How do you make ambient music?

Sound Design.
Which is synthesis and sampling or just one of the two options.
This might be an over simplistic way of thinking about producing, but I honestly think it's just Composition/Sound design period for all music.
Foley mics, synthesizer modules or vsts and sampling modules/tools as well as [If going that route] instrumentation with real instruments or digital instruments.

Ambient is exactly what the name states. I associate that with Fx and foley/soundscaping myself.
 
Listen to Minimalist composers (like Steven Reich). Listen to the founder of Ambient, Brian Eno.
Think simple. Think sound design (as KonKossKang said above), but no "rough edges."
Check out the music created with minimalist ambient apps like Bloom, Trope, or Air.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

GJ
 
Nice drones & pads can come out of anything - random samples allow for unusual timbres; synth-wise it's a matter of preference. A good reverb & delay can go a long way as well, but there are so many great hardware units/pedals/software plugins out there by now that I'm a bit afraid that recommending something will sort of discount the others :)
 
When I'm speaking of ambient music, I am not speaking of IDM of Ambient EDM, but music like this.

https://soundcloud.com/y01/windows-10-system-sounds-ambient

https://soundcloud.com/bill_baxter/green-part-1

https://soundcloud.com/y01/e-1

What are some things I need to learn in order to create this kind of music and those kind of ambient/atmospheric synths?

This guy in the same city as me has some good ideas, watch this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tns4FVaJfb8
 
refx nexus has some of the best piano sounds and pads that if you add enough reverb and delay, they'll sound just like the chill step mixes you hear on youtube

heres the link if you want to check it out https://refx.com/nexus/, plus they have discounts on some of the sounds

Good luck bro!
 
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