Good ambience can be the difference between an average TTRPG session or an immersive one, a run of the mill writing stint, or one that flows as if you’ve channeled the Muses themselves.
Each time I sit down to write, I’ve always got a good ambient YouTube channel ready to go. And while what I choose depends on the mood of the piece as well as the genre, today I want to share with you my three favorite fantasy ambience channels on YouTube.
1. Bardify
Bardify is the absolute GO TO for anyone needing inspiration for a fantasy project. Its focus is primarily on providing music and ambience for TTRPG sessions, and heavily inspired by Dungeons and Dragons in particular. There are playlists for Events and Situations, Travel Pace, Cities and Villages, Ambience, and more.
From their About section:
“Welcome, adventurers, to Bardify, where melodies and harmonies weave together to create the perfect atmosphere for your grand quests. As a bard of old, I have traveled far and wide, gathering the finest melodies and songs to accompany your battles, your dungeon delves, and your tales of wonder. Allow my music to transport you to distant lands, to the very heart of your adventures. With my one-hour versions of songs, your journey will be enhanced by the perfect background music. Join me in this journey, let the music be the heartbeat of your legends.”
Bardify
I’ve used this channel when playing Dungeons and Dragons: The Adventure Begins with my kids. There is ambience for just about any place or event you can imagine. I also use this when writing fantasy stories set in a more traditional fantasy world. Some videos have a focus on music, while others just offer the ambient sounds of a particular setting, such as a marketplace or a busy tavern. Whatever you need, I’m sure you can find something useful here.
Hollywood Magic has a series of videos that range in length from 30 minutes to 8 hours of continuous play. They feature quality ambience that transports you to the Star Wars universe and to the world of Harry Potter, but where the channel really excels is in it’s huge offering of Skyrim videos.
The Skyrim videos include ambience from a given locale (Solitude, Whiterun, etc.), a particular event (Christmas in Whiterun, Cozy Fire on a Rainy Day, etc.), and, my favorites, walking tours (Whiterun to Falkreath, Rorikstead to Solitude, etc.). But these aren’t just videos of a character walking through a vanilla version of the world. These are ultra-modded, 4k, and wondrously cinematic. And the music that plays alongside some of them are quite immersive.
From their About section:
“Welcome to Hollywood Magic! – a channel that was born out of the beauty and wonder of modded Skyrim. From the ancient forests of Tamriel, to a galaxy far, far away, I hope this channel serves as a relaxing escape to some of your favorite fantasy worlds. Every video is very carefully curated – combining the right mods, the right scenes, the right ambient sounds, and the right music to provide a premium and immersive ambient experience.”
Hollywood Magic
This is my go to channel when writing stories for my Tales to the Nightgate Inn collection. If you’re looking for a truly amazing, immersive selection of fantasy ambience, this is a fantastic channel.
Ambient Worlds is a channel that specializes in creating ambient videos for worlds found in beloved movies and video games. You’ll find multiple options for Lord of the Rings (two of my favorites being the videos Christmas at Bag End and The Shire, A Peaceful Night at Bag End), Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter, as well as individual videos for various movies like Gladiator, Dune, Narnia, Indiana Jones, and Tron, as well as videos for various games, like Minecraft, Mario, Halo, World of Warcraft, and Zelda.
From their About section:
“Enjoy the peaceful and nostalgic atmospheres of some of the most famous fictional worlds. From the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Middle Earth, you can relax, study, or sleep while experiencing the wonderful ambience and music. “
Ambient Worlds
All of their offerings are excellent quality and can fit almost any mood you desire.
I hope this list will help you to find the ambience you need to make your next gaming, reading, or writing session more immersive and enjoyable.
