What do you do for Dark Ambient?

[MRPPony]

Sorry if there's already been a thread about this but I've spent some time searching for it and couldn't find anything so I'll just make this thread.

Dark Ambient or DA is so awesome and when done right, it can truly scare you. I was half asleep listening to A Plaything for the Lost by Exuviae and it literally made me jump a bit while I was on the bus. So naturally, I want to try and make it. But my question is how do I go about making it?

What VSTs do people use? What sound is making that long 'humming' sound? What do they use to make it sound creepy and dark? I'm totally new to making DA so anything from the beginning would help out.

[Mundius]

AHEM. I do Dark Ambient and nothing more. No VSTs, just stretch, layer, and tons of samples. Record about 50 minutes of different crap, from my voice to a guitar and... that's pretty much it, I just stretch, pitch fun, place together, stretch it some more, bass boost... that's how I do it.

Odd that I see this the one day I show up.

[MRPPony]

Wow, I wonder why that didn't show up in the search. In any case, thanks a bunch guys. I'll give this tutorial a read and give it a try.
And wts, you program your sounds? Yeah, even if you sold it to me, I'd be so confused and couldn't use it anyway so that's fine. Not to mention its more fun having to find out myself.

Also, yes I was waiting for you to respond Kyoga. =P Didn't want to be a bother and PM you. I'm sure you probably get a bunch every day.

[Navron]

Well, Kyoga does some black magic ritual with C++ and ends up with awesome songs.

[Mundius]

lol@samples...

Samples that I record, not download from hell knows where. Trains, cars, people, me working at a computer, I've got it all. And some echo sounds from this abandoned crapmine.

[Mundius]

It's actually easier for me to use samples than synths. And I have thousands of synths.

Besides, if samples and synths are used right together, it freaks me the hell out.

[Mundius]

It's actually easier for me to use samples than synths. And I have thousands of synths.

Besides, if samples and synths are used right together, it freaks me the hell out.

most people use samples to do ambient music because it makes variation a LOT easier.
Honestly, though I find it incredibly lazy.

It is lazier than programming your own synths, but note- I record my own. I go outside, I have a mic and recording equipment, and I record that mothe<REDACTED>.

[Freewave]

You know Kyoga you are a very opinionated person. I'm sure it's been pointed out before...

[Freewave]

Well lets agree that using samples isn't really the equivalent to lying and untruth as you kind of insinuating. Are samples a shortcut? Yes, i think that's always been a bit accepted but that doesn't mean that it negates the results. Hell whole genres and scenes have been created using samples (hip-hop, jungle) and they are widely used by many professional and non-porfessional musicians in a wide variety of ways. Not to mention how many brony musicians use show samples mind you. Don't equate personal preference and opinion for truth for that is all they are. Should you be commended for avoiding them and making your own synths? Definitely, that's uniqueness and effort at work.

[Mundius]

I've been gone a while, and it's not a necro.

So, if I make ambient in real life using real items, I'm taking the easy way out? I don't DOWNLOAD samples to make a song, I write them myself.