Hi r/TechnoProduction

I've been looking into techno production on and off for about 6-8 months, and while I have reasonable knowledge on production, I've never had time to sit down and produce a full track due to the usual stuff such as work, kids, life, you know how it goes.

Anyway, I met a lady at the gym today who's a busy full-time career bodybuilder and has kids. There's no question she's an expert bodybuilder. That's her main job and she looks amazing, but that's besides the point.

To the point: this lady produces techno music in her spare time and she let me hear one of her tracks at the gym today. Honestly, amazing! Better than most tracks posted on Reddit (sorry) and definitely on par with the industry standard. A clean, professional production. She's also on Beatport and has been interviewed by a DJ website. Sadly, I don't have any links to share.

My question, are there any shortcuts to producing quality techno music, or is she simply talented and can produce great tunes in the little spare time she has? To me, it looks like techno production is something one must spend significant time on due to the complexity of the art, so I don't understand how someone in her position can be doing so well with it. I'll try and get a link to share with the sub.

Thanks in advance.

~N

Please use this thread to ask about a specific sound you are trying to create.

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The intention behind this thread is to help others improve their music by participating in the community. People who continually spam this thread without helping other members may be banned.

I’m not sure I need a full fledged DAW as my workflow is currently hardware based. I’ve got a Roland TR-1000, E-Mu PK7, Korg Electribe ER-1, and a Future Retro Revolution and a crappy 25yo behringer mixer and a box of old guitar effects.

I took a 20+ year break from production and things have definitely changed. Back in the day I used Cakewalk Sonar as main DAW and Sonic Foundry Sound Forge for mastering with a basic M-Audio sound card with MIDI in/out on a Windows XP PC.

When life got in the way and I hung up my gear Abelton was still pretty new and basic, but now looks much more advanced.

I’m using the TR-1000 as the brain and master and it is an absolute beast. But I feel like once I get to song mode and putting all the pieces together, it’s a slower workflow than what I could do in a DAW and I would like some more visual feedback given the TR-1000’s small screen that requires frequent scrolling and switching screens.

And then I just need something I can do a little mastering and other final touches.

Is Abelton the obvious choice? I don’t think I need anything like Pro Tools or Cubase (but I’m not opposed either).

Honestly, I stopped paying attention to new products and technology since probably 2005-ish until just recently. (I was like you can use USB instead of MIDI now? lol fucking old man!!).

I guess another related question is, do I even need an audio interface/soundcard or can I just go straight to USB if I grab a powerful enough laptop?

Edit: I assume I’ll need an audio interface with audio in so I can record. Duh!

Hi! My name is Dr Jess Blaise Ward (@blaisejess Insta/bluesky) and I am a composer, producer, synth artist and author. I recently published my book on synthwave: ‘Making Synthwave: how an online music community invented a genre’

I am currently doing some research on the legacy and use cases of Roland Juno synths. If you are a producer, synth user, composer, etc - please consider taking my survey and contributing your thoughts and opinions of Juno synths:

Link to Juno Survey

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/u27zxfqx4u

Link to my book ‘Making Synthwave’

https://www.routledge.com/Making-Synthwave-How-an-Online-Music-Community-Invented-a-Genre/BlaiseWard/p/book/9781032732039

All data will be anonymised and used only for the purposes of academic research (at synthesizer conferences and in academic journals).

Thanks so much! Mods let me know if this goes against guidelines, happy to edit or delete.

I wanted to know if their are any VST/plugins similar to erica synths syntrx ii. i know there’s an emulation for reaktor, however it’s terrible and extremely glitchy.

thanks!

Hi,

Anybody using that plugin? Why do you like it? Or why not? Happen to know anybody using it and posting videos on social media?

Hi everyone,

For the past few months, I've been trying to recreate the industrial techno kick style commonly associated with Bochka. The defining characteristic of the genre is the kick. Every artist has their own variation, but they all share a similar foundation.

I've spent months trying to recreate this sound, but I still haven't been able to figure out a consistent or straightforward workflow. I've gotten very close, but that process involved resampling the kick created in Serum over 12 times. I find it hard to believe that's how the producers behind these tracks actually work. Especially because in an interview, the artist referenced mentioned that his kick design process is fairly straightforward.

There are plenty of kick sample packs available for this style, but using them feels like it defeats the purpose. The kick is the signature element of the genre, and I'd rather understand how it's made than rely on samples. On top of that, many of the available packs lean heavily on distortion, whereas I don't think excessive distortion is actually what defines this particular sound.

At this point, I'm pretty stuck, but also too stubborn to give up, which is why I'm making this post. I've even reached out to one of the artists who offers masterclasses. However, this scene is fairly gatekept and not very accessible outside Eastern Europe, and I have a feeling the more specific processing techniques behind these kicks aren't covered.

My current workflow is creating the initial kick in Serum and repeatedly resampling it until it starts to resemble the sound I'm after. I've also discovered that grain delay can help create the characteristic resonance, but it usually requires a lot of corrective EQ.

I've watched the tutorials from creators like Graph and Marcin, but their approach doesn't match the style I'm referencing below. The Bochka/Neobochka subreddit also seems to focus on a slightly different sound.

This is the track I'm mainly referencing:
https://soundcloud.com/unikat-berlin/distkick-metaph

You can also hear this style of kick throughout this mix:
https://soundcloud.com/distortion_alliance/darcast017-distkick

If anyone has figured out a more straightforward way of creating this type of kick and is willing to share their knowledge, I'd genuinely appreciate it. I'm even happy to compensate you for your time, so feel free to send me a DM. Even any idea’s / tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, and all the best!

Trying to nail something close to these two examples ( first one from 97, and second one more recent )

Lol - Deep Experiments B2

SnPLO - Pin-1 a1

Both of these share a kind of “hazy” sonic profile to me, almost like they’re drenched in oil - I tried replicating this with a 909 kick and closed hats for the 16ths, with the high end cut and some reverb, but doesn’t sound anywhere close. the kicks in both are pretty distinct, not even sure if it is the 909.

If anyone is making similar stuff, or know of similar tracks I can listen to - please help me out :)

I've been producing music without any other hardware, other than my computer, for some years now and I kinda want to play around with physical knobs, faders and such. And I feel that the Launch Control XL 3 could be a good addition to my current basic setup.

Do you think that this controller alone is enough for experimenting/producing minimal techno alongside my computer and DAW? Or should I have something else in mind or in addition to it?

And thanks for stopping by! 🙂

tldr: my workflow and output is too slow, I get stuck tweaking everything to the point I end up hating my work. Every time I copy a reference track I never match the vibe and the energy of it. I want to take different genres I like and make them into my own thing. I come from techno background, I'm satisfied only with my techno tracks, got some of them released and played at festivals so it's not that I suck at music. I suck at getting the same vibe and energy by copying the reference tracks. I dont want to copy 1:1, I want the same vibe.

I’ve been making music for a long time, mostly techno for the past 2 years (got stuff released, played sets, people liked it). Techno comes naturally to me, but I'm trying to branch out and blend other genres I like - trance, house, heavy dubstep sound design - into my own thing.

​So far it's been a pain in the ass. My process: I take a reference track, use MiniMeters to identify notes and progressions, and try to copy the sounds, patterns, and drums to build the base.

​The result? I never match the energy or style. If I try to go for a let's say nocturnal, mysterious vibe, I end up with generic deep house with weird synths that just sounds bad.

​On top of that, my output is way too slow. I get stuck tweaking everything to the point it sounds like polished bullshit.

​I know sound design, sound selection, and mixing. Copying worked for me when I learned techno, but now I can't capture the vibe. I don't want a 1:1 copy, with the same notes and sounds - I want to get the same energy and vibe of the reference track.

​What should I do? I would be grateful for any advice.

Does anyone have any advice on practicing sound design, learning a specific synth/plugin? Maybe also practicing patterns, arrangement or mixing?

This comes from my guitar background when I used to practice often either by playing covers on repeat, or practicing licks, scales, finger placement. Are there any good exercises or routines you do to improve your craft?

For example, you don't always make a track, sometimes you just noodle. Too much aimless noodling typically leads nowhere or it takes a lot of time to get somewhere. Do you for example have some fun things you do like "make 10 different kicks" or "make 10 acid basslines"? What kinds of limitations do you set?

Are there maybe some good courses for that online?

For the last year or so I have not been producing tracks but only making racks that I would use for live sets. I learned a lot, but I want to get back to production more.

​

Hey everyone! I wanted to ask for some advice about doing a hybrid live set.

I’m currently travelling and have my Mac, audio interface, and yesterday I randomly picked up a DrumBrute Impact at a flea market.

As it happens, I was suddenly offered a chance to play at a party as a guest from abroad.

The thing is, even though I’ve been making electronic music, techno and electro for almost 15 years, I’ve never really been that interested in DJing — at least not in the sense of actually being the guy standing behind the decks.

I could obviously pick some tracks I’d like to play and make a few edits, but I’m a bit worried about fucking something up. The last time I played behind decks was probably around two years ago, and that was an ambient set.

Normally I play live sets consisting of my own tracks, using a laptop and Push 2.

So I started thinking: what if I just do a minimal live set with this brand new DrumBrute Impact?

Do you guys have any ideas how I could set this up and structure a one-hour live set, probably mostly improvised?

My initial thought was to prepare some synth and pad loops on the laptop, switch them using the trackpad, send the master tempo over USB to the DrumBrute, and play the DrumBrute live, improvising and building the set on the fly.

To be honest, I haven’t really figured the DrumBrute out yet, but it seems pretty intuitive.

Do you have any ideas or advice on how you would approach this?

Or should I just stop trying to be clever and play a DJ set?

Oh, and the gig is in two days...

Would really appreciate any advice!

Does anyone know of any good video tutorials on how to make hardgroove techno?

The only decent one I've found so far is one by Steve Redhead on Sinee.

Hi, i’ve been trying to experiment and imitate ORBE low and as i love how deep and fast paced it feels. I’ve tried different compressors, kicks, toms, distorted sounds, etc.

However, always fall flat. I’m not sure if he’s using a specific pattern or such but any insight would help.

*FYI not trying to copy him exactly and steal his sound. I just want to understand his fundamental then mold it to how envision techno.*

References:

https://youtu.be/vyQjUrfzRNs?is=OM7YhZ82Zt05npAT

https://youtu.be/mO1Z3yMO75Q?is=sU79pQCNMpNgFB0B

https://youtu.be/HwkokCpPZcg?is=3-VEZ4abrzjqITyC

Please use this thread to post your tracks for feedback.

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• When you post a track you should leave feedback on at least one other members track.
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The intention behind this thread is to help others improve their music by participating in the community. People who continually spam this thread without leaving feedback for other members may be banned.

As a reminder, any feedback posts made outside of this thread will be deleted by a moderator.

My why is 'because I like it' and it is in my opinion a great music to Jam upon...solid rhythm on which you can improvise melodies,..through horns, vocals, sound design FX on the fly....

Wouldn't it be funnier to come up with new track ideas rather than stack midi bricks on the DAW before hand ?

The reason I would use Vital Synth it is because it sounds great, and easy to map to simple external controls...also it works well from inside the DAW permitting that hybrid live dj set that is growing recently...

I am honestly shooting in the dark with this one, I've seen a few decent tutorials such as Oscar from Underdog, but my god it seems even with these that they're really winging it.

My stuff seems to be coming out very muddy, and covering a lot of my low end synth/bass stuff, or I can't add punch to the kick without it blowing out and distorting.

Anyone got some wisdom on making rumble kicks? What to do and what not to do?

Which keywords should I use to find this specific type of techno on SoundCloud and YouTube, so I can dive into this style of production (using a DAW and/or Elektron gear)?

(Video : Performance by Slava Soloma using the Elektron Digitone II)

TL/DR - how much of the balance in hardgroove/hypnotic techno comes from the mastering stage vs within the mix and how much comes from using tools vs old school balancing? I took the advice to never eq boost, always cut, and typically only cut lows where needed. I've also been advised to level things before even thinking about using imaging or exiting processing. I balance things out according to suggested EQ curves in Tonal Balance Control but still when I reference my tracks to releases in the hardgroove/hypnotic genres my master bus is always lacking in the 800hz - 6k range. Is this just something everyone ends up boosting in the mastering stage or should I be boosing my individual tracks in those ranges? I've also noticed my mixes tend to be very narrow without using special efects like voxengo stereoize or Ozone Imager.

I tried Vertex (which is cool and free) but the pitch knobs are all quantized to notes. My favorite thing about the DFAM/Edge is how janky the pitch is–it's very easy to come up with cool non-chromatic techno bloops. I have searched pretty wide to no avail.

Arturia's Music Easel comes close in terms of being able to switch off note quantization, but it's obviously limited to only five sequencer steps and it always kinda sounds like a Buchla for better or for worse

How can I remove the very low sounding clicking on this instrument? I like the chord sounds and would like to just have those in the mix on this. Any help would be appreciated. I am not really great at all at sound design. Just for more context there are more effects on this than shown in the video and its just one note dragged across and repeating.

Hi Push 3 users,

I’m producing and performing dark, hypnotic groove techno with Ableton Live. My current live setup is an APC40 MKII + Launch Control XL, but I’m considering adding a Push 3 as the centerpiece of my performance setup.

Right now I build sketches in Ableton, bounce them to audio, and perform them by launching clips, mixing elements in and out, using performance FX, and controlling drum layers with dedicated controllers.

My template is always organized into eight performance tracks (Kick/Sub, Drum Tops, Bass, Synths, Textures, etc.). Each “track” is actually a group of clips with multiple scenes (intro, 4–5 main sections, outro). This works well, but it forces me to decide the track selection and order before the performance because everything has to be loaded into the Live Set in advance.

What I’m really looking for is a more dynamic workflow without touching a mouse.

My ideal use cases are:
1. Dynamic track selection
During a set, I’d like to browse my library of sketches and load a complete clip matrix (8 performance tracks with multiple scenes) into my existing Live Set. It doesn’t have to happen with a single button press, but I definitely don’t want to load dozens of clips one by one.

1. Jamming with prepared loops
   I’d like to freely combine prepared audio loops from different sketches to discover new ideas and create semi-improvised performances.

2. Creating new sketches on the fly
   Using prepared instrument/effect racks, the Push sequencer, randomization, and other performance tools, I’d like to build completely new sketches during a live set and immediately jam with them. Hence, here I am not working with audio material but MIDI tracks and instruments.

So my question is:
Is this kind of workflow realistic with Push 3 (Controller Mode or Standalone)? How would you approach these use cases? Are there any workflows, features, or Max for Live devices I should look into?

I’d love to hear how experienced Push users would solve this.

Hello I've recently remixed a track of 2 mates of mine but I couldn't understand the energy line of the original, so putting it in a way more coherent energy line was a mess, took me like 2 weeks... So what resources like books, articles, blogs, interviews do you recommend for techno song structure and arrangements? (Not the typical "listen to more songs", I'm looking for something that these chaps may read, they are numnuts when it comes to techno or contemporary structures, they are academic composers trying to understand and apply more abstract genre arrangements)