If you're reading this, chances are you’ve fallen in love with that cinematic dark ambient sound that’s everywhere, from emotional edits to serene nature videos on TikTok.
Artists like Oneheart, daniel.mp3, and Antent are soundtracking a generation. With AI rising and life feeling more disconnected than ever, this music is more important than ever.

So, how do you make it?

The beauty of dark ambient lies in simplicity - minimal chords, gentle textures, and the subtle details that make a song feel alive.

In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to write a beautiful dark ambient track. By the end, I’ll also share one of my packs, Winter Melodies Complete Edition, which includes the exact MIDI, loops, and presets used in this song.

Step 0: BPM & Setup

Dark ambient usually sits between 70–95 BPM.
For this track, I’ll be working at 70 BPM, in the key of B minor.

Step 1: Chord Progression

Dark ambient is all about evocative but minimal chords. Think of Time from Inception - not exactly dark ambient, but a perfect example of how a simple chord progression can feel deeply emotional and powerful.

Here’s the chord progression I used (see below).
It’s a simple three-chord pattern, but in the last chord, I flip the B to the bottom to add movement. Small details like that keep loops from feeling repetitive.

For the instrument, start with a soft pluck or warm pad.
Anything that feels soft, electronic, and evocative will work beautifully. You’ll find some perfect Serum presets for this at the end of the post.

Step 2: Melody

Keep the melody simple. Less is more.
For this example, I used a sine-wave-based pluck to create a nostalgic, glassy tone.

Here’s the Serum patch I used:

And here’s how the MIDI looks:

Try playing these notes into your DAW and experimenting with different progressions. The key is to leave space between notes. Silence is part of the composition.

Step 3: Bass

For the bass, just copy the root notes of your chords.

Here’s what my bass looks like:

Notice how I let the third note play slightly early to create a glide-down effect? That’s one of my favourite tricks for adding movement and impact.

I used a preset called Silent Depth from my Serum 2 Pack for this sound (increase the Porta for max glide goodness).

Step 4: Counter Melody

Counter melodies sit quietly behind the main one, adding emotion and conversation.

Here’s the one I wrote for this loop:

It’s sparse, it doesn’t compete with the main melody, it just supports it.
That’s the mindset to have when writing these.

Step 5: Effects & Texture

Now that you have your chords, melody, bass, and counter melody, it’s time to add depth and texture to the loop.

This is where most of the “dark ambient magic” happens.

Try these:

• Bounce and resample your chords, pitch them up or down an octave, and add reverb.

• Use automation to fade in/out volume or filter.

• Layer subtle textures or foley (wind, tape hiss, rain) under the mix.

These post-processing details are what separate a good loop from an incredibly immersive one.

Final Thoughts

How does your loop sound?
This tutorial only covers the loop, if you’d like a full walkthrough on structuring a complete dark ambient song, let me know in the comments.

Want the MIDI & Presets Used?

All of the MIDI and presets from this tutorial are part of my Winter Melodies – Complete Edition.

This premium pack includes 379 sounds - Serum 2 presets, loops, MIDI, and textures - all carefully designed to capture that cinematic, dark ambient atmosphere.

The Complete Edition includes the Serum 2, Loop, and MIDI Editions together at a discounted price.

If you love this sound and want high-quality tools for your own projects, you’ll love this pack.