Trance Music Production

First of all we need to know what Trance music is. Generally speaking, a typical Trance production is at around 140 BPM, heavily synthesised and builds to an intense climax with drawn out breakdowns and powerful melodies. Variations of modern Trance music also occur, giving a harder edge to the typical Trance sound or being more melodic, progressive, vocal or commercial than others with variations in the arrangement also.

It is worth taking a listen to some of the great Trance production professionals already releasing material and those that are successful. Examples are DJ Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk and will give you a good idea of the typical Trance sound that works well recurrently.

To hear some of the material that has inspired these guys you may want to even listen to early Electronic artists such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean Michelle Jarre and Vangelis.

So, listening to some recent Trance productions from those particular Trance artists, there are numerous elements that recur. These are the elements I'll be focusing on within this lens.

Kick drum
A Trance kick drum is always, full and prominent. These are usually made up of two or more kick drums, treated and layered to create a full sound that is always audible throughout the mix at any volume. Careful attention to the production of the kick drum is essential giving punch, clarity and fullness. As the beat is the driving rhythm that pushes the track forwards a weak kick drum is likely to weaken the track overall.

Hi Hats
Hi hats are very similar throughout Trance music as well as a lot of other Dance music. You will very regularly find an offbeat (in between beats) open hi hat as well as closed hats on the beat as well as offbeat, even in between (every quarter of a beat) which can add energy and pace to the track, helping the tracks' dynamics.

Clap
Claps within Trance music are often very similar, particularly with Dutch Trance. Mixing a 909 snare and clap together with a harsh but short reverb often does the trick nicely, sometimes gated to cut the end of the reverb short so it doesn't cloud up the mix too much.

These are placed on every 2nd and 4th beat and, some producers who are a little more creative, occasionally create two different claps - one shorter than the other to create a push/pull effect which can be quite hypnotic, yet subtle.

Bass
The bass in a typical Trance production is full with numerous layers complimenting each other creating depth and interest. It's job is to provide rhythm, along with the kick drum, and helps the track progress and build, giving it a solid foundation.

A good bass sequence with be rhythmic, have depth, mix well with the kick and compliment the rest of the track without fighting for too much attention in the mix.

Synths
The main synthesised sounds are given a lot of room within the mix. A lead synth for example will usually be a catchy hook and will sound very upfront and direct but with a lot of reverb to add space and atmosphere and add to it's perceived size. Delay is regularly added to further enhance the sound and the interest in the lead.

Arpeggiated synths are regularly added to incorporate complex chord progressions with a well-syncopated rhythm, are often bright and are filtered in and out to create rise and fall to help build the dynamics of the track.

Other synths are also used to help add depth to the mix without over-complicating it or taking up too much room. These small details help make up a well-produced Trance mix with plenty to keep the listener interested.

Vocals
Although not all Trance music is vocals, the tracks that are use predominantly female vocalists, often with an airy, angelic sound.

Male vocalists have been used in the past and has worked well, although male vocals aren't as widespread within Trance music as female vocals.

The vocals are given a lot of room and are usually treated with a long reverb and a delay of 4 or 8 steps to add depth and to make them sound bigger.

Overall Production
The Trance production itself needs to be clean. I find the most difficult part is mixing the kick and bass so they fit nicely together without taking up too much headroom. Once these are sitting nicely together the rest of the track usually comes together quite well. Poor mixing of the bottom end often results in a low quality sounding mix.

Stereo width is also a big factor within Trance music. Generally, the main elements are panned centrally (such as the kick, bass, vocals) where the synths are much wider (as it helps make them sound bigger and more powerful) and take up a lot of the stereo space, making the full track sound wide open and interesting.

Well, you don't need much in the way of money to get going initially. You can get by with a good computer with some good music production software on.

There's plenty more you can buy once you really get into things but, as a new producer, let's have a look at what you can buy and what's really necessary, making the whole process painless and even without cost. Yep - you can get going for free if you already have a few necessities already lying around. Let's move on...

OK, let's take a look at some of the things you'll need to start producing Trance music.

A PC or other computer
This will need to be pretty new if you are going to be using any of the modern software synthesisers. These eat up a lot of CPU power and some of them even more RAM. So make sure your computer is well-equipped and ready to take on a little battering.

The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
Well, as I recommended above, Fruity Loops is great for getting into things quickly and easily with good results. So, you need to pay for that but it does come with some great built-in synthesisers and there is noe end of additional sample packs and synths you can bolt on.

But what can you use if you don't want to fork out for Fruity Loops? Well, there's Cockos Reaper (http://www.cockos.com/reaper/) - free to download and use with a full, hefty user manual free also. You'll have to download some free synths to get yourself going or find yourself in a shop looking at sexy software synths. See how you get on with the free material before you start spending too much money - you never know, you might not even enjoy music production.

Sound Card
You can always use the built-in sound card that came with your PC or laptop but these generally aren't very good. Sluggish performance and high latency levels mean you'll be able to make a cuppa between hitting a note and actually hearing it. A dedicated music production sound card is a great way forward as these are designed to work hard and effectively without caffeine.

MIDI Keyboard
This isn't a necessity as nearly all DAWs with have an on-screen piano roll where you can draw in your own notes, but a MIDI keyboard helps you find those amazing chord progressions and zesty melodies easily and you can play them in live. Even if your timing is poor you can edit everything later on as it's all in MIDI and not an actual sound recording.

Additional Extras
You can keep going with headphones, microphones, mixing desks and DJ equipment but none of this is necessary until you really get into things. Once you know you are progressing well and you know music production is an area you are going to be spending time in then you can fork out for the things that make your life easier and your sound more professional. But this can cost fair amount of money if you don't shop around or know what you are buying.

I've asked some of the professionals within the Dance music industry what Trance music means to them. These are some of the responses I received from some people you may well have heard of over the years:

"Passion... If you're not feeling your music then your intended market will not either. Make music from the heart and forget the finance - one follows the other if the balance is right!" - Les Hemstock, Hemstock & Jennings.

"To me, what makes a good track is spending a lot of time on finding the right sounds. Sometimes the simplest melody, can make an awesome track after finding the right sounds/patches... Sacrificing certain frequencies of the sound so that other sounds can stand out is key." - Jordan Kolar, 303Infinity.

"For me, it's about the emotion that goes into the track and how that is delivered in the final product - it has to come from the heart. Trance music released at around 1999 had everything I wanted more modern Trance music to have, emotionally and melodically, and the newer stuff has the cutting-edge synths and production work that I love." - DJ Sonarm, Trance music producer.