IV: creative minimalism

the art of saying more with less

written by still fades

We live in a world of abundance and quick, “perfect” fixes. Every sound, every plugin, every possibility sits one click away. There are endless tools for sculpting, layering, refining. But when everything is available, sometimes the hard part isn’t making more – it’s knowing when to stop. In ambient music this is especially helpful, but it also helps with other music as well.

My hard drive is full of ideas that will probably never see the light of day. Mostly because I kept adding more and more until I eventually burned out on the idea, or I couldn’t figure out the next part. Sometimes, an idea needs to be finished quickly to keep the fire burning. Repetition leads to over-analysis: is that part good enough? Maybe I’ll redo it. Should I add another part?

Those thoughts aren’t wrong, but sometimes – especially in ambient music, we need to learn to stop, and when to stop. Playing around with creative minimalism can make a track stronger, but in some cases, will also give you space to finish music and save you time. I’ve known people who’ve spent years perfecting albums that still haven’t been released. The difference between finished music and unreleased music is simple: people can either enjoy it, or they can’t. A track might not be perfect, but someone else might find perfection in its imperfections. 

If you focus on the core of your project, 90% of listeners won’t care if you spent ten hours EQ’ing that pad or re-recording a cassette loop.

Creative minimalism isn’t about austerity or stripping things bare for the sake of it. It’s about listening for the moment when a sound already says enough, when it doesn’t need another layer to feel whole. When you start from that place, your process becomes quieter, more intentional. A single pad can hold the weight of an entire piece. A faint delay tail can become the emotional center of a track. You stop thinking about what’s missing and start hearing what’s already there. If you’ve almost finished a track, stripping away the layers can unveil parts you might have buried underneath layers. There are ideas we sometimes bury through our excitement of creating a new idea that get lost in the process. 

As production processes have become increasingly granular (no pun intended) and accessible, I sometimes feel our ability to just sit with music, rather than tone or technicalities – has become strained. I recently revisited some early-2000s ambient, and what stood out was the simplicity, but also the rawness. Recording music twenty years ago wasn’t as hi-tech as it is now, and I can’t help but feel that something’s been lost along the way. 

Our ability to simply write music has been replaced by processes that sometimes distance us from the music itself. We’ve become more technical, and with that, it’s never been easier to add more and over-analyse.

When’s the last time you sat down and just played an instrument or recorded yourself coming up with ideas, not worrying about the end result? If it’s been a while, I’d urge you to give yourself that time. You might find something unexpected grows from it.

We also live in a fast and loud world. As ambient musicians and producers, I believe minimalism has earned an important place in our creative process, now more than ever. We can be a source of calm for others through our music, but we can only do that if we allow ourselves that same space.

Try it with these tips:

• Limit yourself to one instrument/vst and one effect for a track.
• Mute half of your channels on a track idea and see what still breathes.
• Slow the tempo far below what you’d normally use; let space shape it.
• Use only found sounds or foley from your environment for one piece.
• Record a single take without editing. let the imperfections stay.
• Remove reverb or delay and see if the dry sound can still carry emotion.
• Work within a strict time limit (e.g., finish an idea in 30 minutes).
• Set volume levels lower than usual and notice what details emerge.
• Commit early: bounce stems instead of endlessly tweaking plugins.
• Take a day to listen without producing. Write notes, not music.
• Craft a project focused on one idea – it could be a collective of 2-3 instruments or particular sounds. 

You might find that what emerges feels more true. Less about production, more about presence. The fewer choices you make, the more each sound begins to carry its own meaning. And in that simplicity, your voice starts to surface: unfiltered and unmistakable.

Creative minimalism isn’t a constraint. It’s a form of honesty – a way of giving something the attention it deserves. It reminds us that music doesn’t need to be big to be beautiful, only intentional.

At SoundGhost, that philosophy lives inside everything we make: instruments and ideas that value space, tone, and focus. We could create effects and instruments with endless controls, but we choose not to – because focus is inspiring. We limit samples in our packs because we believe in quality over quantity. Quantity in most things produces unwanted noise – the same can be said for music.

Try to slow down and embrace minimalism. Sometimes, doing less is the most expressive thing you can do, helping you focus on a chord, phrase, or even a single note – and maybe bringing out emotion in someone else, too.

Final Thought:

If you’ve been stuck or overwhelmed, step back and do less. Let the space guide you. You might be surprised by what rises to the surface when you stop trying to fill every moment.

Society makes it easy to stay in motion – to move fast, fill every gap, and run everything at 110%. But we’re not machines, and we can’t keep going at 110%. Creativity sometimes needs breath, not pressure. Give yourself permission to slow down, to listen, to leave space. That’s often where the most meaningful ideas begin.