Trance Music.............theory????

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Slowintrepid

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Wasn't sure if this should go in the music theory section or here.

anyways:

I've been goofing around with Music Producing for a little while now (I'm goin to school for it come may)

I've been playing guitar since I was about 9 years old so I under stand music theory fairly well. Recently I've had this obsession with producing trance music. Unfortunantly I'm not very good because I don't know where to start. like I know lay down a basic beat and then add from there. but I have clue about the music theory behind this genre (ie scales harmony all that jazz)

anyways if someone has any tips that would be cool

thanks alot SIntrepid
 
Hi Slowintrepid, welcome to FP !! :cheers:

1° there are no strict rules for any kind of music; you can follow some general customs, although don't see them as "musts"
2° trance is a very wide subject; can you define more exactly what kind of trance ? or what trance artists you like ? more hardtrance ? progressive trance ? melodic trance ? goa trance ? supersaw stuff (Ferry Corsten, M.I.K.E., Push, Gouryella, ... ) ? whatever... ?
 
you I should have elaborated more. umm I think it would be more like melodic trance.

and the best example of what I want to do would be this:



yeah I know this person but no this isn't a sly way of promting his tracks lol (BTW it is pretty good for someone who is only 16)

anyways I hope that adds to my question
 
He's clearly using a Roland JP-8000 (or similar kind of synth). The famous trance supersaw sound is strongly present as well in the lead sound, as in the strings/pads.

Other synths which can make a kind of supersaw sound are the SuperWave P8 softsynth - a (FREE !!) JP-8000 emulation, and also the Access Virus.

check out the free SuperWave P8 page:

http://home.btconnect.com/christopherg/main.htm

An important thing is also - as in any kind of finished tracks - the mastering. Look for info about denoising, EQ, compressin/limiting, etc... A great "handbook" for this is the "Mastering Audio - The Art & The Science" book by mastering engineer Bob Katz.
 
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man, if your 16 year old friend is making stuff you like, ask him. personally i can't stand 4 on the floor music...

find some cliche minor to major progessions and use an arpeggiator. those two things seem to be at the heart of pretty much every trance track...

it's kind of important to remember that most music today is more about production than it is about substance. if you're not using quality sounds with quality programming it doesn't really stand much of a chance. i think trance and techno music in general is the worst in this regard. trance is like the swimsuit edition of music. if it ain't instantly glossy people won't pay attention, even if the substance is good.
 
thanks actually the whole song was created with Reason 2.5 and I think mastered with T-Racks.

software wise I know what I'm doin I know how to get the sounds but I don't know how to put them together music wise.

pretty sad cause I have no problem writing a song with my guitar. but if I play a synth I"m lost.

so any guidance music wise

*edit*

umm I know the stuff I like is very commercial and "popy"

I just haven't been into the electronic music genre to become a "trance snob" yet lol jk

when it comes to a genre that I'm familiar with (anything not electronic) I have the same aditude as lord beefy. maybe some day I'll see the light
 
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Damn, your sixteen year old friend is pretty good. Your friend must have been doing to this style of music for awhile.

Ok first off, are gonna need some equpment to write with. I highly suggest reason, its very easy to use once you get use to it. I don't know how much it cost. But it can't be more then 400 $. What ever you end up using, you are gonna need to learn about itbefore you can fully transcribe all your ideas. That may take awhile.

Also listen to the trance you like, listen to a lot of it as frequently as you can. Realy listen to it, try to pick apart things and hear how they flow together. This may help you generate ideas.

Since you already know about guitar why dont you try coming up with melodies that are between 135-145 BPM. Trance melodies are mostly four bars or eight bars long. Try a four chord progression, thats really common in trance. Maybe maybe an arpegio thats 8 bars long. These are just ideas.

Trance loves echoing. Timed delays are everywhere in trance, experment with that.

As for beats, a simple 4/4 kick with a hihat on the of beat is very common. The bass is also usally on the off beat.

Trance will usally start off with only a few sounds then slow build up the sounds, subtle bring in new elemets. Then when you think all the elemets are in things cut to a very ambient, pad-ish, breack down. This is where things will build up again to amssive busrt of energy, where the lead melody comes in and kicks you in the face with XTC.

I hope this helps. It's kinda hard to discripe what you want.


(Sorry about the spelling errors)
 
Wow. I think of trance and i think of no structure at all. I imagine a river flowing in another dimension that isn't flowing on the ground.

I imagine no structure at all in trance.
I made a trance song with pure improvisation. Maybe you'd like it but I'm new to it too. My brother would be the trance expert but his websight is down.

If you wanna check to see in the future if it's running look at...

http://www.vrcgallery.com

anyways goodluck.
 
Frost-RAVEN said:
Damn, your sixteen year old friend is pretty good. Your friend must have been doing to this style of music for awhile.
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umm actually only 10 months............grrrrrrr

Originally posted by Frost-RAVEN Ok first off, are gonna need some equpment to write with. I highly suggest reason,
Click to expand...

well see that's the thing I have reason cubase absynth and reaktor. I know how to use all of them very well. I feel like I have all this musical power at my disposal but don't know what to do. it's like I usually use cubase for my own guitar stuff and I add some strange pad sounds from either absynth or ones I made with reaktor.

I know alot about music but really only about music I know. and when it comes to trance I don't know much actually I just started to get into it soooo that's my prob.

thanks for the tips though I'm sure they'll help me
 
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Here's a technical tip: for epic end melodic trance you need a great reverb. Use large roomsizes and long decays. Add enough low-cut. Also, cut the lows from the lead sounds so there's not anything else in the bass area, but the bass. The drum sounds in trance (except the bass drum) are also very often pretty thin, so use that EQ to cut the lows.

The chords in trance are usually "minor" chords, to give that certain melancholic feel, but not too melancholic. Sometimes combining majors with minors might work to get a feel that's "in between", not sad but not too "cheesy" either.

Start by coming up with 4 good chords. Then lay these down with a nice pad sound and put this in the background and play with some lead sounds until you come up with a good lead melody. Then take out the pads, (to bring them in at the break for the first time). Then, copy the lead melody and start "taking out" some notes from it so it's not as busy as the main melody. Or perhaps add some small amount of variation to the original melody line.

Then build the song to the break with this edited melody, which gives the needed anticipation. Then after the break bring the pads and main lead you created first back in.


Add 16 bars just the beat in the intro before bringing in the bass. This is to help the dj to mix it better.
 
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cool thanks the trance I listen to sounds like they just use alot of fifths..........chords and intervals
 
My brother uses Almost near atonal structure with a bass conssistent with the harmony that's not to loud but very subtle and little fx that roll around like little puppies. To me that's trance
 
Slowintrepid said:
cool thanks the trance I listen to sounds like they just use alot of fifths..........chords and intervals
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Yeh, I'd recommend starting off with fifths and octaves. The best way to get your head in the right place to start making trance is to listen to a lot of it. Try stuff like:

Agnelli and Nelson - El Nino
Binary Finary - 1999
Paul van Dyk - For an Angel
Liquid Child - Diving Faces
Sasha - Expander
System F - Out of the Blue
York - The Awakening

These are great examples of melodic trance and they are musically quite straightforward.

It can be quite hard starting to write differently to how you normally would. The guitar is a very different instrument to write on to a keyboard and generally trance is musically quite far from what you would normally play on a guitar.

Hopefully this will help you out a little with the melodies!

Good luck and remember, Rome wasn't built in a day - Keep working hard at it!

Andy
 
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