Staff Picks of Favorite Ambient Royalty Free Music Soundtracks
A magical place always has a sound element...
Ambience is that special touch of something. It’s a Je ne c’est quoi, the special atmosphere in the room, the space. Ambience is invisible, but you can hear it and feel it. If you think of those special spaces where you felt deeply connected, there’s an aural element, whether it’s the sound of the reflected noise or the wind or colored by a slight music that is just ever so there.
These are some of our favorite tracks out of our many handpicked curated collection of ambient music. They pay attention to NOT draw attention to themselves. They make your visuals absolutely fabulous, invisibly.
Enjoy!
Instrumental Ambient Rock
KEYWORDS:Drama, Reminisce, Explosions in the Sky, Sigor Ros, Massive Attack, Trailer
Downtempo electronic/atmospheric cue; shadowy, dreamlike, mysterious
KEYWORDS:ghostly, haunting, eerie, somber, dreamy, trance, ethereal
Very elevating, liberating, inspirational, ambient piace. Perfect for a film score, especially for an ending. Also suitable for yoga, relaxation or meditation. Patriotic, with a sense of freedom. Movies like Braveheart come to mind. Positive, atmospheric, light, calming, freely flowing, spiritual.
KEYWORDS:Uplifting mountain-scene track: Scotland mountains Green valleys Serene Tranquil Nature scene Peaceful Beautiful sunset sunrise Easy listening Soft background Waterfalls Earth Blue sky Clear skies Water Pure White Clean Commercial Romantic Video TV Advertising Solo instrumental A sense of freedom and achievement or finality Complete Conclusion Dreamy Elegant Motivational Hopeful Reflective Quiet Poignant Sentimental Emotional Effective Smooth Soothing Wholesome Synthesiser Soft Gentle Accomplishment Fulfil Finish Reaching goals Attain Real Triumph Winning Won Succeeded Victorious Quest Honour Praise
Electronic Instrumental Ambient
KEYWORDS:Drama, Reminisce, Explosions in the Sky, Sigor Ros, Massive Attack, Trailer
A cool, positive electronic track that would work well with hiâ?tech, scientific images as well as corporate videos or commercials.
KEYWORDS:loop, drum, beat, glitch, brush, snare, synth, cool, electronic, filter, synthesizer, spacey, ambient, texture, ethereal, sci-fi, hi-tech, tech, technology, modern, airy, breath, hi hat, kick, thumping, thump, harmonium
Slow tempo, magical ambient space with cello, dreamy
KEYWORDS:Soundtrack, Ambient, Orchestral, Ballad, Cello,
KEYWORDS:desert, middle east, Arabia, nomadic, Bedouin, pulsing, dulcimer, trance, haunting, hypnotic
Beautiful and serene ambient post-rock. Similar to Sigur Ros and Explosions In The Sky.
KEYWORDS:film, commercials, tv, promos, wedding, nature, Romantic, innocence, love, beauty, life, Pretty, Emotional, Ambient, Atmospheric, Building, Vast, Lush, Drama, Reality, Shows, Young, Love, Romance, Road, Montage, Night, Lively, Uplifting, Moving, Heartwarming, Ethereal, Emotional, Sensitive, Loving, Vibrant, Delicate, Beautiful, Atmospheric, Joyful, Mellow, Warm, Bright, Dreamy, Reflective, Touching, Building
"Starlet" is an instrumental ambient-rock song. Similar to Circa Survive. Melancholic, beautiful, atmospheric indie rock.
KEYWORDS:Romantic, drama, innocent, sweet, Loving, caring, tender, kind, Uplifting, love, adoration, Dramatic, Sad, Sincere, Ethereal, Meaningful, Emotional, Beautiful, Atmospheric, Melancholic, Gutsy, Honest, Heartbroken, Dreamy, Reflective, Lonely, Bold, Serious, Innocent, Dark, Epic
Beautiful ambient post-rock. Similar to Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Ros.
KEYWORDS:drama, film, documentaries, romance, love, lost, nostalgia, innocence, beauty, life, Melancholic, Sad, Beautiful, Atmospheric, Gutiar, Emotional, Post-Rock, Road Trip, Montage, Sad, Flowing, Emotional, Sensitive, Beautiful, Atmospheric, Melancholic, Mellow, Warm, Shimmering, Hurt, Tragic, Romantic, Heartbroken, Reflective, Touching, Lonely, Innocent, Calm, Building
The Soundtrack’s the Star – What Makes a Memorable Score?
An Overview of 6 Historic and Indelible Movie Soundtracks.
By Isabella Woods
In a world where CGI and 3D seem to dominate every movie, many modern moviegoers have forgotten just how important film scores are for creating mood, atmosphere and effects. While whiz-bang special effects have their place, often some of the most tense, memorable and emotional scenes in movie history are the result of the right music at the right time. Whether it’s a Hollywood production, a local commercial, or a YouTube video promoted by a viral marketing agency, the right music score can turn a piece of action or drama into something memorable, emotive and engaging.
For some films, while the images and drama have long disappeared from our memories, the score remains, awakening memories of what we’ve seen whenever we hear the film’s music. On some occasions, the music score becomes even memorable than the actors and plot and is Just as integral.
1. Jaws
Perhaps the most famous use of music, John Williams’ shark theme was incredibly simple, just alternating E and F notes played on a tuba. The result was not only suspenseful, but in Spielberg’s own words, “without it the film would not have been half as successful.” For most of the film, the score was the only representation of the shark. Special effect problems plagued the set, with the shark’s animatronics not functioning the way Spielberg had hoped. For most of the movie, Williams’ score was the shark, and the tempo of the two alternating notes generated all the suspense and terror that made the film a worldwide hit and launched the careers of both Stephen Spielberg and John Williams.
2. Psycho
In Hitchcock’s most notorious thriller, Bernard Herrmann’s famous score also provided terror and suspense. The infamous shower scene, which at the time had audiences fleeing the theatres in horror, is a testament to the power of a good film score. The reason audiences found the scene so disturbing was nothing to do with the visuals – the actual onscreen action only depicts the flash of a blade and Janet Leigh screaming – but Bernard Herrmann’s use of a screeching violin, which generated the true terror of the scene.
Hermann also helped generate the film’s pace and general atmosphere with the main music he composed for the film. A tense arrangement of two melodic lines, the music generates a threat of violence that while not actually present through the first twenty minutes of the film, keeps the audience anticipating it, which maximizes the suspension for when the action eventually does occur.
3. Lawrence of Arabia
Music not only generates tension and emotion but it can also invoke a sense of majesty and location. David Lean’s classic historical drama was one of the most picturesque movies of all time. Maurice Jarre’s magnificent film score, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied the epic landscapes and stunning cinematography to such an extent you can almost feel the desert heat and shimmering landscapes.
4. The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Another score that befits its setting perfectly is Ennio Morricone’s, who used gunfire, whistles and native Mexican chants to invoke a sense of time and place. Using different instruments to accompany the presence of the three main protagonists, Morricone’s score also helped generate character in Sergio Leone’s classic western, making viewers only too aware of who the good, the bad and the ugly were.
5. Godfather
The Nina Rota score in Francis Ford Coppola’s epic crime drama is another of cinema’s most memorable pieces of music, and one of the most controversial. The operatic feel of the music fitted the movie perfectly. However, some of the score was not originally made for the film. Rota’s Love Theme, now so famous with its haunting violins and distinctly Italian feel, was originally used in a 1958 comedy called Fortunella. The music, however, has now become so synonymous with Godfather it would be hard to imagine the film without it.
6. Star Wars
Using a classical orchestra soundtrack in a science fiction action film was an odd juxtaposition, and yet John Williams’ music is now one of the most famous film scores of all time. While the film’s dialogue and characterization lacked depth, the music provided the much needed emotion, which helped shaped the warmth of the protagonists and the foreboding nature of Darth Vader and the Empire.
Choosing Music For A Documentary Film
Documentary Films have a different process than a fictional narrative. Most of the time, the filmmaker has a story outline they are trying to tell, but as shooting commences, life happens! Unexpected events arise and what was going to be the dramatic climax is eclipsed by something more interesting or unusual.
To use music to score the film, you can hire a composer to start developing a library of musical themes for the story. This is something I’ve done several times and it works quite well. Because of the fluid nature of documentaries, you can provide the only constant to the whole process which is a consistent emotional tone with the music. Documentaries come together in the editing process and by having a library of thought out music to tell this story is extremely helpful.
You can also do this by carefully selecting similar pieces of music in a production music library like 300 Monks. Sometimes you can get great results by using several different pieces by the same composer or even different sections of the same piece. By the way, you can tell if a piece is by the same composer by the visual icon which are assigned to each composer.
You can also wait until a rough edit of the picture is done and then score the piece with a composer or by choosing from our music library.
Ways to Use Music In a Documentary
- Create a memorable theme that becomes the audio mnenomic and branding for the film. This is what every television series and commercial tries to do, why not you?
- Create musical themes for characters to unite the storytelling
- Create musical themes for sections of the story
- Background emotional shading – music is pure emotion and can often lead the audience to a heightened feeling that was impossible without it
- Foreshadowing of something to come
- To unite a montage of pictures, video
- Covering up the sound of bad production audio
- Masking location audio which you have no rights to, such as the radio is on in the background
- Ironic or strange juxtapositions – You can do what Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Cameron Crowe famously do, put music emotionally is the opposite of what we would expect.
Here’s a video that goes over some of the basics of music for a documentary. He forgot to mention that you can license music through a website like ours for affordable and legal clearance.
From Music Videos and Commercials to Hollywood Feature Debut
This guy is responsible for some indelible images in my head (oh and of course the sound was pure delight) – it’s the image of the swinging lamps and Kurt Cobain snarling, sneering and screaming “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
And now, the 48 year old director, Samuel Bayer, has his Hollywood moment with…Freddy Krueger. Read more.
Cool Commercial Shows How Composer Lalo Schifrin created Mission Impossible…Fantastically
As a composer, I really got a kick out of this commercial spot for Lipton Yellow Label Tea which shows how a composer, a very famous one, creates the music for a major pop culture event: Mission Impossible. The music has lasted for decades since the television series and then with the movie remakes with a bonafide star Tom Cruise.
Check it out. I wish I had a room where these players would drop from suspension wires whenever I needed them!
Interesting how infectious that theme is and how it has lasted the test of time – mainly because of that cool rhythm. Could it be Lalo Schifrin‘s Argentinian upbringing? Tango anyone?
And yes, the tea does things for me, though I prefer the pearl jasmine tea I get down in Chinatown at $100 per pound. Man! Just talking about makes me want to go brew a pot!
Enjoy!
Andrew
Podcasting Music Tips
Music and Voice-Overs: When to Drop the Music
Music adds power and polish to podcasts
Most podcasts start with a blast of music, before the presenter fades the volume. She then says a few words with the music playing gently in the background. When she finishes speaking, she either fades the music up and it ends or fades it out entirely.
This is known as a voice-over and is often abbreviated as V/O. The music in the background is often referred to as the music bed.
Usually the music bed will be from a royalty-free ‘production music’ library. Your track will not be a commercial top 40 hit.
Why use a voice-over?
While some people do voice-overs simply because everyone else does, there are actually some very good reasons to use them.
When listeners hear too much spoken word, they often grow tired and become distracted. Music can add energy and refocus your listener’s mind on what you’re saying.
This works either half-way through your spoken word podcast or at the beginning. If you want to create energy right from the start of your podcast, voice-overs can focus your listener’s mind immediately.
But being able to affect energy levels is not the only reason voice-overs are so useful.
Using music behind your voice also affects your listener’s mood. For example, if your podcast is about funerals, you can instantly influence the mood with a calm yet melancholic music track. If you’re making a sports podcast, you might use an up-tempo music piece with an aggressive guitar riff.
Not everyone has what used to be called in the old days a “broadcast voice”. Their diction may be poor or their intonation just lousy. Playing music behind their voice will often dampen the fact their vocals are poor.
Creating great voice-overs comes down to two things. Timing and the level of your music. Before I talk about when you should drop your music volume and start talking, let me say a few words about how loud your music bed should be, when you are talking.
How low should you drop your music?
The best instrument to judge the effective level of music behind the voice is your ear. You can’t make the decision by looking at an audio editing software package and making a guess based on the wave-form.
Listen to the volume of the music and ask yourself, is the voice clear and easy to understand? If not, reduce your music. Beware that many people find it difficult to distinguish between voice and music for voice-overs broadcast on television and radio.
So use your ears when deciding how low to drop the music level. Err on the side of a lower music volume, rather than a high one.
When do you drop the music?
Dropping your music too late can slow the energy of your podcast and make it sound sluggish. And playing the music bed too long before your drop it, transforms the music from a communication tool into a performance piece. You don’t want this.
Playing your music too long before dropping to a voice-over is like spending more time in the restaurant looking at a cardboard menu than actually enjoying your food. The menu should get you excited about the food and set the mood for wonderful cuisine. But the main act is the food, not the menu.
For serious podcasters, the main act is your content which is usually conveyed through the spoken word. Your music should create the energy and excitement that draws your listener to what you have to say.
Timing
So how long before you drop the music? Just a few seconds. To make it sound really good, though, it also helps to know some basic musicology in relation to the beat or time signature of the piece you’re using.
I suggest that you listen to the timing of your music and drop the volume so your first words start on the first beat of the second or third bar. Don’t do a slow fade but smartly drop your music at the 3rd or 4th beat of the bar preceding the bar you will speak.
Fade or End?
When you have finished your voice-over, should you fade the music off gently? Or fade the music bed up so the piece ends on a strong note?
I recommend a quick fade up so that the music actually ends rather than fades out. Depending on the length of your voice-over, this may require you to edit the music bed.
Editing your music to make it exactly the right length is tricky at first. But once you’re in practice, it is very easy.
I think that in most cases, a gradual fade doesn’t sound as good. Editing your music so it finishes a bar or two after your last words sounds much more professional.
Of course rules are written to be broken. There may be times when a slow fade actually achieves your editorial purpose. More often than not, though, you’ll find tight fades actually make your podcasts sound snappier and more professional.
Good luck!
Learn more about how you can create phenomenal podcasts at http://podcastersportal.com . Podcasters Portal is packed with free articles, audio seminars and videos for the podcaster who is serious about content. Jonathan G Halls is a speaker and writer. He has taught thousands of people around the world how to make phenomenal podcasts. He has worked with professionals from some of the world’s leading media organizations and learning professionals across America who use podcasts as part of their learning strategy.
Jonathan used to run the BBC’s television, radio operations and new media training in London. He has worked as a journalist and talk show host. He has a masters and bachelors in adult education. His company Talkshow Media LLC focuses exclusively on new media training and is based in Alexandria, Virginia. http://talkshowmedia.com
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