It's time to take things higher as we add those

essential melodic parts to our trance masterpiece

L
ast issue, we put together the
drums, bass and classic TB-303
line for a melodic trance track.
This month well be concentrating on
building up the melodic parts: chord
sequences, motifs, hooks and melody.
In next issues final instalment, well
flesh out the structure of the track, add
some finishing touches and perform the
crucial mixing and mastering steps.
Melodic trance is one of the most
accessible forms of dance music; the
melodic elements provide widespread
appeal and identity. However, a great riff
or melody can be wasted if poor
sounds are used. While many people
reach straight for their sample banks
when creating trance sounds, many of
the big ones can be realised with only a
little bit of work well show you how.
This tutorial will give you a deeper
understanding of what goes into the
stock trance sounds and how to make
a start on programming your own. cm
Trance masterclass
Part 2
On the DVD
TUTORIAL FILES
In the Tutorial files folder
youll find Reason patches,
MIDI files for all of the
sequences used and, of
course, the completed
tutorial as a Reason project.
Weve also included a sneak
preview of how part of the
track might sound by the
end of next months tutorial
3
Set the L and R locators at bars 1 and 3 respectively.
Select the Bass Matrix in the rack and the Subtractor
Track in the sequencer, then select EditCopy Pattern
to Track, before deleting the Matrix unit. Repeat for the TB-
303 Matrix unit (delete the Matrix afterwards) and the drums
(switch off ReDrums pattern mode afterwards). >>
2
In the same way, combine the units used to make the
bass and TB-303 sounds into their own Combinators,
naming the devices appropriately and saving the
Combinator patches. By doing this house work early on, the
rack will remain manageable as we add more devices. >>
1
First of all, load the Reason project from last months
tutorial. Hold down Shift, select all of the rack units
used for the drum part, then select EditCombine to
move them into a Combinator. Name the Combinator 909
Drums, then save the patch for use elsewhere. >>
STEP BY STEP Bass-ic preparations
6
Make another duplicate of the Bass track and modify it
to give the following bass line (starting below C3 this
time): B

, B

, B

, A

, E

, E

, F, F as shown. 5
Select the Bass sequencer track and choose
EditDuplicate track. Name the new track Bass 2, then
shift the newly created sequence right by eight bars and
double-click on it to edit it. Now change the sequence so that
you have the following bass line: B

, B

, F, A

, E

, E

, F, A

(one
note per bar). >>
4
Duplicate the bass part, so that it covers eight bars,
then use the pencil tool to regroup the parts. Double
click on the eght-bar sequence, select all notes and
shift them up to B

(the B

below C4 well be working in the

key of B

for the remainder of the tutorial). >>

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3
Next, add another reverb, this time with a longer tail
for this well use the RV7000 unit. Again, select the
mixer and choose CreateRV7000 Advanced Reverb.
Set the parameters as follows: Decay: 106, HF Damp: 28, Hi
EQ: 0, Dry/Wet: 127. Name the two reverb units Short Verb
and Long Verb respectively. >>
2
Select the main mixer and add an instance of the basic
RV-7 reverb by choosing CreateRV-7 Digital Reverb.
Reason should have correctly routed the new device as
the first send effect. Set the parameters as follows: Algorithm:
5 (small room), Size: 25, Decay: 0, Damping: 30, Dry/Wet:
127 (100% wet). >>
1
Lets move on and make some preparations for next
month. Getting the mixer set up with the correct send
effects will allow us to share effects between devices as
we work on the track. Doing this prevents unnecessary CPU
load, and will help us to keep a consistent ambience
between parts. >>
STEP BY STEP Preparing for the mix
6
(Optional) Select the main mixer and all four send effect
units, then choose EditCombine to put them all inside
a Combinator. This allows the whole setup to be quickly
dropped into another project. Flip round to the back of the
rack and re-route the Drums to mixer channel 1, as auto-
routing wont have quite got it right.
5
Theres one last send effect to call up select the mixer
and add another instance of the DDL-1 digital delay unit.
This unit will be configured with a longer delay, for more
interesting rhythmic effects on the main melodic lines. Set the
Delay Time to 5 steps and the Feedback to 42. >>
4
Again, select the mixer and add an instance of the
DDL-1 digital delay unit (CreateDDL-1 Digital Delay).
Raise the Feedback parameter to 58 all the other
default values are fine. >>
Info
Do it yourself
Wherever possible, program
your own sounds. Even if
youre aiming to reproduce a
popular patch, avoid the
temptation to reach for
banks of presets. Although
these can be good when
starting out, its ultimately a
lot more satisfying to have
devised the sounds yourself,
and youll have a better
understanding of how to
place them in the wider mix.
In other words, it isnt just a
case of artistic purity!
Info
Musically speaking
When devising a riff or motif,
break it into two parts the
first asking a question, and
the second part answering
it. Even if the riff is repeated
many times, itll sound like
a conversation.
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3
Next, select the compressor and add an M-Class
Equalizer well use this to stop the bottom end of the
hook sound from muddying the mix, and to enhance
the upper mid. Set it up as follows: Lo Shelf: On, Lo Shelf
Freq: 186Hz, Gain: -5.7dB, Q: 6.2, Param 2: On, Param 2
Freq: 3.1kHz, Gain: 3.7dB, Q: 2. >>
2
To bring out the attack in our hook sound, we need to
make use of the excellent new M-Class compressor.
Select the Subtractor created previously and add an
M-Class Compressor to the rack. Set its parameters up like
this: Input Gain: 11.8dB, Threshold: -20.1dB, Ratio: 1.46:1,
Attack: 100ms, Release: 93ms, Output Gain: -7.1dB. >>
1
Select the main mixer and add a Subtractor to the rack.
Set it up as follows: Filter 1 Freq: 43, Res: 25, Master
Level: 127, Amp Env Sustain: 0, Filter Env Decay: 44.
Name this Hook. >>
6
Duplicate the hook sequencer track and shift the copy
of the sequence right by eight bars. Open the sequence
for editing and remove the lower run of notes to create
a variation on the hook this will help to keep the listener
interested as the track progresses. The second hook is on the
DVD as Hook2.mid. >>
5
Either program the part shown, or record your own using
the sound weve created you may want to slow the
tempo down if recording in real time. The hook is on the
cover DVD as a MIDI file (Hook1.mid) that can be imported
into Reason if required. >>
4
Select and combine the hook rack units, naming the
newly created Combinator Hook Combi, and save the
configuration as a patch for use later. >>
9
Create a new sequencer track, label it Build Hook Auto
and assign it to the Subtractor thats generating the
hook sound. Edit the automation for the filter frequency
cutoff, using the line tool to program a gradual opening of the
filter. This will serve to further enhance the overall build effect.
8
Program the build hook as shown. The hook borrows
notes from the dreamy pad part that well be
programming later in this tutorial. The build hook is also
on the DVD as a MIDI file (BuildHook.mid). >>
7
Create a new track and assign it to the Hook
combinator. We'll now be programming a new hook
which will form part of the central build in the finished
track. The idea is to give an increasing feeling of tension,
which will work against a high string part. >>
STEP BY STEP The main hook
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3
Open up Filter A completely and increase the
Resonance to 46. Make sure the Malstrm were
working on is selected and add a PEQ-2 to the rack to
enhance the top end set Freq to 104, Q to 0 and Gain to
30. This adds brilliance to the sound and makes it stand out,
even when placed low in the mix. >>
2
Most of the thickness of this sound is provided by
Mod B. Select Curve 30, set Rate to 26 and Motion to
9. Then set the Index parameters of Osc A and B to 19
and 16 respectively. Route Osc A to the Shaper, Osc B to
Filter B (disabled) and Filter B into the Shaper before
switching on the Shaper and setting its mode to Noise >>
1
Select the main mixer and Create a Malstrm synth
this will help form one of the most popular trance
sounds, which will be our motif. Enable both oscillators,
set the waveforms on both to Sawtooth*16, and use the Cent
controls to detune each by 9 cents in opposite directions. Set
the Motion control of Osc A to +4 and Osc B to -4. >>
STEP BY STEP The motif
6
Set the reverb Dry/Wet ratio to 16 and decrease the
Damping to 0. You should now have that trance sound
at your fingertips, with the minimum of CPU load to
boot. Select all of the rack units, combine them and save the
Combinator patch for use elsewhere. >>
5
Once again, hold down Shift and add an RV-7 to the
rack. This reverb unit has quite a metallic, ringing sound,
which happens to be perfect for our purposes. Route
the outputs of the delay units into the reverb unit, and the
stereo output of the reverb unit to the main mixer. >>
4
Flip round to the back of the rack and add two DDL-1
digital delay units, holding down the Shift key to
disable auto-wiring. Route the left output of the EQ unit
to one delay and the right output to the other. Set one DDL-1
as a three-step delay, the other as a four. Set the Feedback
and Dry/Wet controls of both to 26 and 36 respectively. >>
9
Duplicate the motif track and shift the copy forward by
eight bars. Edit the copy and select the top row of
notes. Hold down Alt (Option for Mac users) and drag
the notes up an octave to create a copy, doubling up the
sound. This variation on the motif will be used to bring our
builds to a climax next month.
8
Check the recorded riff at full tempo and use
quantisation to tidy up any stray timing (trance generally
relies on strict timing for its rhythmic drive). Now group
the notes using the pen tool. You can find the completed part
as Motif.mid on the DVD. >>
7
One tried-and-tested method of creating trance motifs
is the two-fingered technique, which involves using two
fingers alternately to tap out a riff. This is usually best
practised and recorded at half speed. Here weve done
exactly that. >>
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STEP BY STEP The dreamy pad
3
The attack is too hard, so increase both Osc A and B
Attack values to 53. Set the filter envelope ADSR
values to 82, 127, 64 and 69, and Spread to
maximum. Increase the Polyphony to 16 and set the Velocity
controls to 31, 31 and 12 (lvl:A, lvl:B and f.env respectively) >>
2
Set Mod A Rate to 34 and Shift to 14, then route Mod A
to Target A. Set Mod B Rate to 0, Filter to 30, and turn
on Sync. Route Osc A into the Shaper (leave it switched
off) and Osc B into Filter B (switch it on). Set the Res and Freq
of Filter B to 26 and 70, and Filter A's values to 24 and 72. >>
1
Select the main mixer and add a Malstrm this will be
used to create a big pad sound. Set both Osc A and B
waveform types to Sawtooth*16 (turn on Osc B) and set
the Cent, Motion and Index values to -10/10, 4/-2 and 0/21
respectively, and both Amp Release values to 52. >>
6
Create a new sequencer track, assign it to the Pad
combinator and name it Hi String. Program the part
shown it runs over 16 bars (on the DVD as HiString.
mid). This part will add to the feeling of tension during the
central build of our finished track, as youll see next month.
5
Select the Pad track in the sequence and enter the
chord sequence shown above (or import
PadSequence.mid from the cover DVD). Group the
notes using the pen tool. >>
4
With the Malstrm selected, add a PH-90 Phaser set
to: Freq: 66, Split: 62, Width: 17, Sync: On, Rate: 16/4,
f.Mod: 12, Feedback: 3. Combine both units and save
the Combinator patch. In the main mixer, increase the pad
channel Aux 1-4 send settings to 77, 115, 83 and 18. >>
Info
NEXT MONTH
Tune in for cm88, when well
be adding the final, vital,
hands-in-the-air touches to
our trance track.
Info
Mind games
Always try and give your
tracks some kind of identity
something that sticks in
the listener's mind. It could
be a speech sample from a
film, a catchy hook or a
spine-chilling chord
sequence. When you finish a
track, try playing it to a few
friends and ask them what
they remember afterwards
if they say, Nothing, then
its time to head back to the
drawing board.
Choosing a chord sequence
A good chord progression can make or break
a melodic trance track. So whats the best
way of choosing a good sequence? To start
with, there are classic progressions like I, IV,
V, I (chords based around the first, fourth
and fifth of the scale), but unfortunately,
these have become so familiar that they're
almost boring.
On the other hand, its important to
remember that every listener will be
subconsciously referencing your track against
lots of other music they've ever heard. Its
therefore inadvisable to go for completely
random or atonal progressions try to find a
happy medium.
Experimentation is a good approach;
leave your sequencer in record mode and
experiment with a good string or pad sound.
Once you think youve found a good
progression, run it past a few people and see
what they think.
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