Help me not write Trance

[andydes]

I like a bit of melody in my tracks, but trying to do more of a techy sound. The trouble is as soon as I do anything with more than about 3 notes, it often starts turning into trance. If I try anything like a proper chord progression, it’s a constant battle.

Some acts seem to be able to get away with being catchy but not too cheesy, like Booka Shade and DJ T (not that I’m trying to emulate their sound, but that’s closer to what I’m after).

It might be partly because my sound design is only really good for bass, leads and pads. Haven’t really mastered the weirder noises or glitchy sounds etc that I should probably be adding (again, not looking to be Trentemoller clone, here)

Or maybe it’s a bug, or Live’s sound engine.

Has to stop before I just accept my fate and start programming 16 bar snare rolls. Noooo!

Not really looking for practical suggestions (always welcome though), I’ll settle for some abuse. Just needed to get it off my chest really.

Des

[opuswerk]

maybe try and think of tones instead of notes?

[Angstrom]

Go to an extreme, move back to a more comfortable place
Use an unacceptable color
Imagine the piece as a set of disconnected events
What are the sections sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving
Faced with a choice, do both
Honor thy error as a hidden intention
Look at the order in which you do things

link

[evaodland]

Hmmm....sounds like you are in a creative rut and need a musical brain reset...(how about that for a abstract suggestion?)

Here is one example...the idea is to immerse yourself in music and sound that is far removed the rut you are in.

Spend the week listening to the classical genres on pandora.
Start with Baroque and move through the modernists.
Then Switch to classic Jazz, blues and R&B for the next week.
Take long walks music free and listen for repetive sounds.
Go to waterfronts...industrial yards or construction sites and listen for atonal repetitive mechanical sounds.

Use a field recorder and capture as many as you can. Take pictures too..(why...I don't know why...it just helps)

Do not touch your gear during those two weeks...

After that two weeks compile your found sounds into loops feed those into a effects rack of your choice...or extract the feel and texture of the beats some way.....then layer in sounds you like, keeping in mind the music you have been listening to for the past two weeks.

I just bet you will come up with something very cool...

[heavensdaw]

one I got after a few clicks on your link angstrom..

Convert a melodic element into a rhythmic element..

That should do it!

Hd

[mikemc]

wear looser pants.

[andydes]

Cheers guys. All good stuff.

I guess I probably rely too much on VSTis. Been thinking for a while I should make more use of audio. Don’t know why I haven’t seriously considered field recordings. I work in a factory for God’s sake. There’s probably an EP’s worth of strange of rhythmical noises right here. Need to find me something to record with though.

“Error as hidden intention?” Yeah, that one I’m all over.

[sporkles]

A good tip, I think, is to simply give your tune a solid backbone: just lay everything down in Arrangement for the approximate
duration of the finished piece (doesn't really matter if it's the same loop all the way through - it just helps you to focus
on getting a proper result. Now you can subtract and add stuff to the arrangement, loop various sections and make sure they
all sit tight on their own as well as as a part of the whole. If the melodies add something to the set, go with 'em, FFS.
No need to be all afraid of a genre label. But if the melodies really make it sound cheesy to you, you now have a loop where
you've taken away an element (the melody), and you most likely have a hole that needs to be filled. This is when you start
getting creative with sound effects. Just grab some vaguely cool sound from the Live library, and start piling effects on it.
- Experiment.

But remember that the actual sound you're using for the melodies plays a huge part in your finding them cheesy or not, so
a good amount of sound design can definitely help you out here too. If you're using a detuned sawtooth synth patch, it's
going to sound like trance, if you know what I mean

But good trance is good music, so just roll with it!

[JAMM]

simple...Do not put a bassdrum on the 1,5,9 and 13, i repeat not on the 1 5 9 13

[H20nly]

there are 5 shots, but one carefully placed should do.

[funky shit]

dont write tarnce?

[v0ins315]

less gel.