Ambient Composing Secrets: Scoring Under Dialogue For Film & TV

Today we’re diving deep into the art of crafting ambient music to enhance the emotional depth and narrative flow when working on a film or tv series. I’ll be piecing together a cue from scratch, and together we’ll discuss the essential techniques and tools I use to create captivating ethereal soundscapes, with a focus on how these ambient cues can gracefully underscore scenes with dialogue. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more educational content.
🔔 Subscribe for more free composing videos
► www.youtube.com/@jonasfriedma...
🎵 Want To Learn The Skills Needed To Work On Major Studio & Network Media Projects? Check Out My Course:
www.modernmediacomposer.com/m...
🎹 Get my free virtual instrument I use when scoring for major film & tv projects. Just enter your email address on the homepage.
► modernmediacomposer.com/
Video Chapters:
00:00 - Overview
01:26 - Sneaking In / Layering Pads
04:31 - Reverse Artifacts
05:43 - Adding Emotion & Weight (Bass!)
07:55 - Adding & Processing Piano
09:12 - Adding Unique Textures
11:20 - Free Instrument With Lots Of Emotion
13:12 - Gluing With WAV Files & Filters
15:07 - Add A Motif To Bring It Home!
15:41 - Final Piece
Join Me On Social Media:
Instagram ► / jonasfriedmanmusic
Facebook ► / jonasfriedmanprofile
More Information on Jonas Friedman:
Official Website ► www.jonasfriedman.com
IMDB ► www.imdb.com/name/nm4970150/
#AmbientMusic #FilmScoring #composer #musicproduction

Пікірлер: 125

  • @DanielBastionMusic
    @DanielBastionMusic8 ай бұрын

    REALLY enjoying these progression style videos where you walk through the construction of a track/cue one layer at a time. It shows not just what sounds to use but more of the thought process/technique behind building up a song. It's like in cooking, the difference between just learning a recipe vs learning a technique. You can learn 1 chicken recipe or you can learn how to pan fry and then unlock THOUSANDS of recipes. Great video!!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Really appreciate this analogy and that this style is working for you / everyone watching - its how I was able to learn by sitting next to other more experienced composers as they built up a track or cue one piece at a time

  • @RasiRon
    @RasiRon7 күн бұрын

    Helpful and informative- impressive

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 күн бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @lindabrittain4392
    @lindabrittain43928 ай бұрын

    What a beautiful soundscape you have created here Jonas. Such a blend of colours and not over complicated. Thank you for sharing your skills.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Appreciate it @lindabrittain4392 ! Thanks for checking it out

  • @NigelMerrick
    @NigelMerrick7 ай бұрын

    This is exactly what I needed right now, thank you, Jonas! What I love so much about your content is the clear explanation of the concepts and thought processes behind them, which make everything feel so much more accessible and doable. Loved the final piece, too 🙂

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks Nigel, really appreciate it!

  • @yvanroustan4426
    @yvanroustan44268 ай бұрын

    very good video format : fast and clear ! thank you Jonas to share your knowledge with us !

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    My pleasure! Thanks for checking it out

  • @kenzi-music
    @kenzi-music8 ай бұрын

    Amazing work!! Helped me so much

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Really great to hear! Appreciate the comment 🤘

  • @Bitimi
    @Bitimi8 ай бұрын

    Awesome tutorial, Jonas! It really helps you to think through process of layering instruments to build something interesting to listen to. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    My pleasure @Bitimi , happy to hear it’s helpful

  • @DarkSideofSynth
    @DarkSideofSynth7 ай бұрын

    Such a splendid cue. It began so 'weak & non-descript' and turned into something really fitting to an emotive scene.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks @DarkSideofSynth , appreciate you checking it out

  • @cseymour88
    @cseymour888 ай бұрын

    Jonas, you have such great, quality content. I love how you often use accessable plugins and easy to understand musical language. You are to the point and give good reasons as to the musical decisions you are making. Thank you for offering us so much of your knowledge in such a concise and digestible way.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Really appreciate this comment - very kind words and I’m so happy to hear the information is helpful!

  • @gregfellman8622
    @gregfellman86228 ай бұрын

    You make it look so easy! Thank you for sharing your insights and experience. This is so helpful.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @azizalami835
    @azizalami8356 ай бұрын

    One of the most pleasant & inspiring tutorial I’ve seen on KZread so far ✨❤

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much!

  • @Theprettyone234
    @Theprettyone2348 ай бұрын

    Really great video, super helpful as always!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Glad to hear it!

  • @envrie9423
    @envrie94237 ай бұрын

    Arctic swells are too good to be true for a free library, just immaculate. Love your work, thanks so much for this 💙

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Totally agree - they’re fantastic!

  • @mvarrone995
    @mvarrone9958 ай бұрын

    Great content as always! 🎉

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Appreciate it!

  • @dpixvid
    @dpixvid7 ай бұрын

    So good! Thanks!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    My pleasure appreciate you checking it out

  • @Frank.Zimmermann
    @Frank.Zimmermann8 ай бұрын

    Hey Jonas, once again a fantastic video. I really like the musical result. And I notice how flexible your musical idea works with the selection of sounds and their combination. Very interesting and appealing I find the approach with the entry of the bass sound, which does not start on the keynote and rather grabs me emotionally and enlightens my curiosity upright, how everything further develops dramaturgically. Very good! Warm thanks, it is again very helpful for me!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    So happy to hear that it’s helpful Frank. Thanks for your kind words and checking out the video 🙏

  • @stevesutube
    @stevesutube8 ай бұрын

    Superb. A really insightful video

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @peterlepahin
    @peterlepahin7 ай бұрын

    Wow, great content. This is exactly the type of videos I need. It gives a lot of ideas and insight when dealing with production music (which is currently my main focus). And it's nice to see that a lot of things I do/use resembles to your way of working. Anyway, keep up the good work, and great thanks for these tutorials!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Appreciate the comment Peter! Really happy to hear the tutorials have been helpful

  • @tapeexperiments
    @tapeexperiments7 ай бұрын

    Cool cue, Newman vibes.👊 Also, I like that you show this type of cue can work great for many different types of scenes.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    what a compliment! Thomas Newman is one of my absolute favorite composers, could listen all day

  • @TilliKommunikation
    @TilliKommunikation7 ай бұрын

    Great piece! 👍

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks for listening

  • @GANGBENGAL
    @GANGBENGAL6 ай бұрын

    Hey I just discovered your channel. Gotta say the content is insanely good! It's awasome that you're really selfless with the information you're sharing and you give the 'why' in your process. Probably one of the best production channels on here! Looking forward to more great videos.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    6 ай бұрын

    Really appreciate the kind words! Thanks for checking out the channel lots more on the way!

  • @DallasCrane
    @DallasCrane8 ай бұрын

    Love those synths wow

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    🤘

  • @bonuebonue
    @bonuebonue4 ай бұрын

    Great content, great production of the video. Very helpful and inspiring: subscribed!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    4 ай бұрын

    Really appreciate it! Happy to hear

  • @Malikeththeblackbladee
    @Malikeththeblackbladee2 ай бұрын

    Thank you for these useful tips , really nice approach for scoring .

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    2 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @indikasampath5440
    @indikasampath54408 ай бұрын

    Wow..I always try to compose music for scenes in my tv series. I had a little knowledge in ambient music..thanks

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Happy it’s helpful

  • @AdilConstantineMusic
    @AdilConstantineMusicАй бұрын

    This was a fantastic video. Love the information, the pace and the video production quality. Discovering your channel this early makes me feel like I found a hidden treasure not a lot of people know about. I’ve been a musician for a while and always been curious about composing for film and TV and your channel has been binge worthy! Subbed and liked and looking forward to more vids ❤

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    Ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @WilPowerVideoLog
    @WilPowerVideoLog7 ай бұрын

    Great video!!🔥🔥

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much!!

  • @Doty6String
    @Doty6String8 ай бұрын

    do a video on hitting specific timestamps with music! (nice cue as usual)

  • @TonyThomas10000
    @TonyThomas100008 ай бұрын

    Very nice work!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Thank you! Cheers!

  • @marklholloway
    @marklholloway7 ай бұрын

    Awesome tutorial and lovely ambient soundscape! Liked and subscribed! 👍✅🖤

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Appreciate it 🤘

  • @Godreran
    @Godreran8 ай бұрын

    Thank you for these videos, keep up the great work. Hope you're doing well

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Glad you like them!

  • @relooch
    @relooch3 ай бұрын

    very underrated channel, great video!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    3 ай бұрын

    Much appreciated!

  • @es__music
    @es__music7 ай бұрын

    Hey Jonas, so I just purchased your course and I have to say you are one of the best educators I have come across. I have spent way too much money buying courses and you are by far the most clear and concise. I was wondering if you had plans to add more videos to your course. I was hoping to learn more about the following: 1) Music Theory - the minimum things to learn when getting started as a composer 2) MIDI ensemble chords and how to orchestrate each instrument 3) Song structure and how to move from one section to another ( I struggle with this one) 4) Mixing process Thanks!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    I am so appreciative of this comment @es__music thank you for the kind words. There are plans to add more videos to the recent course you purchased AND to release other courses that cover more of the topics that you mention, especially number 3) song structure and moving from one section to the next as well as more in depth information about the mixing process. Thanks for your support and involvement in this community, stay tuned for more!

  • @lacourprod
    @lacourprodАй бұрын

    Hello, I am a filmmaker in France, and I stumbled upon your video by chance. I rarely comment, but I wanted to congratulate you on the sound quality of your voice recording. I have rarely heard a tutorial of such high quality. And the best part is that the visuals are really beautiful too. I'm subscribing right away for the quality of your work ;)

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    Ай бұрын

    Appreciate it!

  • @nikitapisek2901
    @nikitapisek29017 ай бұрын

    Great 👍

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much 🤘

  • @jenssieckmann
    @jenssieckmann8 ай бұрын

    I always get at least three points out of any of your videos: 1. Showcasing the workflow of a professional, 2. practical tips and advices regarding VSTs and plugins. 3. Inspiration. There are far more, e.g. business and career stuff which is secondary to me while I am only an amateur. Please keep up the good work. Thank you so much.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Really happy to hear, thanks for the kind words and happy to hear these videos are helpful!

  • @andrewmanzano
    @andrewmanzano7 ай бұрын

    Wow, your stuff is so great! Love these techniques and soundscapes! Is that first one from Omnisphere?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks Andrew! Yes it’s Adagio Singing Bell Harmonics from Omnisphere

  • @adamz3090
    @adamz30905 ай бұрын

    Sounds very cool man! I like these type of ambient subtle underscores. Sounds almost like 1 or 2 premade synth together, but only composers know its a bit more complicated than that :) Would be happy to collab in the future!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    5 ай бұрын

    Appreciate it!

  • @forcedopinion1
    @forcedopinion16 ай бұрын

    Much appreciation for this video. For whatever reason these are the cues that I struggle with the most. How do you keep wallpaper continually interesting?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    6 ай бұрын

    A lot of people find these cues difficult because it’s about being subtle and minimal but still effective - simple is really hard to accomplish and I still am working towards making my compositions more simple while still being interesting. So far I feel finding really specific sounds and being comfortable with letting them shine without getting in their way is helpful

  • @AmbientGuitarWorks
    @AmbientGuitarWorks2 ай бұрын

    I love composing like this. For stock music libraries what kind of length would you suggest for these underscore ambient tracks?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    2 ай бұрын

    2-3 minutes

  • @mikaelbaggstrom
    @mikaelbaggstrom5 ай бұрын

    I've been a subscriber and loyal viewer for a time now, and I have to say your videos are top notch quality in every way! =) - A question if I may, since I also make videos: what type of camera, lens etc. do you use for this amazing cinematic image?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    5 ай бұрын

    Really appreciate it! I use a Sony A7iii with a GM 50mm 1.2 lens. Truth of the matter is the lens is nice but the biggest impact is made by lighting. Knowing how to light the set and myself made an amazing difference to the “perceived quality” of the video.

  • @mikaelbaggstrom

    @mikaelbaggstrom

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@@jonasfriedman Thank you, appreciate the insights. =)

  • @Squidaniel
    @Squidaniel8 ай бұрын

    Great video as always. Where is that Singing Bell Harmonics pad found btw?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    I forgot the first word it’s Adagio Singing Bell Harmonics - omnisphere 😉

  • @Squidaniel

    @Squidaniel

    8 ай бұрын

    @@jonasfriedman thank you sir!

  • @scantrontest
    @scantrontest5 ай бұрын

    Excellent video. Been really enjoying making my way through your videos. I'm curious if in your experience do you ever work closely with the sound designer / fx editor to discuss elements they're working on that may contribute or conflict with your music? Are there ever conversations about who's covering what in a scene and do you ever send bounces to each other to work off of? Usually in my experience everyone typically works on their own until everything hits the mix stage but sometimes these conversations come up and have been very helpful.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    5 ай бұрын

    Great question - these conversations typically take place (in my experience) during the spotting sessions. The director / producers and composer watch the scenes and talk about areas the project will benefit from music being more prominent or alternatively, being less prominent or not there at all and letting sound design and effects take over.

  • @isaachernandez7619
    @isaachernandez76193 ай бұрын

    Hey Jonas is the Singing Bell Harmonics something you created or is it from a library or vst? Thanks and great video.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    3 ай бұрын

    Omnisphere patch!

  • @phonemproductions
    @phonemproductions8 ай бұрын

    Thank you Jonas! What's your take on using group compressors for such work? Also, I know that's it mostly a matter of taste and consideration for how you want each layer to breathe... But your arp, at the end, and how you made it wander in and out, made me think of when we might use sidechain with long attack and release on the settings.. Thank you! :)

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Really cool thought regarding side chain - do to the nature of film scoring I don’t personally use compression on groups as much as individual instruments to give the mix stage more freedom. The exception to this is if there’s a drum set or more traditional “rock or band instruments” and then I create separate groups for those that do have compression and those groups feed into my master stem busses. It’s a very different thank when I mix a pop or rock track where I use side chain and group compression often

  • @phonemproductions

    @phonemproductions

    8 ай бұрын

    @@jonasfriedman Alright! Thanks for the answer, take care and have fun!

  • @brianpitts5959
    @brianpitts5959Ай бұрын

    I'd love to know where the singing bellsing bell harmonics pad came from. Cant' find it anywhere. Great content will def take course.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    Ай бұрын

    Thanks @brianpitts5959 - it’s from omnisphere

  • @es__music
    @es__music7 ай бұрын

    When you say a 4th or a 5th, is that 4 semi tones up the keyboard from the scale root note or 4 up in that scale only?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    As someone else pointed out - it’s possible I misspoke, the root is C so if I’m playing around harmonically with that first pad, I’m hitting the F and G to add color to the texture - 4 semi tones in that scale only

  • @es__music

    @es__music

    7 ай бұрын

    @@jonasfriedman ahh okay cool. Because it wouldn’t different in each scale so that makes sense. Thanks for the response!

  • @basspartout
    @basspartout2 ай бұрын

    Beautiful. Nice work!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you very much!

  • @es__music
    @es__music7 ай бұрын

    How do you record your mic and the daw audio together?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    You mean for these videos? I route my daw’s outputs to sends that are setup with my Apollo interface (called virtual 1&2) I use nuendo to demonstrate on and then record the microphone and daw into cubase - which I have open as a separate application recording while I do the videos in nuendo.

  • @jaythansparksmusic
    @jaythansparksmusic8 ай бұрын

    Awesome...! Which library is SINGING BELLS HARMONIC found...??

  • @gregfellman8622

    @gregfellman8622

    8 ай бұрын

    Hey Jaythan! It's on Omnisphere.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Omnisphere! A great VI

  • @jaythansparksmusic

    @jaythansparksmusic

    8 ай бұрын

    @@jonasfriedman Hmmm, I couldn't locate it. It's a stock patch, right...? Or which developer?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    @@jaythansparksmusic “ Adagio Singing Bell Harmonics “ - see if that works to find the patch in omnisphere’s search feature

  • @jaythansparksmusic

    @jaythansparksmusic

    8 ай бұрын

    @@jonasfriedman BIG Thank YOU. Yes..., Adagio made the difference.

  • @rrsimonetti
    @rrsimonetti5 ай бұрын

    Hello. I love it! I'm also a soundtrack composer, and my specialty is composing and producing ambient music. As well as being relaxing, it's so rewarding to produce and record sounds like this. Very good ideas. One question: which bookstore would you recommend for sync music? I see several bookstores distributing different styles of music, but I don't know which ones work "more or less" with ambient music. Big hug, success. You've gained a subscriber. Rodrigo RS

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    5 ай бұрын

    Hey @rrsumonetti - I’m not sure what you mean by bookstore for sample libraries? Can you clarify. Appreciate you check out the content

  • @rrsimonetti

    @rrsimonetti

    5 ай бұрын

    @@jonasfriedman Bookstores are like companies that accept our music, and distribute it in their music libraries, where people looking to license music for TV, films, series look for music for programs, scenes, series and the like.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    5 ай бұрын

    @@rrsimonetti thanks for clarifying - I don't do too much sync. Almost all of my work is to work on film, tv or game projects and I haven't done library music in a number of years so I'm not likely the most reliable resource for which libraries are best

  • @rrsimonetti

    @rrsimonetti

    5 ай бұрын

    @@jonasfriedman Oh yes, I get it. Very good. I hope that one day I'll be able to work like this too... with specific projects. Cheers.

  • @benfletcher5696
    @benfletcher56968 ай бұрын

    Any chance that you are planning to release your Tension Pads as a stand alone plug in?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Maybe in the future, I don’t know what that would cost to create and kontakt was just more accessible for me when building it

  • @MediaMusik777
    @MediaMusik7777 ай бұрын

    How do you get gigs? Are you a full time KZreadr and composer ?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    7 ай бұрын

    Hey @MedicalMusik - I am not a full time KZreadr but am very much a full time composer. That said I love posting to this community and do so as often as I can. I typically juggle multiple projects, primarily in television with films in between seasons. I get work 3 ways currently. 1) projects brought to me from my agent 2) projects from my own networking and cold emailing…basically relationships I’ve e built over time and 3) from other composer who bring me onto their projects as either a co-composer or additional music composer.

  • @JohnSmith-it9hq
    @JohnSmith-it9hq8 ай бұрын

    Really enjoy your videos, and the wealth of practical information that you provide. But as a music theory nerd, I cringe a bit when you use sharp note names in c minor (d#, g#)..c minor has 3 flats ! Anyhow, you're a successful working composer, so it's just semantics on my part..

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Ahh i totally get it! I’m the first to admit I still have a lot to learn in regards to stuff like that since I come from a very non traditional background 🤪

  • @JohnSmith-it9hq

    @JohnSmith-it9hq

    8 ай бұрын

    Keep doing what you're doing, it beats reading about music in books!

  • @IsaacCreager
    @IsaacCreager2 ай бұрын

    D sharp is not the minor third in the key of C. D sharp would be an augmented second. The Minor third would be an E flat.

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    2 ай бұрын

    Yep - I am self taught and never really studied music theory so I still admittedly need brushing up on properly communicating these things. Thanks for clarifying for anyone here

  • @MitchellMwangi364
    @MitchellMwangi3642 ай бұрын

    Sora existed 5 month ago?

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    2 ай бұрын

    Stock footage from storyblocks

  • @miroslavhons6205
    @miroslavhons62058 ай бұрын

    Great educational content, yet another video I watch and make notes right away! Many thanks for breaking the composition down - I will try to apply the way of subtle cue at my next game music demo. All the best & keeping fingers crossed with onboarding sponsors - your promotion of VI's and their use in practice deserves more attention!

  • @jonasfriedman

    @jonasfriedman

    8 ай бұрын

    Appreciate the kind words, always great to hear the content is helpful