New Ambience: The Ansible (Patreon)

Greetings Patrons,

Back in 1966, writer Ursula K Le Guin created a device she called an "ansible" to enable instant communication over vast distances of space. It became a cornerstone of her world-building and has appeared in many of her sci-fi novels. 

As Le Guin was also a noted fantasy author, I thought it would be fun to combine these 2 genres and reimagine the ansible as an ancient earth-based communication device. Making use of the well-trodden 'ancient unknown device' trope, this will work equally well as a sci-fi or a fantasy device.

Musically this is an expansive arrangement of chattering bowed and plucked strings that evokes interstellar communication in a cool, albeit abstract way. Meandering vocals and chattering synths keep it technological, but also oddly spiritual. I think Le Guin would have liked that.

The ambience is a blustery hilltop with a large, circular stone structure that rotates (once you figure out how to turn it on) to dial in the various receptor ansibles.

This track is in Patreon-only sneak-peek mode so I've included the mixed-version (ambience+music), as well as ambience-only, and music-only versions.

Additionally, I created two 'No Machine' versions (mixed, and ambience-only) that could be useful for scenarios in which the machine is non-functional.

I will be away from the studio for a week over the holidays, so this will be the last ambience of 2023. I'm looking forward to the break and I'll be back the 1st week of January 2024. I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

Thank you all, as always, for your continuing support.

Best,

Tim

https://tabletopaudio.com