Tech trance

History and character

A subgenre that fuses techno and trance, born in Europe in the late '90s with roots also in hard trance and psychedelic music. Among the pioneers is Oliver Lieb; in the early 2000s the style took a new direction with the Dutchman Marco V (Godd and Simulated, 2002; More Than a Life Away, 2005), Scot Project, Sander van Doorn, Bryan Kearney, Mark Sherry (Vengeance, with the Tempo Giusto remix), Simon Patterson, John Askew, Indecent Noise; around 2006 it was described as the most widespread variant of trance. Electro trance, big room trance, psy-tech trance and, in some respects, peak time techno derive from it.

The sound: complex, highly quantized electronic rhythms driven by a strong kick, filtered or slightly distorted hi-hats and claps, hard synths with pronounced resonance and delay, minimal sidechained pads to drive the beat; almost entirely synthetic, with the occasional electric guitar.

Aesthetic: peak-time energy, mechanical tension, riffs rather than melodies, “dark” euphoria.

Scales and keys

Convention: Roman numerals refer to the major scale on the same root (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor, ° diminished, ø half-diminished, + augmented; b/# = scale degree lowered/raised relative to major: in A minor F = bVI, G = bVII). 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 F#: F# G A B C# D E
• Diatonic triads: F#m i · G bII · A bIII · Bm iv · C#dim v° · D bVI · Em bvii
• Seventh chords: F#m7 i7 · Gmaj7 bIImaj7 · A7 bIII7 · Bm7 iv7 · C#m7b5 vø7 · Dmaj7 bVImaj7 · Em7 bvii7
• Characteristic note: the b2 (G): dark, sharp riffs.
• Use: F#–G–F# synth riffs, i–bII stabs, rolling basslines on F#.
• Common mistakes: too many notes: the riff must be rhythmic.

Aeolian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: T S T T S T T
• On F#: F# G# A B C# D E
• Diatonic triads: F#m i · G#dim ii° · A bIII · Bm iv · C#m v · D bVI · E bVII
• Seventh chords: F#m7 i7 · G#m7b5 iiø7 · Amaj7 bIIImaj7 · Bm7 iv7 · C#m7 v7 · Dmaj7 bVImaj7 · E7 bVII7
• Characteristic note: the b6 (D): epic quality in the trance moments.
• Use: breakdowns with i–bVI–bVII, answering leads.
• Common mistakes: “uplifting” breakdowns that are too sweet and break the character.

Harmonic minor

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 — steps: T S T T S T+S S
• On F#: F# G# A B C# D E#
• Diatonic triads: F#m i · G#dim ii° · Aaug bIII+ · Bm iv · C# V · D bVI · E#dim vii°
• Seventh chords: F#m(maj7) i(maj7) · G#m7b5 iiø7 · Amaj7#5 bIII+maj7 · Bm7 iv7 · C#7 V7 · Dmaj7 bVImaj7 · E#dim7 vii°7
• Characteristic note: leading tone E# (V = C#): climax.
• Use: riffs with E# as a passing tone, i–V cadence.
• Common mistakes: using it in the bass.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7 — steps: T+S T T T+S T
• On F#: F# A B C# E
• Characteristic note: simplicity for repeated riffs.
• Use: 2–4 note riffs with resonance and delay.
• Common mistakes: no timbral variation.

How to choose between scales

Main riff Phrygian or pentatonic (techno), breakdown Aeolian with an optional dominant from harmonic minor (trance). The character comes from the contrast between a dark rhythmic riff and a melodic breakdown.

Harmony

Function

Pedal and riff in the main sections (like techno), minor progression in the breakdowns (like trance).

Techniques

• Root pedal with a syncopated riff.
• i–bII dyads.
• Breakdown i–bVI–bVII–i or i–bVI–bIII–bVII.
• Riff with tempo-synced delay (3/16) creating polyrhythms.

Harmonic rhythm

Static in the main section; 1 chord every 1–2 bars in the break.

Examples

• F#m pedal + riff.
• F#m–G (i–bII).
• F#m–D–E–F#m.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Feel: straight, highly quantized, swing 0, 138–142 BPM.
• Bass rolling in sixteenth notes or offbeat; complex techno percussion (3/16).
• Build with snare roll and filters; drop after a “kick roll.”

Drums

Kick

Strong and dominant, punchy, slightly distorted; fundamental 50–55 Hz; decay 180–250 ms, marked transient at 3–5 kHz. It is more “techno” than the uplifting kick: less bright click, more body and saturation.

Clap and snare

Clap on 2 and 4 filtered or slightly distorted (band-pass 800 Hz–6 kHz, light overdrive); snare rolls in the builds with a high-pass filter opening. Variants: clap anticipated by a sixteenth note (step 12) every 4 bars, clap with 1/16 delay in the main sections.

Hi-hat and ride

Filtered/distorted hats in sixteenth notes, open hat on the offbeat, ride.

Percussion

Complex, quantized techno patterns (rim, metallic perc, toms), 3/16 polyrhythms.

Dynamics and ghost notes

Fixed; movement comes from filters.

Interaction with the bass

Rolling bass between the kicks; sidechain.

Sections

Intro, main 1 with riff, breakdown, build, main 2, outro.

Fills and transitions

Snare roll, kick roll, sweeps.

Sound choice

Processed 909, techno samples.

Typical mistakes

Drums that are too “trance” (bright, clean claps); no filter work on the perc.

Bass

• Sound: rolling bass (filtered saw), sometimes with resonance; mono sub.
• Register: F#1–F#2.
• With the kick: .xxx or offbeat; sidechain 8–10 dB.
• Notes: root.

Harmonic instruments

Minimal, sidechained pads that drive the beat; stabs; supersaws only in the breakdowns; occasional electric guitar.

Melody and vocals

• Riff/lead: hard, with pronounced high resonance and delay; short phrases; sometimes trance leads in the breakdown.
• Vocals: short samples, spoken phrases.
• Effects: 3/16 and dotted-eighth delay, automated filters, distortion.

Instruments

Synths (Virus, Nord Lead, JP-8000, later plugins), drum machines and samplers, sequencers, FX.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Korg MS-20 V — Resonant riffs: LP filter with 60–80% resonance, fast env, light overdrive; external 3/16 delay.
• Mini V — Rolling bass: Saw, filter 35%, decay 90 ms.
• Prophet-5 V — Stabs and plucks: Short stabs with modulated filter.
• Jup-8 V — Breakdown pads and supersaws: Sidechained pads and supersaws only in the break.
• ARP 2600 V — FX: Sweeps and noises.

Song structure

6–8 minutes.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Powerful, precise, “mechanical”: dominant kick, resonant riff that cuts through, filtered perc, pumping pads. References: Marco V — Godd, Mark Sherry — Vengeance (Tempo Giusto Remix), Bryan Kearney.

Kick

HP 25 Hz; +2 dB 52 Hz; −4 dB 300 Hz; +2 dB 4 kHz; light distortion; clipper; mono.

Clap and snare

HP 250 Hz; band-pass filter or light distortion; plate 1.5 s.

Hi-hat and perc

HP 600 Hz; automated filters; light distortion; panning 15–60%; delay 1/16.

Rolling bass

HP 30 Hz; LP 400 Hz; mono; sidechain 8–10 dB.

Riff and lead

HP 200 Hz; dynamic EQ on the 1–4 kHz resonance peaks; 3/16 or dotted-eighth delay (feedback 40%, filtered); plate 1.5 s; center with wide delays; cutoff automation.

Pad and supersaw

HP 250 Hz; LP 8 kHz; deep sidechain 10–12 dB (obvious pumping); hall 3 s; wide.

Vocals/samples

HP 150 Hz; distortion/filters; delay.

Balance

Kick 0 dB, rolling bass −4/−6, clap −6, perc −10/−16, riff −5/−7, pad −12 (they should be felt more through the pumping than through level).

Buses and groups

Drum bus (glue 4:1, GR 2–3 dB + clipper), mono low-end bus with a light limiter, synth bus with saturation, sidechained FX bus.

Sidechain

Bass 8–10 dB, pad 10–12 dB (release 100–150 ms: the pumping must be crisp and rhythmic), reverbs 6–8 dB, riff 2–3 dB.

Typical automation

High-pass and low-pass filters on the perc (every 8–16 bars), riff cutoff and resonance (long 32-bar automations), delay feedback on the riff in the breakdown, rumble/bass volume in the build (−6 dB then back in at the drop).

Master

EQ → compressor 1–2 dB → clipper → limiter. Target −7/−6 LUFS integrated, true peak −0.5/−1 dBTP, crest factor 6–7 dB.

Common mistakes

Resonances out of control; perc that is too bright; pads without sidechain; breakdown that is too “uplifting.”

Reference tracks for the mix

• Marco V — Godd (2002)
• Marco V — More Than a Life Away (2005)
• Mark Sherry — Vengeance (Tempo Giusto Remix)

Reference listening

• Marco V — Godd (2002)
• Marco V — Simulated (2002)
• Marco V — More Than a Life Away (2005)
• Mark Sherry — Vengeance (Tempo Giusto Remix)