How To Spice Up A Techno Track With Creative Use Of Effects
Last week we discovered how to make rock music in 2023 . Today we focus on a specific aspect of artistic production: impact.
Techno relies on sound design and the constant modification of sound sources to create a pleasing mix. Here are some tried and true ways to make your own.
Create an auxiliary/return track and add various effects to it, such as SoundToy Crystalizer. Set the "Apply Effect" blend to 100% and process completely. Increases output volume on multiple effects.
Experiment with different drum sounds with multiple effects and send them to Aux/Return to see which one sounds best.
Create an audio track and insert it as a support/feedback track. Activate the recording function and record the processed audio from the aux/return multi-effects track. When you record the beat, quickly switch the stream to Aux/Return up, then play it back.
After you finish recording, edit the recorded audio in small parts and try to play the recorded samples again. Use the blur tool to adjust the length of the audio file.
To create transients or reverb sounds, create a back track and insert a reverb that you can use to create a long reverb. Choose a large venue, such as the Great Hall or a cathedral. Set the decay time to about 15 seconds and the cell size between 90 and 100.
Send your snare or clap to the aux/return track with long reverb. Create an audio track and set the input to the Aux/Return track. Activate the recording function and record audio from the aux/return part. After recording, turn the volume back on. Use this sound as a transition element in your song.
You may need to turn off the early passes of the recorded sound until the whip is well established in the mix. Add an equalizer or filter to it and adjust the cutoff of the noise filter. During the transition, start with the low pass filter at 300-500 Hz and automatically turn off the filter cutoff frequency.
Try creating the effect with a Creative Echo Processing plugin like Valhalla SuperMassive or Native Instruments RAM. Valhalla Supermassive is free and offers a combination of feedback and delay processing. Create an aux/return track and place your Reverb plug-in of choice into it. Find a soft sound preset to work with and lower the Reverb app level to 100%.
Turn on one of your drums and send the audio from that part to the aux/return part with reverb. Create an audio track and set the input to the Aux/Return track. Activate the recording function and record the sound from the aux/return part. After recording, cut the recording into small pieces and use the blur tool to get a smooth blur.
Process the effects further by creating an aux/return track and loading it with an effects processing plug-in like Eventide H3000 or another multi-effects processing plug-in like Byome from Unfiltered Audio. Send effects recorded using your chosen effects application to the aux/return track. Finally, add a filter like Simplon and shape the sound to play in your tracks.
