Acid techno

History and character

Techno derived from acid house, developed in Europe between the late '80s and early '90s: younger producers applied the squelch of Chicago's Roland TB-303 to a harder techno, absorbing hardcore, German trance and Belgian rave. Among the first to push it were Richie Hawtin (Plastikman), Aphex Twin, Dave Clarke, Hardfloor (Acperience 1, 1992), Solarquest, Damon Wilde; in France Emmanuel Top (Acid Phase, 1994); in the US Josh Wink (Higher State of Consciousness, 1995).

In London a scene of its own was born, tied to a network of illegal parties and squat parties: the Liberators (Chris Liberator, Aaron Liberator, Julian Liberator), D.A.V.E. The Drummer (Henry Cullen), The Geezer (Guy McAffer), DDR; the 1997 compilation “It's Not Intelligent… And It's Not From Detroit… But It's F**king 'Avin It,” subtitled “The Sound of London's Acid Techno Underground,” fixed its identity (punk energy, humor, anti-intellectualism). The sound continues today across Europe with the 303 revival (TB-03, TD-3, plugins) and with producers from the new hard techno.

Aesthetic: acid hypnosis, rave energy, filth, a distorted 303 screaming over a pounding kick.

Scales and keys

Convention: Roman numerals refer to the major scale on the same tonic (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor, ° diminished, ø half-diminished, + augmented; b/# = degree lowered/raised relative to major: in A minor F = bVI, G = bVII). The notes and chords below are calculated exactly from the formula.

Phrygian

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: S T T T S T T
• On A: A Bb C D E F G
• Diatonic triads: Am i · Bb bII · C bIII · Dm iv · Edim v° · F bVI · Gm bvii
• Seventh chords: Am7 i7 · Bbmaj7 bIImaj7 · C7 bIII7 · Dm7 iv7 · Em7b5 vø7 · Fmaj7 bVImaj7 · Gm7 bvii7
• Characteristic note: the b2 (Bb): the sliding semitone is the most typical acid “cry.”
• Use: 303 lines A–Bb–A with octaves, accent on the Bb.
• Common mistakes: too much b2: it loses its effect.

Aeolian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: T S T T S T T
• On A: A B C D E F G
• Diatonic triads: Am i · Bdim ii° · C bIII · Dm iv · Em v · F bVI · G bVII
• Seventh chords: Am7 i7 · Bm7b5 iiø7 · Cmaj7 bIIImaj7 · Dm7 iv7 · Em7 v7 · Fmaj7 bVImaj7 · G7 bVII7
• Characteristic note: b6 (F) and b7 (G): more melodic lines.
• Use: 303 riffs on A with C, E, F, G.
• Common mistakes: patterns that are too long and melodic.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7 — steps: T+S T T T+S T
• On E: E G A B D
• Characteristic note: no semitone: safe, funky lines.
• Use: 303 riffs E–G–A–B–D over two octaves.
• Common mistakes: staying in a single octave: the 303 lives on octave jumps.

Blues

• Formula: 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 — steps: T+S T S S T+S T
• On A: A C D Eb E G
• Characteristic note: the passing b5 (Eb), great in slides.
• Use: D–Eb–E passages.
• Common mistakes: using it as a long note.

How to choose between scales

As in acid house, the scale matters less than the programming and the performance of the controls: Phrygian for nastiness, pentatonic for funk, Aeolian for a melodic touch. Often two 303s play together in different keys or with patterns of different lengths: make sure the tonics coincide.

Harmony

Function

Absent: pedal and 303 line. The harmony “moves” with the filter (spectrum), not with the notes.

Techniques

• Tonic pedal with 1–2 303 lines.
• Occasional i–bII stabs.
• Double 303 at different octaves or with a 15-step pattern against 16.

Examples

• Am for the whole track.
• Am–Bb as a stab.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Grid: 303 in sixteenth notes, 16-step patterns or odd lengths (12, 15) for phasing.
• Feel: straight; sometimes a light shuffle on the percs.
• Accents: irregular 303 accents; pounding kick.
• Variation: by hand on cutoff, resonance, env mod, decay, accent, distortion.

Drums

Kick

Hard 909 or distorted sample, on the quarter notes; often rumble or a long schranz-style kick in more recent productions.

Clap and snare

909 clap on 2 and 4, snare rolls in the builds; sixteenth-note snares typical of the squat scene.

Hi-hat and ride

Open hat on the offbeat, sixteenth-note hats, 909 ride in eighth notes.

Percussion

Few: rim, cowbell, 909 toms.

Dynamics and ghost notes

Drum machine accents; the 303 does everything else.

Interaction with the bass

The 303 is bass and lead; a separate sub on the offbeat tonics if the 303 is high.

Sections

Drum intro; the 303 enters closed; it opens up; break with 303 alone + reverb/delay; distorted re-entry.

Fills and transitions

909 snare rolls, stops, crashes.

Choosing sounds

Raw, distorted 909.

Typical mistakes

Drums covering the 303; 303 without automation.

Bass

• Sound: TB-303 (saw or square, 4-pole resonant filter, accent, slide) almost always distorted (pedals, saturators); sometimes two 303s.
• Register: A0–A3.
• Starting parameters: cutoff 25–40%, resonance 70–90%, env mod 60–80%, decay 30–60%, accent 60–90%; medium to heavy distortion.
• With the kick: separate sub or 2–4 dB sidechain.
• Programming: 3–5 notes, octave jumps, slide on the semitone, irregular accents; a pattern that changes every 32–64 bars.
• Pattern example (A Phrygian, 16 steps): A1(acc) · A1 · A2(slide) · Bb2 · A1 · · A1(acc) · E2 · A1 · Bb1(slide) · A1 · A2(acc) · · G1 · A1(slide) · A2. The accents on steps 1, 7 and 12 create a 6+5+5 cycle that rotates against the kick.
• Performance: record cutoff and env mod automation by hand for 32–64 bars; raise the distortion in the second development; in the break, push the resonance to the maximum with the kick out and the delay in feedback.
• Note on the source: “set the 303's decay between 120 and 180 ms at 135 BPM so the sweep completes before the kick” is indicative advice from an online guide, not a rule.

Harmonic instruments

Few: stabs, distant pads, noises; the 303 fills the whole scene.

Melody and vocals

• Lead: the 303 (or a second 303).
• Vocal: rave samples, ironic or shouted phrases.
• Effects: distortion, dotted-eighth delay (3/16), reverb in the breaks, phaser/flanger.

Instruments

Roland TB-303 (and clones), TR-909, TR-808, samplers, pedal distortions (Boss DS-1, ProCo RAT, fuzz), delays, mixer.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Korg MS-20 V — Aggressive acid: The MS-20's resonant filter with overdrive gives a sharp acid; use the EG for a simulated accent.
• Mini V — Fat acid: Saw, 24 dB ladder, resonance 70%, high env, decay 150 ms; glide for the slide.
• SEM V — Alternative squelch: Softer 12 dB filter.
• Modular V — Double acid line: Sequencer and VCA with a separate accent for evolving 303-like lines.
• ARP 2600 V — FX and perc: Noise and S&H for rave FX.

Song structure

6–8 minutes; the form is the 303's automation.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Aggressive, present, distorted 303 without painful whistles; pounding kick; mono low end. References: Hardfloor — Acperience 1, Emmanuel Top — Acid Phase, Josh Wink — Higher State of Consciousness.

Kick

HP 25 Hz; +2 dB at 55 Hz; −4 dB at 300 Hz; +2 dB at 4 kHz; clipper/distortion; mono.

Clap and snare

HP 250 Hz; −1/−2 dB at 2–3 kHz (the 303's zone); plate 1–1.5 s.

Hi-hat and ride

HP 600 Hz; dynamic EQ 8 kHz; panning 15%.

TB-303

• EQ: HP 35 Hz (or 100–150 Hz if there's a separate sub); dynamic EQ at 1–4 kHz that reduces 3–6 dB when the resonance explodes; LP 8–10 kHz after the distortion.
• Compression: FET/fast limiter (GR 3–6 dB) to contain accents and resonance.
• Distortion: pedal/saturator (mix 50–100%), then corrective EQ (−3 dB at 300–500 Hz).
• Space: 3/16 delay (HP 300 Hz, LP 5 kHz, feedback 40%); reverb only in the breaks (send automation).
• Stereo: dry mono in the center, wide FX.

Sub

Mono sine 40–80 Hz on the tonics, sidechain 6 dB.

Buses and groups

Drum bus (glue + clipper), acid bus (distortion + compression), FX bus.

Sidechain

Sub 6 dB, FX 6 dB, 303 1–3 dB.

Master

EQ → 1 dB compressor → clipper → limiter. Target −7/−6 LUFS integrated, true peak −0.5 dBTP, crest factor 6–8 dB. Listen for the resonance peaks at the limiter.

Common mistakes

Whistles at 2–3 kHz; distortion that fills the lows too (mud); unfiltered delay; no automation.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Hardfloor — Acperience 1 (1992)
• Emmanuel Top — Acid Phase (1994)
• Josh Wink — Higher State of Consciousness (1995)

Reference listening

• Hardfloor — Acperience 1 (1992)
• Plastikman — Sheet One (1993, album)
• Emmanuel Top — Acid Phase (1994)
• Josh Wink — Higher State of Consciousness (1995)
• Compilation — It's Not Intelligent… And It's Not From Detroit… But It's F**king 'Avin It (1997)