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Techno productions can draw listeners in by including dynamic changes and creating a particular sonic environment. On an aux/return track, you can use your favourite reverb to set the tone for the sound. A few good reverb choices are Lexicon 224, FabFilter Pro-R or KSHMR Reverb. With techno that’s made for mid-sized clubs, try a small hall and for big room techno, use a large hall, like a warehouse or cathedral. Send the hi-hats, shaker, claps and other percussion to the reverb via the sends in your DAW.
Modern techno often includes a rolling bassline. To create the sound, load up your favourite bass synth, like Serum or Sylenth1. Saw or square waves with a fast attack or a fast filter envelope work well. Program a simple MIDI bassline in a 16th-note pattern and leave the first note of every beat as a rest to prevent it from clashing with the kick. To make the bassline stand out, try adding a bitcrusher. Rolling bass only needs to be audible in the midrange and an EQ or filter can be used to carve away the low end and top end. To ensure the rolling bass ducks out of the way of the kick, side chain it to the kick drum or use a volume ducker like Kickstart 2 for the sidechain.
The next part of creating a techno track is to find some inspiration to create the main melodic line. In techno, the melody is usually quite minimal. To draw listeners in, a catchy synth riff will work well, even if it’s just one or two notes. The type of sound you use is entirely up to you and your vision for the track.
If you’re creating a track that’s more minimal, perhaps like the Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann-style, you may want to use an analogue synth and record a melodic line into your DAW. You can listen to the recording, and choose the best part to loop. If your aim is to create Detroit-style techno, spend some time designing a good chord patch in your synth so you have an inspiring and authentic sounding patch to start with. Draw in the chord progression on your own if you’re musical, or you can use a chord pack or plugin (like Captain Chords Epic) that will help you to create a simple chord progression.
Lastly, if you’d like to create rave-style techno or modern big room techno, you’ll need to craft a lead patch in your favourite synth or use a preset from a sample pack. To generate an idea quickly, you can use a plugin that will generate a MIDI pattern and send the MIDI output to another synth with the sound you’ve chosen. This is a good trick to quickly create the main idea for the track. There are many MIDIgenerating plugins out there; try a quick Google search and choose the best option for you.
Many classic and new techno tracks include acid lines, or are focu
