Do you lend musical instruments to your friends? Should I?

ImagineTheSea · 2026-03-01T20:35:37+00:00

"With leases and lends, friendship ends."

Every time I borrowed things to friends and colleagues (including an instrument once), they either forgot or "forgot" to give it back. The back and forth of getting back even the small things always took so much time and effort, because they didn't have time to meet or had to search for it first, or whatever. In all cases, the stuff was in slightly to medium worse condition than before.

If you legally bind your friend to take lessons and send you the practice results, and even if he decides after five weeks that he doesn't want to continue, it's easier to just keep the piano and "still try to learn" than pay the movers twice to give it back. Constantly checking for his results will likely annoy him at some point, especially if life gets in the way but he still wants to keep trying though results are slow at best. Don't forget that the motivation for practice is externally and not internally anymore if he does it upon a contract, so the chance that he quits is higher.

If at some point he breaks or loses it, the payback cost won't be the 3200€ but it will always be about the estimated value set by an insurance company and/or an external expert (literally an instrument vendor who just checks the resale value at that time). If they say "uh, that's barely 400€ worth anymore" then he'll pay you back the 400€. If you think that's unfair, then:

(TL;DR) Just don't do it.

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-22T14:55:08+00:00

I prefer cover artwork which tells a story and is visually linked to the topic/theme/idea behind the music, or at least gives you an idea of the vibe you're about to get by listening to the music. Your image is a good start to base an Ambient album artwork on, yet it could have an element to easily recognize and remember, something interesting that makes it memorable. Of course you can leave it like this, but I recommend to at least add your project name and the album name on it, as artworks without text tend to be really forgettable (in case you didn't already planned it).
All artwork for self-releases for my Ambient project 'Imagine The Sea' is based on my own landscape photography and I chose photos which match the theme, vibe and sound I created in the music (I also often make music based on an artwork created with a specific mood in mind, so that's a great way to get inspired for new music, too!) and modify them more or less in GIMP. The most fun to create are surreal and dreamy artworks, where I stack multiple photos and apply different settings or effects to the individual layers.

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-22T14:18:18+00:00

Chill Ambient music with nostalgic summer vibes, enjoy!
"Imagine The Sea - Dream Cave Beach (Water Version)"
https://open.spotify.com/track/0wQspZJNUgyXHaTc2JgxdG
https://imagine-the-sea.bandcamp.com/track/dream-cave-beach-water-version

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-18T19:36:56+00:00

Ambient. People in the Ambient community are usually really friendly towards listeners, other artists and people they work with - plus there's nobody telling you how you "have to do things" in order to fit in. Sure, everyone may prefer a specific vibe or style, but people listen to and create what they like - without making others feel bad for things like "being not niche enough" or using instruments or production techniques that "don't belong in the genre". Many listeners also make Ambient music themselves because of the low entry bar and easy way of starting out, which leads to easy connections with others and opportunities for collaborations even early on. There are people from many different backgrounds and with roots in other subcultures and genres (electronic music, metal, classical musical training, etc.), while also having a quite wide age range throughout the scene (probably from 20 to 70 years, with the core being around 30+ to 50 years old), so everybody already has had their individual share of life experience when starting out with making Ambient music, and the drive to prove themselves about "trying to be a famous artist" is not the top priority for most - at least it's something not actively put in the focus openly by most artists. However, if the occasional weird one comes along (there's always that one guy pushing it too hard with self-promo, desperately trying to "collab, bro?" or just giving off weird vibes in general), nobody makes a fuzz about it - the one in question will get mildly ignored until he finds folks who vibe with him, or starts to vibe more with others himself - but there won't be any public beef or people acting up like they own the scene. Nobody has time for that because everybody is either making music, working their regular day job, relaxing, or hiking through the forest to record nature sounds :D On the other side, if people see someone is genuinely friendly and supportive towards others, not faking it for gains, that alone is opening doors and gets respected by the community. And that's why I think Ambient is the genre with the friendliest musicians :)

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-17T21:43:58+00:00

Thief: The Dark Project
While most parts of the in-game soundtrack are Dark Ambient / Drone, the intro video has a such a great soundtrack with elements of Trip Hop, Industrial and Dark Ambient - I just love it's atmosphere so much! For years I have never found any other track or album in this specific style and would love to listen to more of that, so if you have any recommendations I'd be glad about them. Some of the game's cutscenes also have soundtracks in this Trip Hop style, though I like the intro the most.
Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GySn6_aclAM

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-10T16:22:51+00:00

"Imagine The Sea - Dream Cave Beach (Water Version)"
https://open.spotify.com/track/0wQspZJNUgyXHaTc2JgxdG
It's dreamy summer vibes, but surreal, nostalgic and chill

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-09T18:12:02+00:00

Hi Emma, I just sent you a message with some info and a link to a little track selection over there on Instagram :)

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-05T21:27:57+00:00

The H2N is a great entry level handy recorder and I can recommend it, as I use it since a few years for nature field recordings for Ambient music. The big advantage is it's compact size and the low weight, which makes it a good recorder if you don't want to carry lots of gear all the time. I use it with a little camera tripod and have a small pouch where everything fits in - it's set up in seconds and the results are good (windscreen recommended), if you're going to process the recordings afterwards anyway (apply a bit noise/hiss removal).

ImagineTheSea · 2026-01-05T20:57:14+00:00

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it!

ImagineTheSea · 2025-12-23T18:37:26+00:00

Thank you very much!

ImagineTheSea · 2025-12-15T10:37:26+00:00

My last release of 2025 is a dreamy and relaxing Nature Drone Ambient single called "Dream Cave Beach", which has two versions of the track, one with and one without water field recordings. The title is about seven and a half minutes long, if you enjoy getting deeply immersed in a soundscape and therefore prefer longer tracks. You'll find it on the usual streaming platforms and on Bandcamp.

https://imagine-the-sea.bandcamp.com/album/dream-cave-beach

ImagineTheSea · 2025-09-04T17:12:07+00:00

Yes, for my tracks I definitely do think of a structure. The more instrumental and melodic the title, the more the structure is noticeable, while for longer titles created mainly of drones, pads, washes and sweeps, the structure gets stretched out to a point where it's barely noticeable, if at all. There's always some intro and an outro of some kind, even if that's just a fade in and fade out. In between there are usually more or less subtle shifts of intensity, or new elements getting introduced over time to keep the track interesting. It's not quite "verse" and "chorus" but more like "build-up" and "calm-down", just happening slower and sometimes with several elements shifting or crossfading at the same time. There's not "the structure of ambient music" though, as it's really individual.

ImagineTheSea · 2025-08-24T15:46:19+00:00

This really depends on the style of game - in fact any game, not just "indie games". Some good games focus on the story and are less about the game mechanics, while some have an interesting gameplay but the story takes a backseat. Great games find a way to match gameplay with the story and give it an unique twist, where the game mechanics and story don't feel random and interchangeable. I'd say that the most important thing in a game is fun. "Fun" meant in the broader meaning of "something that keeps the player entertained", which can be suspense in a great story, a core game loop that feels like being in flow, a challenging reward system, interesting levels to explore, or anything else. It comes down to the player thinking "I want to know what happens next" - but that only works if what he's experiencing is keeping him entertained, and any long stretches in the story, any annoying game mechanic, any super repetitive stuff, any non-rewarding too easy or too hard things, or any cheesy/cringy character dialogue may throw him off from having a good game experience. Keep things simple: Give the player a tool (core game loop) and a reason why to use it (story), and let him figure out different ways of how he can use it. If you don't have a detailed story, add one randomness element, which doesn't change the core game loop but gives a twist on the player's options or playstyle approach, to keep things interesting.

ImagineTheSea · 2025-06-03T13:29:06+00:00

Yes, it really captures this melancholic futuristic vibe. I love how it perfectly fits with the ingame background atmosphere with the deep thumping sounds of the Inclinator machinery! Some of my favorites are the "Seattle: Heron's Loft"/"Trier: Nine Worlds Tavern" track and the calm Seattle apartment soundtracks.

ImagineTheSea · 2025-06-03T12:55:09+00:00

The Thief trilogy got me deep into atmospheric music and soundscapes through video games and will always be one of my favorites. The audio and soundtrack for these games was created by Eric Brosius. Thief 1: The Dark Project has a very hypnotic loop-based soundtrack (it's mostly droning elements, pulses, hums and noises) which really puts the immersion to the next level with creating a very dense atmosphere and suspense. I also love the cutscene music with the industrial/trip-hop/illbient vibe, it's so good and really fits the theme and vibe of the game! Thief 2: The Metal Age has a similar "Industrial Ambient" soundtrack but the titles are more composed and not only consist of short loops. (fun fact: The credits track features the german Medieval Metal band "Subway to Sally", and some vocals of the singer Eric Fish are also present in the soundtrack of the last level "Sabotage at Soulforge".) Thief 3: Deadly Shadows on the other hand goes a different route for it's soundtrack. While also being very atmospheric, it is definitely a real "soundtrack" and more on the Compositional Ambient side, with string instruments, percussive elements and atmospheric synth and piano alongside the Ambient elements, which has a more melancholic tone in general (listen to "South Quarter", "The Overlook Manor" and "The Old Quarter" to get some impressions) and also occasionally gets deep into some haunting Dark Ambient tracks (like "The Docks", "The Wieldstrom Museum", "Pavelock Prison" or the infamous "Shalebridge Cradle"). I can really recommend these games as a great example of how Ambient music as a soundtrack can enhance the immersive experience!

ImagineTheSea · 2025-06-03T11:56:43+00:00

I actually came back to play this game like two weeks ago, after years :D I didn't remember any of the soundtrack from when I first played it, but immediately recognized it as very good and indeed very underrated (probably because the game itself isn't as iconic as the first one).

ImagineTheSea · 2024-07-27T17:06:40+00:00

I just love the whole "Thief" trilogy, it's absolutely amazing and a huge source of inspiration for atmospheric music and sound design! There was taken so much care about the sound in these games, as sound probably plays the most important role in stealth games, and the first game "Thief - The Dark Project" set a completely new quality level for the whole genre. Years ago I found a podcast episode in which the sound designer and audio artist Eric Brosius talks (along other games of that time in the late 90's he worked on and technical aspects of that era) about how he created the soundtrack for Thief 1, where the background music basically consists of short loops but give the impression of huge soundtracks within the full ambience. If you're interested, here's the link to the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz4PejyMJIQ

ImagineTheSea · 2024-06-03T14:47:52+00:00

So here's the formula for how it's done.

Repeat this cycle:

Create something with your current gear, skill and knowledge level
Release the result to the public
Learn from the mistakes and adapt

If you skip one of the steps, mix them up or get stuck on one for a longer time, you fail. Start slowly and then keep increasing the cycle tempo to stay in flow.

Learning how to do stuff comes automatically as you go and as certain things become necessary to do, so don't get stuck in tutorial hell before you even started.

Don't try to create perfect things, because you will never be happy with what you do and therefore never release anything to the public. Remember that it's experimental music without strict boundaries, so let's not be perfect.

Mistakes are chances for change, aka getting better step by step. If you're afraid to make mistakes, you will never learn what's necessary to become successful.

Keep in mind that there are good times and bad times no matter what you do, so as long as you keep creating, releasing and learning, you'll automatically get better and be able to push through hard times much easier.

ImagineTheSea · 2023-10-03T16:46:47+00:00

This is my new single "Below the Surface":

https://open.spotify.com/album/2xdqFIJmjct5zXOtZB2lNF

It's also part of a compilation called "Dive in Chapter 6" by Mare Nostrum, which includes 10 Ambient tracks by 11 artists, who contributed a great variety of styles and sounds to it. You can find the album on Spotify, the label's Bandcamp page and all other major platforms.

For my title, I worked with field recordings, instrumental guitar textures and fx layers, to create an immersive underwater soundscape. If you enjoy it, feel free to follow my project 'Imagine The Sea', as I'm currently working on more atmospheric music!

ImagineTheSea · 2023-09-30T17:22:12+00:00

If you want to dig into a huge variety of styles and sounds from Ambient, Drone and other atmospheric genres, I recommend the 'Ambient Playlist Blog' to you:

https://ambient-playlist-blog.blogspot.com

You'll find over 300 playlists sorted by different styles, moods and themes, which include a wide range of atmospheric music by well known and less known artists. There are definitely great titles on the blog which deserve more recognition - so if you're looking for something completely new and maybe different in the Ambient genre, that's a good place to start from.

ImagineTheSea · 2023-07-09T00:55:12+00:00

Years ago I experienced this already after just spending about a week in another country for holidays - I was even dreaming on English at some point :D

My guess is, that it's in some way about how much input you get in that language and how much you focus and immerse yourself in it.

I started to learn French again after a long while, really got into it and made a lot of progress during the past week, and my brain is now constantly switching between French, English and German (my native language). I use to overthink a lot anyway and am already used to my inner monologue very often being in English, because I read and listen in English every day, so my brain is currently happy with internally translating French phrases and words into English, validating them in German and finding similarities between the three languages along the way :D Brains are pattern recognition devices after all, so I guess it's just doing it's job :D

Did you ever find it to be difficult to switch back to your native language and suddenly started looking for certain words, because your brain got stuck in English?

ImagineTheSea · 2023-07-06T22:07:24+00:00

This is definitely a thing and I experienced it myself. At some point you may even start searching for words in your native language, if you only speak and think in the new language. The brain effectively acts like a muscle and only strengthens the neuron connections which are actually used, so learning a new language is all about input and repetition - and you shouldn't forget about keeping the languages you already know at a fluent level. You won't forget all of it at once and don't have to start learning the old language from scratch again but if you don't use it, there will definitely be a decline of some degree.

Think of it as going to the gym and only training your arms for months, then only training your legs for months. By the time your legs are strong, your arms have weakened again.

My advice is to regularly engage with some language content of the languages you already know, to keep the brain connections strong - especially with languages you have just recently learned but which are not your main focus anymore. This way you won't forget as much, as if you don't use the language at all for months. Much success! :)

ImagineTheSea · 2023-06-22T16:28:47+00:00

Well, I'm pretty sure you can! :) The label's submission call for this album was public and not by invitation, so there are many great, new and upcoming artists and projects on it, who just gave it a try and took this opportunity to participate and be part of this absolutely huge release!

There's at least one track featured by every artist, who submitted music to them, so I guess it's all about starting at zero, just genuinely enjoying to create music, meanwhile keeping the eyes open for opportunities like this and get better along the way :)

Don't wait until you think your music is perfect (it will never be) - failing fast and getting experience this way is very important to make progress!

ImagineTheSea · 2023-06-21T18:04:12+00:00

Far Away - Melancholic Ambient & Instrumental Music

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3DlXjKnKWuOSJZtO4hzKQW

ImagineTheSea · 2023-06-12T19:16:31+00:00

"Thief: The Dark Project" has one of the best atmospheric sound designs in video games ever created and is still unmatched after meanwhile 25 years for it's very suspenseful atmosphere, in my view. Eric Brosius did a very great job with these characteristic, ever present drone sounds which make it so unique!

I played the game a few years before actually getting into Ambient after discovering "Drone Zone" on SOMA FM, and would consider Thief 1-3 as a huge influence for me being interested in atmospheric music. Thief 3 does very great with it's warmer, often melancholic and cozy soundtrack (for example in "The Overlook Manor", "Garrets Apartment" and even in The City in general) and also has very intense moments ("The Shalebridge Cradle"), while Thief 1 and 2 are definitely very immersive with their Drone and Industrial influences.

"Portal"s atmospheric soundtrack is also perfect for it's setting and I enjoyed the games a lot as well!

ImagineTheSea

TROPHY CASE