It's time to take things higher as we add those essential melodic parts to our trance masterpiece…

Last issue, we put together the drums, bass and classic TB-303 line for a melodic trance track.

This month we’ll be concentrating on building up the melodic parts: chord sequences, motifs, hooks and melody. In next issue’s final instalment, we’ll 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 – we’ll 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 masterclassPart 2

On the DVDTUTORIAL FILESIn the Tutorial files folder you’ll find Reason patches, MIDI files for all of the sequences used and, of course, the completed tutorial as a Reason project. We’ve also included a sneak preview of how part of the track might sound by the end of next month’s 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 Edit»Copy Pattern

to Track, before deleting the Matrix unit. Repeat for the TB-303 Matrix unit (delete the Matrix afterwards) and the drums (switch off ReDrum’s 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 month’s tutorial. Hold down Shift, select all of the rack units used for the drum part, then select Edit»Combine to

move them into a Combinator. Name the Combinator 909 Drums, then save the patch for use elsewhere. >>

STEP BY STEP Bass-ic preparations

6Make 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

Edit»Duplicate 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 – we’ll 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 we’ll use the RV7000 unit. Again, select the mixer and choose Create»RV7000 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 Create»RV-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 Let’s 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 Edit»Combine 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 won’t have quite got it right.

5 There’s 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 (Create»DDL-1 Digital Delay). Raise the Feedback parameter to 58 – all the other

default values are fine. >>

InfoDo it yourselfWherever possible, program your own sounds. Even if you’re aiming to reproduce a popular patch, avoid the temptation to reach for banks of presets. Although these can be good when starting out, it’s ultimately a lot more satisfying to have devised the sounds yourself, and you’ll have a better understanding of how to place them in the wider mix. In other words, it isn’t just a case of artistic purity!

InfoMusically speakingWhen 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, it’ll sound like a conversation.

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3 Next, select the compressor and add an M-Class Equalizer – we’ll 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 we’ve 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 that’s 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 we’ll 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 Malström we’re 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. >>

2Most 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 Malström 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 we’ve 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 Malström – 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 you’ll 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. >>4With the Malström 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. >>

InfoNEXT MONTHTune in for cm88, when we’ll be adding the final, vital, hands-in-the-air touches to our trance track.

InfoMind gamesAlways 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 it’s time to head back to the drawing board.

Choosing a chord sequenceA good chord progression can make or break a melodic trance track. So what’s 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, it’s important to remember that every listener will be subconsciously referencing your track against lots of other music they've ever heard. It’s 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 you’ve found a good progression, run it past a few people and see what they think.

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