Issue 411 of Future Music is out now

Ambient music tends to divide opinion – to some, it’s mind-bending and hypnotic, to others it’s nothing more than dull wallpaper music.

Whatever your thoughts on the genre as a whole though, when it comes to sound design, ambient is home to some of the most interesting and evocative synth patches out there.

There’s a lot you can learn from these sorts of patches whether you’re making ambient music or not. Whether it’s the backbone of your track, something to add texture to a breakdown or part of a dramatic cinematic piece, evolving and atmospheric synth sounds are one of those staple techniques that all electronic music makers should understand.

In this issue of Future Music, we’ll guide you through the basics of making epic, atmospheric patches, whether you’re working with hardware, software or a modular system.

All print and digital readers can grab all of this issue’s exclusive download content from our download page !

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Interviews

Moby – The multi-million selling artist is still surprised by his success, even at his 22nd album. We found out more

Tourist – The London-based artist invites us into he studio to talk synths and sampling, and break down a track on video

Machinedrum – The US artist tells us how revisiting old '90s tracker projects helped inspire his latest album

u-Ziq – Planet Mu boss Mike Paradinas on how simple jam sessions in hotel rooms help inform his new album Grush

Classic Album – Nightmares on Wax breaks down laid-back classic Carboot Soul

Technique

Ambient Synthesis – Find out how ambient sounds can transcend their “background” origins – and learn how to program them for yourself

Masterclass – Make the most of your DAW's MIDI Tools

Producer's Guide – Everything you need to know about the EMT 140 reverb

Pioneers – Celebrating the career of the late Steve Albini

Reviews

Korg KingKorg Neo

Moog Spectravox

RYK Algo

Apple Logic Pro 11

Bitwig Studio 5.2

Kali Audio LP-UNF

Audient ORIA

Cycle Instruments Tetrachords

iZotope Trash

IK Multimedia iLoud MTM MkII

...and more

Samples

Synth Atmospheres – To tie in with this month’s cover feature, we’ve created a pack of lush pads and atmospheric synths to get you inspired

Synth Percussion – Refresh your electronic drum palette with our latest pack of punchy synthesised drum hits, beat loops and rhythmic grooves

Access the FM sample archive – UPDATED FOR 2024! Download the ‘Archive’ packs and get over 20GB of loops, hits and instruments from our back catalogue of high-quality and royalty-free samples. From vintage synths and drum machines to esoteric instruments and FX – think of it as our best of. All the samples you need to create great music!