in a way that makes sense for the road also in your composition. So these are more like cloudy strings. And on the final track, the feathery strings, even thinner, sound amusing these violas or not a full string section and then added yet another concert hall reverb here. Long reverb. So on top of these crowds rings. This takes more care of the lower range as well. Yeah. So again, delay for sounds that have any initial attack and for short notes, reverb for basically everything from the roomy, ambient, intimate reverb to being cool or even if you want to go extreme those big cavern Ah, 56 2nd orm or of reverb. You want to push it to the ambient scale and also controlling it the microphones for the instruments where you have these possibility to do so. 20. Warm Sounds: form sounds, instruments and sounds that are balanced. Maurin the lower range of frequencies of music or more mellow, deep and relaxing by nature. Not only based sounds about the character off, all instruments should focus on this warmer scale for relaxing music. This means using e que filters, warm saturation, filtered delays and re verbs and other production techniques to make the sound character warmer. So let's have a look at what I did in this composition to make the overall character warmer . So it sounds like this again here. Alright, let's stop there. So you already learned a couple over tips and tricks on how to make the sound warmer. So one of them being using lower dynamics, playing really soft compared to now. Another aspect is also using a muted articulations like this sort of, you know, here for the strings. And, um, you can use production techniques. Wish I will show me now So this super shorter have some mild saturation and situation in mile Settings often have a way off, Ah, smoothing out the frequencies on da but make the more fat. And then I added this warm character normal, which is coloring, basically filter type for each you type thing here to make the bass part smoother. Even, of course, in another aspect that is very important is what? Where are you playing your notes? If you're playing down here is piano, by the way. It's of course, a lot warmer than up here, even even while playing up here. This sounds very warm because I'm using a preset so use instruments that have a warm character on their own. So this is a soft character, and I reduced the colder shift here to the warmer side. And then I even used an e que and reduce the frequency even further. So that is one aspect using, um, a sunken separation and also a warm character. You can use tape saturation stuff like that. Ah, and then here in e que on also what I did here for the choir here is I removed the close mikes because often the close mikes have mawr higher frequencies because the father soundest, the more the higher frequencies will decay because they have less, um, energy. So these choir is really, really warm and mellow to see what I did here on this shimmer of time again what they do well here. I actually reduced some of the focus, frequent insists, because I want to dial back in the background. It is not really super form since I reduced the low frequencies, but it just adds that sense of magical air. However, for the strings here I did something really interesting, which is a really cool tip, which is use it preset or a reverb where you can actually fill through the frequencies over the reverb. So, you see, I have dropped everything from 1.5. It hurts down. So this is a dark room still is a long decay. But listen to this. Um, if I remove the river way the river like that on, I did the same with the feather strings here and another priest at a constant cool. But I have much higher on the base and and then I just feel out starting even earlier on to make it so. Even though I played at a quite high OKed a from C four or C five year, it's still warm in overall character. And finally I have these horns here, which, um, also have let's see, So these are warm just because they play at lower dynamics mainly because brass instruments , if you use them in relaxing music, make sure to use them at very low dynamic. And you will get that warm sound if I boot were to increase the dynamics here. I mean, take a look here. Um, like so on the modulation wheel. You see, it's super super low. If I were to increase it up here, you get that raspy breath sound that you don't really want in relaxing music. So this is just in harmony with these two main number, right? So that is how you can, uh, do mixing and production techniques to make the overall character warmer for your relaxing music. 21. The Cloudy Pads: The cloudy peds pads are most often made by synthesizers, with their main role being a soft blanket in the background of your music composition, most often playing low notes on chords and harmonies. Their background focus and deep and cloudy vibe makes them perfect for relaxing music. Usually, you want to reduce or remove the lowest and highest frequencies to push the sound back. So let's take a look at the fundamental styles of pads you can use for relaxing music. So I divided these into acoustic pads, Hibri pads and a synth pads. Let's start with Acoustic Pass because these are actually based on acoustic instruments. In this case, I layered a string insolvable with a breast insoluble. But not only that, because if we open up the tracking specter here, you will see that I added looks over extra you fix. So if I remove these effects, it's just prevail yeard strings and breast together, which has a great orchestral sound. But I want to blend it more into the back crowd and make it more like a pad, a supposed to national orchestral instruments. So the first thing is, I added some movement effect. You can use trim ILO's Face, er's Landers and stuff like that that has a slow movement. In this case, let's go for full bore. 50% just had some story movement on here. It more in his faster setting. That's but I won't but more subtle. So a one bore 50% that I added. These effects, which is called fat effect, is a multi effect with some distortion base and Hanser filter, envelope fuller and stuff like that. Yes, to add some mawr extra movements so on. Well, so the saturation adds a bit off. Great to it. What then? I added a channel eq you and dialed everything above one killers down a lot to push. It didn't put it back round. Compared to Lucy, I don't want any of those every fee C high frequencies there, or at least not much. This really push it it to the back room. This is a trick you can use on any instrument for relaxing music. Just dial down the high ranged from one killers or so up on finally, another tip to push it into the background is to add lots off long reverb. So, in this case, a concert hall reverb, and now we go from C A mute everything here just from this into this relaxing, mellow vibe that is an acoustic pad, as I call it, you basically use so for instruments you'll really have based on acoustic instruments. In most cases, it will be orchestral for that cinematic tone string insolvable of breast. And so we could use Goodwin's ensembles, choirs, back inquirers and stuff like that. The next one is Hibri pads. So this is, ah, sound deciding mix between acoustic instruments and synthesized instruments, which I'm using Novo. There's also four, so by heavy all city. These are based Nova is based on rial acoustic recordings of strings and then they use. This sound is sign engine in the sound designer to create really cool backing pads from strings based on strings like this, this increasing dynamics and there's lots of different presets. As you can see here s O that was a bit Teoh upfront, but I really have to dial in and find once Ah, that suits your composition such as this one, definitely a paired type sound. But based on a hybrid between acoustic and synthesized, then finally, of course, the classic synth pads. I'm using ominous, fearful Jason can just go in into your synthesizer off choice, go into the pad category and play along. I added some extra reverb, as I always do with pads and e que to remove the low one, because in this case, I thought it had too much. And you're going to use a bass instrument for that report so you can play something like this beautiful. And of course, with synthesizers, you have the most control over the sound, and especially if you have a synthesizer where you can lay your like this. This is a layered patch from this one and this one so you can stack up different layers and put some different amp envelopes, filters and such on them at some automation and modulation. Teoh add movement. Um, and you have loss of creative potential. But the starting point is to just go into the pad category of your sins and just dial up precepts. Of course, not that one. Okay, so this one was nice, but the great thing about pads and really reached long sustained sounds like this is that it usually is enough to just hold two notes or something like that for a long time, and you have that ambient, atmospheric relaxing mood even let it ring out. Add something else to complement it. But keep in mind that for relaxing music, you want to keep the arrangement and composition very minimal Z. I mean this with some soft strings and a piano might be just what you need for your arrangement. 22. The Deep Drones: deep drones. A drone is a sound that just continues playing the same tone for a long time. Like a pedal tone on organ, it basically provides a very strong tonal anchor in the base. This strong harmonic anchor makes drones excellent for adding that ambient background vibe in your relaxing music, making it more atmospheric and meditation like so drones are actually very similar T pads in that both or there to any background AM Bian's as atmosphere or basically a cloud in the background. Ah, but the main difference is that pads generally or played as harmonies or courts like this, whereas drones is one single note that, yes, drone on and on and generally also in the Lohans. If we take this ST drone here, if I just press a down here and that becomes a total Anchorage just repeating in that now I could add something like a wind instruments in the high end, playing a flute or something with lots of reverb. And that couldn't be the starting point for a new, relaxing track. It bit dorky, relaxing extract in that case, but all right, so let's see what I've done here. So the acoustic groans, just like with the Pats is Ah, I basically started layering. So it's ringing stumble, long notes and breasts. And then without these effects, it's just this. Then, of course, it seems this is acoustic orchestral instruments. I could have some movement with the modulation dynamics, your expression, but I like to add more movement within certificates on drones is they become very boring. If there is just one static note, I want to add some movement. So in this case, I'm using a plug in as the first instant effect that it's actually cooled movement. So what? Any effect that you can add Ella foes and the route to different, um, sound designing characters. So in this case, I just used a precept together, have these kind of palace, and by the way, I reduced the mix here from this and just add a subtle pulse. Then I used a ah an e que and reduced a lot of the high end here, high meats and highs. Finally, I just added a bush over concert hall reverb. There you have it. That's the acoustic drone. I mean, just pray it playing, let's say a low D. You can really hear you can feel something here. I find that starting with a drone on a single don't can actually be good thing to come. Improvise new melodic or harmonic ideas. So just record that long note for eight bars and then start playing around it. So let's go to hybrid Drone. So in this case, I'm using a plug in called Rohner Master Addition, because it's actually a hybrid between, as you can see here, breasts here. So it's real recorded live strings, rhythm and some dorks in feces. So a big mix between synthesized and sound design sounds and acoustic sounds, and this particular library has lots of different presets. I can just hold down for self O a. C get this brooding drone. So that is hybrid drones. I mean, you can do loaded in the sound design with hybrid sounds. Ah, I would say that is the most creative off these styles you can add Ella foes, rhythms or paid aviators just dialed. I mean, but the main thing is to still have it remain. One note, right? So I didn't actually need to put any insert effects on there because there was lots in that plug in already and for the final one, I used on this fear any kind of synth here from the since drones. And, um well, I mean, these other ones, basically, this is mysterious. This is dark and brooding. So you really have to think about what? What kind of atmosphere and ambiance? The vibe do you boned for your music? And she was a drone that complements that style. So in this case I used is called Human French Horns pad. Let's see how it sounds on D okay. Rid orchid menacing. But I mean, you don't have to. You can You can use something a bit more positive on inspiring. So let's say you can act, actually, In fact, start with the pad category. If your synthesize it doesn't have a drone category, just go into the pads, choose another thing like bell textures here and see what this sounds like. Ondo course. When you play in the low end, it becomes dork automatically. But you don't have to have that big of a low. And if you are going to have a baseline in any case, yes, go for the low whist me to see? Eddie asked above 100 or so Reduce these booming because this here like so Or you can actually have a drone that isn't in the base and but actually goes up of it. In fact, you can have drones up in the high range, but that often becomes very piercing and annoying. So in most cases, you want to be in the low end. But I mean, ah, with the synth aspect, you can go crazy and just Shane Child pass here and and it's so easy to just add some, for example, movement effects or some kind of rhythmic effects like this one. This step effects here, which is basically and, um, the gate effect. Just use one here, dial it in, shape it, and you can use some slower modulation like a tremolo effect yesterday that an extra movement make sure to slow. So that is how we can use various styles and colors off drones. Make them in the low range. Just hit a note. Most often it will be the key off. Ah, your scale. So if you are writing in D minor, you take the low d here. Um, it can also, if you have a court progression be the one single note that is shared across all your records. But mainly I I'd start with the key of your soul. 23. The Delicate Winds: the delicate winds, the woodwinds or winds for short or very soft and intimate in nature. They are great for leading militants in relaxing music due to their soft and gentle tone. They can therefore add a romantic or soothing touch to your music, which works great for relaxing vibe. Now let's have a look at some great sounds and styles, off winds and woodwinds for relaxing music. The 1st 1 is what I call the Gatto melodies, for example, flutes, as I have chosen here, because the soft sounds off the woodwinds and wind instruments and make them great for leading melodies while still having that mellow, smooth character. So let me just play something here as you can hear very smooth mellow while still having that relaxing vibe. And you can play Miller's with it like that is, you can use, for example, the clarinet if you want to meet even formers sound. I like using flutes for melodious in the wind section. The next one is to use a woodwind insomnia ble or something like that to play that you can play chords or harmonies with. So if I just play something here, I call this ambient air, by the way, because let's see, I actually using extra reverb to push it really far back, using a tremolo effect as a movement. And then I use, um e que to reduce the most focused frequencies here between one and three killers. So I can play something like this. Get that ambient, shimmering, airy sign sound with lots of depth. So 1st 1 mainly regatta melodies that they're in ambient air from wood wins and we in sections and finally synthesized wind instruments that can be played like pads. So here I'm using alchemy And I just loaded this sweet flute pad which really have mawr Ah , creative options to sculpt the sound, especially not only the sound character, So let me just play something than with this synthesize a recon changed The tone here was great with smooth automation. If you modulate this in your g w, and as you can hear, you can really have the deep, sustained and release in the sound, which in this case we're more s a pad. But you can also use synthesize wings that are more like flutes. This'll has too much attack. You generally want to avoid too much attack in instruments and sounds for relaxing music. So let's go here on, actually, let's see. So here here the short it was politicized, attacked, but increased attack. Now you have. And of course, Ah, this is to, um, dry, in my opinion, so I would actually add some effects. I usually do it right here, just adding some extra reverb on it to push it back in the background. Probably a big reverb in this case, like a film music hole or something like that. So she emphasized winds you can use that's pads mellow days and you have great control over that long released tail and the attack of the sound you some extra reverb. And that goes for all of these winds. They work especially grateful those background at most ferric pads and shimmering Ah sounds so adding lots off rich reverb works really great 24. The Dreamy Soundscapes: the dreamy soundscapes. You have unlimited creative choices in using a sound textures, atmospheric background sounds and sound design soundscapes for your music. These sounds in relaxing music are mainly used for adding a dreamy ambience in the background. Anything from the sound off sea waves to the breeze off the wind, now the category I call soundscapes or dreamy soundscapes. In the case of relaxing music, you actually have infinite options for sounds and colors to use for your composition, but you can divide them all into basically two sub categories. Total soundscapes and known totals and soundscapes, which I call sound textures told soundscapes, basically mean that you complain a note, and it has a total aspect to it, like if see. So this is actually pretty similar to a pad, but it is even more focused on that atmospheric texture and background types. So a pad is more like this soft blanket, whereas the total soundscapes, I mean rippling foils generally have more kind off that texture to it movements, rhythmic aspects and really, really, like focus more on yeah, adding a texture. Um, so it's not just like you soft blanket like your Patties, Um, the difference here with the sound texture is that they haven't doesn't have that total aspect. So it can be something like the sound of the wind in the trees, ocean waves, pouring water, your breath or, in this case, smoking waves. This present called here amazing ambient background, great for adding like atmosphere in underscores, um, which can be relaxing, but dork vibe. Perhaps so in the case of on this fear of this category is, um, article, textures, soundscapes or even noise escapes. And you can recall these yourself if you want to. I mean, lightning storm. It doesn't really have that total aspect. And then this category soundscapes. You can really go in and add your own effects to shape them because they all have more like textures anyway. So, for example, adding some movement extra movement Teoh the sound texture. Perhaps so, if I apply these effect now, we can. It's prison. Note some extra reverb on top of it if you want, and he's really have a great atmospheric sound texture you have in the background. Um, I personally use total soundscapes more for this because they are basically mix between a pad a drone because I just used one note in most cases on day textural soundscape, and they've really said the mood instantly for your composition. 25. The Emotional Strings: the emotional strings. Bold string instruments such as cello and violin have a very emotional and expressive tone that is excellent for relaxing music. They work especially great with soft articulations, smooth expression curves. And though dynamics now let's explore the most fundamental styles off strings I recommend for relaxing music, like with pianos or any other instruments in relaxing music. You won't avoid that harsh and bright tone and focus more on that soft and deep character. So the 1st 1 I recommend is sore dino strings or short for concertina, which is played with a mute. In this case, you actually have these setting here. So when I deactivated, you have this kind of sound. I mean, at the lower dynamics, of course it can get away with it. But when he used a sardine Oh, it becomes softer and warmer has been here like you put a blanket, basically the equivalent off a felt piano strings. So now all of a sudden you can play like this. Ah, super beautiful and warm and soft so that it's connoisseur Dino or Sardinha articulations on strings. The next one is called Sue Casto, which is Ah, basically a playing style on strings that has that really beautiful and soft character so very similar to Sardinia, in fact. So if you listen to just now at a little dynamic, will be attired dynamic, so that is salt esto. Another variation of it is flout, under which basically means flute like so very arian, shimmery. So those are used basically as the same things will trust you and flower town do. If you tell the string players to place will test toe, it will most often be a flower town. Do articulation, then filtered strings, which is basically where you add in each your filter yourself, like I have done here. So if you remove it now, let's play. I just use added e que In basically, create your own concert in articulation by using EQ, even filters. You can also use some kind of Eakin brightness sitting inside the actually begin, but these filtered strings. Then let's move on to and being strings, which is basically a big cinematic cool recording on strings. And then you simply add even more reverb concert hall here. So I have ah reverb in the actual plug in here, recording with extra reverb. Roman ing certificate and that all in all create this really magical deep soundstage. Yeah. I mean, play long course with this, Like this. All right, really have a backing, harmony and core tracked for your relaxing music composition. Finally, solo strings or intimate strings. So in this case, I'm using a smaller section of strings chamber strings here because you can get that very intimate, um, character instead of using bigger sections. Of course, you can use solo instruments as well. But be aware solo instruments can be a bit too focused for relaxing music. So if you use so West Germans, make sure he really softened the tone up play at very low dynamics. Ah, and so on. So these chambers rings can sound like this, but I use my meaty fader is here to change the dynamics and expression as I play on my sustain pedal below, of course. So those are some of the main styles of strings I recommend you start using for relaxing music, but of course, you can go ahead and experiment with more tone colors for your string parts 26. The Expressive Voices: the expressive voices. The human voice is the most expressive instrument in the world. So for any type of relaxing music composition, you can always add a voice that sings or hums a smooth melody line. Just be aware that as soon as he used lyrics and music, you will direct more focus towards this song and thus make it less atmospheric background vocals in choirs, singing harmonies and cores with our or M etcetera, or also excellent for relaxing music and without lyrics they arm or ambient in nature. So let's check out the most common styles and colors over expressive voices for relaxing music. The 1st 1 is choirs, so especially vowels and like EMS and ours and goals and stuff like that. So I had loaded this choir up here, which is palate, including sketch pad, and I use ALS the microphones now so I can play something like this. So this is a mixed, quieter, both male and female, on just holding those cores for a long time. Of course, you wanted dry that dynamics as well, like this not too high. I just make that motion curve in the expression. What I've done is I added a big reverb. This is spaces tube with a 3.8. You can see this a concert hall reverb without it. It sounds like this, which can work, of course, but without extra V reverb works. I find that it works especially great with every type of sounds like voices Andi pads, brewed winds and wind instruments and stuff like that. Now what you can also do if you want to push back. It's just imbued the close microphones to get this even more space. A deep, rich sound. Eso You can also change out the vowels. So it is. Ah, here. Let's do something like this instead. And for that can work really great. It sounds the re mellow with those EMS. But try out different vowels and those, um, sustained note there. So then we have So the llegada, which is in this case soprano solo, and I just program this little phrase here. But we're not really here. These and syllables but mawr get well. They add some character to do so again, right of modulation. Well, let's say we are high up here now, so this could be good for the mental decline. The I would probably ride the expression wheel downs used. Softer way. You have to be careful with these solo instruments because they can be Abie to Piers, and this one had a lot of the broader as well. Um, so I used some reverb in this case, a swell. I could probably even used another one to pull it back like this. Chrome a verb like there's because you can push the distance, then use later to feel music. Hole that the highest distance. And let's see how this sounds. Leak rates to dry up The wet factor does something like this and with the chrome a verb, since it's so piercing in the Gibraltar, I was should actually going within mix and remove the clothes Mike's here. Increase the stereo with in the Decca Mike's here and just push that reverb even more like 50 50. Here in the blend even longer. Let's see what this own stuck. Now get that almost heavenly angel type voice in the background. Ah, but again, be careful with solo instruments because they can become too much of a focal focus in relaxing music. And the final one is, of course, the most important, which is singing or humming or recording riel voice either yourself. But I have done in this example, or preferably find a really good singer. So Ah, I notice trained vocalist. But I recorded this just to give you a sense of what, what you can do when the fire stores burning. And I especially like recording very close to the microphone, which I have here to the right off me to get that very intimate character. Because then afterwards you can Adam Ah, some effects to really dial in this vocal lines. Let's do my favorite one, which is this one. In fact, let's do it in more not to to stereo mode like this, and then make it a warm character all the way. Some compression in peril modem too much. Um, and then some situation will see when the fire stores burning. I don't know what I did. I used to their well in in the case. Um, of course, for relaxing music as some reverb, you can dio mawr intimate setting like in large wooden room. Don't room like this stars when the far Okay, I didn't like that. So let's try something else going through a couple of priests here when fire, I hear Okay, so I would probably go for more ambient room like a vocal ambience, in this case, just to add some dipped when the fire stores burning. Okay, so of course, it might not sound good solo, but in ah, as is the case in every musical position, it's the context, the overall context that matters are adding some strings and pads, perhaps, and baseline some wings or whatever. Um, could work really well as backing track for the leading vocal line, as long as you really, really make it that's soft and mellow. When the fire, let's try also, just for the sake of it, a bigger play procedure they have place in here, Um, or in fact, let's do a vocal chamber instead, when a fire starts burning or what I also like to do on vocals is to add some delay also to give it depth without it becoming too blurry. So let's do a jewel delay here. We'll see if we have some presets. Um, like this classic pink long hair with some saturation high cut low cut you'll and then we can reduce the reverb again instead to have it closer. And let's see what that sounds like when Alright, it's way, way, way over the top. Just a hint of reverb. But you can still have a bit of a and I would say longer delay. Bounces like this can have a slight feedback, but various subtle on the first, when the I it starts to overtake the mix too much was just a solo. Instead, when the fire stores burning all right, you have to really ah, find a setting that's pushing its more into the background. Let's use a tape reset. I really, really wanted to have less focused, more cloudy Lee when the fire stores burning. Okay, it might not have worked so well for this particular local recording, but you get the picture. You won't that intimate, warm vash character off the voice as some saturation compression, um, and Kohler, the sound with tape plugging or something like that really get that intimate setting and then add this space affected depth effects of delay and reverb, and you have something that can work really well for Well, actually, fire starts burning. And of course, the most important thing here is not only the lyrics but that you sing or the person sings very smooth and slow, and that the tempo of the song, of course, is slow. Not no complex or fast rhythms or fast syllables make it a smooth, expressive curve almost in the recording. 27. The Light Plucks: the light plucks flacking a string instrument or creating a plaque sounds on a synthesizer creates a very thin and light sound. This light and airy aspect can be enhanced, even mawr, by adding an echo effect and deep reverb. The end result will be very rich, deep and simmering, which can were great for relaxing music. So here are the main sounds and colors off light plaques for relaxing music, the most fundamental being the rhythm guitar. Of course, as the piano, those are very important for relaxing music than plucked guitar, meaning provoking. The string is one by one, not strumming a harp and pluck scenes. So let's take a look here. The 1st 1 I used to playing called Ample guitar, and I mean, if I play something like in F major chord here and then I use this pattern here, even though we are in 60 BPM. So this strumming pattern too much going on for relaxing music, too many changes. So, Ah, if you can find something like that, you see less changes here. So let's try that much better, or if you can, with the rhythm or acoustic guitar plug in you use, try recording it yourself. So here, if I hold down this cord, but I can use the strumming keys in this particular plug in here to strum on, also strong on the hydro keys for a lighter tone so I can do up and down strokes on now. You can play very slow like this. Leave some air. Remember, air and silence is a big part of relaxing music because it you really want to give those in a room to breathe between the phrases and nose. You can also complement with seeing the single notes of each course. So if if I play an f, those are the six notes. So not only the storms like this. That is a great technique for using acoustic guitar. And also remember that it's all about the tones of what I have done here. As I added a reverb. Without it, you get to be too up front. Of course, if you want this dry, your more intimate sound that works more grateful. Melo, chill out kind of music, which can be very relaxing off course, but if you want to push it more into the background, it turns mawr into the ambient and atmospheric part off the relaxing music scale. So with reverb, no one is a real guitar, the most fundamental of the plucked instruments for relaxing music. The next one is plucked guitar, just the guitar strings. In this case, I'm using your finger style acoustic six string guitar, Enormous fear just to you can I mean, hold the sustain, pedal down and do something like or paid years like this, like this eyes ring out that magical, shimmering, sustained or do some harmonic. Ah, to know Tarmo Knicks like this, which becomes almost like a plucked guitar pad, especially if you add reverb and some movement effects on it. So, I mean, that is just plucking a guitar. Another thing you can pluck strings, office harp or any type over instrument similar to harp. In this case, I'm using pallets symphonic sketch pad, and it sounds like this and a horse up and similar and similar instruments, actually, or even life ter than because the guitar, because they don't have a resident body. It's just the strings here connected in this frame, which means they have less off that body off the tone and sustain. And of course, you can mix an experiment with different microphone settings, adding reverb. So in this case, I'm using all the mikes. I mean, if I mute the close mikes, it briefly b away in the background. As you can hear, you get more off that whole and finally plucks ings so always with, since they are the most creative category, let's meet these for now. I just went in and use a any kind of scene. You want to have c the right. You won't have it on basically very slow. Very fast attack. So, in this case, Ciro, I could have capital milliseconds just to reduce some of the clique iness a short decay. And then Cyril sustained very, very short release. This is the AMP envelope. That is the way you get a plucky sound. So I mean compared Teoh, This is how long the pluck is so very quick. Increase it No sustained. But some release Yes, you can hear. Now you get that plucky tone, but, um, it gets too much focus. So what I'd like to do is add a lots off delay and reverb. In this case, you can see very high mix of delay. AGI will delay in ah ping pong setting meaning left and right to delay and then a huge reverb. 4.3 seconds here. So now I get this. You do some something like or pay deals or or two knows harmonies like this to come. I remember very simple rhythms, but it breathe between each note and each phrase. That's the way of relaxing music. So those are the main sounds and colors of the light plucks for relaxing music. 28. The Magical Pianos: the magical pianos. Piano is one of the most fundamental instruments for relaxing music, since it can be both soft and deep at the same time. The piano has a beautiful and almost magical sound. When played at very low dynamics and with extra reverb and delay, they are simply amazing for relaxing music. So let's take a look at the main styles of pianos I recommend for relaxing music. I have loaded up four off the main one Sayer and then a faith that you should avoid. So the 1st 1 is what I call a soft piano, so basically a piano that has that intimate and lush character. And then, if you have this option, you can dial the tone from harder to a very soft, almost pad like texture. It can also use a felt piano, which means that the hammers have a being padded with fell to make the attack even softer. So this one is called the Gentleman and can sound something like this way. A second here, very intimate and softy nature, the next style I call cinematic piano, which focuses more on a long reader because he here almost 4.5 2nd It's still mainly soft in tone, as you can see from the character here and the core shaped going to the left, which is a softer character. So this can sound like so so yet that rich, deep cinematic vibe from this you can also add delay, an echo to make it even mawr Spacey and the next one I called plucky Piano. So here I recommend something that has that mics off almost a harpsichord with a piano. But make sure you are careful using plucky sounds like this in relaxing music s so that you used to plucky sound but still have that soft attack and soft paddy character something like this one called Una Corrida. Especially with a big, really verb and with low dynamics, you can really get away with that Pakistan. If I play this hard, unless a brighter color and something like this, it was really bad. So softer color low dynamics, and you get these more magical cell but still have that kind off. She Marie magical sound off the plaque, so it's basically a mix of aim or acoustic guitar, plucky tone with a soft piano. So that is plucky piano the next one. I call em Being Piano, which was similar to cinematic piano in that it focuses on deep rich Sound state but even Mawr hybrid in character. So in this case, it's a mix between brushed strings, and it's more of a sound. Is sign piano, focusing on deep cinematic sound staged that is more atmospheric. So instead of this same marry piano, which still sounds like a national piano, even though it's very cinematic and rich in reverb, this one is even more pad like Thank you. You can, of course, make this kind of instrument yourself. This is called a sand by heavy, heavy also day. So they played piano with the E bows and brushed ah, strings and stuff like that to make his hybrid pad piano kind of instrument. But you can simply use cinematic piano and a layer it with some kind of movement in a synth pad, for example, to make a ambient piano sound like this. So those all the four main piano sounds of piano sounds, African mind for and relaxing music. Soft piano, cinematic piano, plucky piano, which is more shimmery. Ah, magical and ambient piano, which is more hybrid. Now what you want to avoid is the opposite off this, which is in instead of a soft piano, which has this soft tone. So I have loaded up a piano and dialed up the tone Teoh very hard and the bright on. Then you get that almost vintage bore piano sounds, something like, which is way in front and too bright and focused. So watch what happens when I we're listening. What happens when I dialed is down to the left side, which is a warmer tone and a softer character. And now all of a sudden, that's amore reverb to that reduce the Tomur to softer Tomba as well, and you have something you can use in relaxing music. 29. The Moody Keys: Moody Keys by keys. I am mainly referring to electric keyboard instruments such as electric piano and organ thes instruments have a very warm and mellow character, which can be enhanced with a tremolo effect. Rotary Speaker effect, etcetera. They work especially great form or chill out and Melo style relaxing music. Now, of course, there are so many keyboard or keys instruments you can use for relaxing music. But I'm gonna show you the three main ones I recommend, which is electric organs, electric pianos and hybrid keys meaning synthesized case or the hybrid acoustic slash synthesized version. So let's start with electric organs, and I will bring this up. This is actually the stock vintage B three organ in logic. So they're off course, many sample libraries and plug ins that may make these classic electric organs. And what you can see moving here is actually the road through cabinet. So these classic organs had these rotating speaker systems set up or this cabinet sitting up like ah gets a movement in the sounds. If I turn it off, you have this sound eyes, of course, very mellow, but listening to what happens when I turn it o that Swee'pea smooth movement that really ah makes the overall character instant moody. Now, if you check here what I've done also on top of the instrument ISS, I added an e que where I was the sort of lookie what I did. Oops. So I actually reduced this frequency not the entire top range, but because organs have a tendency to have some kind of piercing like whistling noise. So if I remove this and then by ah on with it it's this frequency here you can really hear that horse biting, whistling free. I just looked for for one peak up here on I really owe often. It's like in the 3 to 5 killers range somewhere on and it softens up that aspect of it and then ah, for most ah, relaxing music, I tend to I prefer adding an extra river because this is really intimate without fever. Close up, but smooth, mellow. If you want to push back, just use a reverb for keyboard instruments. I generally prefer to use some kind of room like this large wooden room preset not a huge orchestral river about more, you hear? It said out, but fairly quickly but you really push it back in the room like that. So electric organs the next one we're chase one of my personal favorites, these electric pianos and the king of electric pianos is, in my opinion, the classic roads which can look like this one here. This is a custom one, but you get that super. Who with electric pianos You have that initial attack, but it's very soft like, Yeah, it's not like a piano. Get that build type bill sustain. So, uh, you can see also different presets for the roles. Here's who have a suitcase one here and with them electric pianos. One thing I like to use his tremolo They have it here Connecticut's insert effect. But just have some extra movement. No to first. Like it all to pan a bit and not too deep like you. Okay to deep Oh, on another thing, which is great for every pianos. Just had a bit off them saturation, meaning harmonic warm distortion just to beef it up a bit. Eso here we actually have a tape of thing you can also use, but, I mean, you could just add some subtle distortion. I generally did gravitate towards this one. That is compression distortion and some coloring in the same begin. Yes. Mild distortion. Like like that way. Really? Feel relaxing. Chill out. Five there keys or super grateful that chill out. Kind of the relaxing music and finally hybrid key. So Ah, this ah, particular preset is made off this classic key tor type. It looks like your keyboard instrument with, ah, with laid with a clever innit? So you get this kind of song. But, I mean, any type over synthesized key keys or keyboard sounds can work. Just make sure, um, you don't get too much of the plucky attack focused attack. So, for example, this plucked piano is probably way to approach, so that sounded almost like a horror pickle. But is e bowed piano. So you in these hybrid keys, you can get sound design and unusual approaches to you. Keys such as this one? Yeah. I mean, you have ah, kind of plucky attack here, but is very soft and gentle over all the sound. So I mean, with some added reverb on this, I think it could work better. Rivelle. Well, for relaxing music. Ah, uh, so just use any synthesizer or hybrid sound. The science incisor to find keyboard instruments that have that character off organ or electric piano, maybe even a bit more Cynthy in sound like one of those classic eighties keyboards, which can be very airy and rich in, ah, the release and sustain of the sound, especially with the big reverb on it. 30. The Smooth Bass: smooth base. The main role off base in any music is to add power and depth in the low end. In relaxing music, you want to make sure that your bass sound is very warm and mellow. You also want to focus on longer notes and smooth steps in divorce leading in most cases, this also means a minimal baseline. All right, so let's explore the styles and colors of bays for your relaxing music. So, of course, your main focus should be, too. Have whatever basic use have that warm, mellow and really deep tone because you don't want to have it, um, stick out in the mix or no horse and piercing e g m and basis or too much pluck and attack in an electric bass or click or anything like that. Just have it soft and warm. So the 1st 1 is the sub base, just a deep sine wave or ah ah, filtered though Cinespace. If I play it down here, it's just that very low and smooth tone, and I generally like using a saw base as a layer to whatever other base are used for the current composition. So if I use an electric bass idea started Sybase an octave below it, Um, and yells Mix it into taste. So the next one is a strength based. This is the legend which is the based on the meaning Moelgg! Motile de classic synthesizer and just filtered as you can see right here at the low end. So e even reduce the attack here. Enveloped amount very close to the sub base, but a bit more vocus compared to a simple sine wave triangle wave. Um I mean, so the synth bass. Yeah. What? You generally wanted you. It's don't do any really baselines like riffs. Just keep it very soft with long notes on the electric bass. Ah ah, Use trillion in this case, this old school sustained. And so, um, what you want to do is have a electoral base preset. We're recording with less pluck and more tone so you can get this. It's not too focused and crisp. So if you use an electric bass that have to be too much clarity, you can seem to go in and iki or use a ah bass amplifier and find a setting most often I mean reduced to hide e que ports here, Of course. So when I activate this, it becomes even more mellow. Listen carefully. You really reduce that plucky and string bus noise. Um, the next one is what I call of pad base, which is basically, well, like a pad synth pad, but used as a baseline. Um, so I have it this basic dark paddock he played like this great for a pad, right? But these soft, mellow ambiance pads are also great, just as a bass tone like if I play down here, Lou, if now it's a drone, if I just keep it there on the F, it's a drone. But if you start to use it at the root note of each court, change and then you play piano here like if a minor, the and so one, then you can use a pad as the base line. In fact, because you have automatic, you've guessed that warm and kind of background based own, which is what you usually A should use for relaxing music. And then, finally, a bowed string bass. This case I'm using a flatters, lush basis, and I've activated these Sardinha sweet share to make it muted and even Mawr Lushan warm, and then just reduce the dynamics and play like this and make sure to connect the notes. So don't leave a gap in between to make it legal toe, because those changes make it even more less focused, just smooth and minimal. Baseline like that. So those are some of the main types and colors will basis Sabae synth bass electric bass pad based in string bass. Eso, of course, Play it slow. No, too many. No changes. Play the bass. Most cases in Lego toe meaning connect the notes. No, too large or big steps. So not going from here to just connected by shorter intervals and just play long notes, mainly the route nose off the corner place. If you play if F court here in, then on inversion like that, then you play the F down here, Teoh see. So instead of going here, I just go down because it's shorter distance on. So so those are the smooth basis off relaxing music 31. Congratulations: Congratulations, my friend. You have now learned the foundations, the guidelines, the sounds, colors, playing styles and lots of creative ways to compose and produce relaxing music in many different styles. Your final assignment is now to compose your own relaxing music track from scratch. So start by choosing a specific style, mood and character of relaxing music you going to make then create a sound palette from scratch. Write down your creative vision that you want to accomplish with this track and then start producing it. My name is Mike, and I wish you great success on your journey in music.