r/tranceproduction

Always appreciate the feedback from the group, but this one is a bit different.

There's so much talk about the 8-bar loop, and how beginners can't get past this stage with a clear roadmap in mind. This is, of course, very true for me. I have a basic idea down for my next track and liking the direction it is currently going in, but this is where I need help 😳

If you normally start with the 8-bar loop, how much do you develop it before moving on?
Where would you go from here?
Do you take a different approach altogether?

I have followed a course by James Dymond on Sonic Academy, and although I learned a lot from it, it is geared more towards mixing. If anyone has any recommendations, I would appreciate it very much 🙏

https://reddit.com/link/1thyp5o/video/3384daz5i52h1/player

What's the general concensus on how to set up your compressor?

1. Stick a compressor on each (relevant) instrument track?
2. Stick a compressor on one effects track/bus and send all relevant instrument to that one bus?

Another favourite low-effort trick for trance breakdowns:

shrinking the reverb space across the build to add tension that nobody can quite put their finger on.

The method being start reverb big. hall with 3-5s decay or thereabouts, diffusion set low so its smeary and atmospheric. then automate it toward a tight plate, maybe 1-1.5s, high diffusion across the full 16 or 32 bar build.

listener doesnt consciously hear 'oh the rooms getting smaller' but their brain feels it by the time the drop hits. proper subtle tension. basically tricking the ear into needing release.

if your in ableton, two reverb instances on a return crossfaded with one macro works well. or send to both returns and automate the levels in opposing directions. valhalla supermassive is lovely on the hall side if you got it but the stock reverb does the job tbh.

automation 16 bars minimum, longer the better. if you can hear the change happening then you've gone too fast.

Works especially well paired with a slow high pass sweep on the pads or vocal - same principle, shrinking the high end while you shrink the space. combine this with other tension techniques, for load up the layers of tension in your builds.

If you look on my account, most of my tracks are only Arpeggio layered with a piano and some ambient pads, yet i always wanted to make something more original. Yes, arpeggios can be amazing if done correctly, mostly in Uplifting Trance, but i kinda got bored of doing the same build up, same arp style, same drop. I just want to make a really catchy melody thats easy to remember and that can sound professional even if its extremley simple, but my brain is not capable and not creative enough to make a good melody, which annoys me even more.

Not to mention, most of the professional producers always said "DONT SPAM RANDOM NOTES CAUSE IT WILL NEVER HELP" or stuff like that, yet whenever i watch a professional like WillEDM, FireWalk and even fucking ReOrder, they all do the same thing and sometimes they even said "Put on some random notes, maybe it can light up your creativity" and that makes me even more confussed if i should spam notes like a maniac or if i should just let my brain work.

And in my previous feedback posts, many of you said to my tracks in the comments that "The track needs more arrangement." or "it doesnt have an emotion" or stuff like that. ...How? Im curios how can I arrange them to make them better? how to layer them to give them an emotion? because i can say that my producing skill is around intermediate, so that means i should already know what to do, right? whenever i make a track, it just sounds the same. pure monotony. someone please help. making music is all i love at this moment and i just want to escape this "loop" in my tracks.

A client of mine recently entered a remix competition and, afterwards, despite not being successful, was offered the ability to commercially release a version using the original vocal, melody, and chord progression from an already released track under their own artist name.

This is despite there already being official winning remixes that I assume will receive a full release.

I’m honestly baffled by the situation.

After seeking clarification privately, I was told that these licences are effectively being sold so producers can commercially release versions of the track under their own artist names on different labels.

So you now have a situation where an already released record, connected to established artists and a respected label, can also be commercially released by unsuccessful remix entrants under entirely different artist names. This is in addition to the remix winners. What on earth is the point of running a remix competition if you're going to sell these parts to the losers, with the intention of signing the remixes as their own work?

Let's just say that my questions, although well-framed professionally and polite, were not received very well. So, I won’t go into full details publicly right now, but this immediately raised concerns for me, not necessarily from a legal perspective, but from a professional and ethical one.

From the outside, it felt less like artist development and more like unsuccessful remix entrants being approached with “special offers” to commercially release music heavily connected to an already established release under their own artist names. That may technically be allowed behind the scenes, but I genuinely think there are serious reputational risks that many inexperienced producers may not fully understand until much later.

The whole situation felt very strange to me, and the tone of the email sent to my client only added to those concerns. At best, it feels deeply unprofessional. At worst, it raises serious ethical questions.

If you are ever offered the ability to commercially release a remix, topline, vocal, melody, or derivative version of an already released track under your own artist name, please make sure you are fully transparent with any label you approach.

If the track is already publicly associated with another release, artist, or label, you should clearly explain that connection upfront rather than allowing a label to assume it is a completely original standalone work.

Even where permission has been granted, misunderstandings around remakes, derivative works, vocals, and recognisable melodies can still create reputational problems, damaged relationships, and unnecessary stress for producers later on.

I’ve personally experienced how badly situations like this can spiral, even when there was no ill intent involved. Years ago, I found myself involved in a remake situation where I genuinely believed I was doing things correctly, but I failed to communicate things properly, and I take full responsibility for that mistake.

The fallout from that situation affected me for a very long time professionally and personally. It damaged relationships, caused huge amounts of stress, and impacted parts of my career in ways I never expected at the time.

That experience taught me how important transparency is in this industry and how quickly misunderstandings can affect careers, reputations, and personal relationships, even when there is no malicious intent.

There are many inexperienced producers out there who may genuinely believe they are doing everything correctly without fully understanding how situations like this can be perceived later by labels, listeners, and other artists.

This post is not about attacking anybody or accusing anybody of wrongdoing. I’m simply trying to encourage producers to protect themselves, communicate openly, and fully understand exactly what they are signing and releasing before putting music out into the world.

Purchasing original vocals, melodies, and chord progressions from an already released record and then releasing them under your own artist name, even with permission, is completely absurd to me.

If somebody is respectfully remaking a recognised classic record with full permission and clear transparency, that is a completely different conversation. The scene has seen that happen many times over the years. William Barber’s “Adagio For Strings” is a good example in which the tracks were presented openly for what they were, rather than passed off as unrelated standalone originals. Tiesto, Ferry and many more have done this.

What I’m talking about here feels entirely different.

This involves producers being offered the opportunity to commercially release versions built around an already released modern record, using the same recognisable vocal, melody, and chord progression, under their own artist names, after losing a remix competition.

To me, that crosses into very uncomfortable territory, especially when these offers appear to be made repeatedly and without strong emphasis on transparency towards future labels.

The fact that these parts are seemingly being offered out to multiple unsuccessful entrants at the same time (at a cost of $100) only makes the situation even more questionable from a professional and ethical standpoint.

I also can’t help but wonder how said label owner would react if they later discovered that a track they had signed was essentially a derivative or alternate version of another release on a major label from only a few months earlier, especially when official remixes of that same track already exist publicly.

You could realistically end up in a situation where the official winning remixes and versions from unsuccessful entrants are all being commercially released around the same time across completely different labels under different artist names.

That is exactly why transparency matters so much in situations like this.

Otherwise, it has the potential to become a professional issue for newer producers who may not fully understand what they are stepping into.

Aside from creatively diluting the original work, I genuinely think situations like this create unnecessary confusion, reputational risks, and long term problems for newer producers who may not fully understand how these releases can later be perceived by labels, listeners, and other artists.

From my perspective, business practices like this also raise serious questions about how much value is really being placed on the integrity and identity of the original music versus the financial opportunities attached to repeatedly monetising it.

I want to warn people about the potential dangers of situations like this, because I would never want other producers to go through the same problems I experienced.

Just be careful and protect yourselves properly.

We’ll see what happens the next time this kind of offer appears. From what I’ve seen, remix competitions often accompany many of these particular labels' releases, and at some point, people naturally start asking questions about the true agenda behind the constant remix competitions.

I’m not going to publicly name the label or artist involved for now because I’ve already raised my concerns privately and explained that, in my opinion, offers like this should come with very clear warnings and proper transparency moving forward.

That said, I will absolutely be keeping an eye on how these remix competitions and licence offers are handled in future, because I genuinely do not think inexperienced producers should be encouraged to sign remixes so heavily connected to existing releases to labels under their own artist names without full disclosure and transparency from the start.

Even though I personally disagree with these kinds of arrangements and see them as heavily financially motivated, I ultimately cannot tell somebody else how to run their business. My only goal here is to make producers aware of the possible risks and consequences before they involve themselves in situations like this.

Lastly, I'd like to add that I’ve made mistakes throughout my career. I’ve approached situations in certain ways without fully understanding the bigger picture at the time, and only later, with hindsight, did I realise some things could and should have been handled differently.

There are multiple situations I wish I could go back and change, which is exactly why I’m not publicly naming or attacking anybody involved here. Nobody is perfect, and people learn through experience.

I’ve simply made it clear privately that I’ll be paying close attention to how these kinds of offers are handled moving forward, because I believe situations like this require far more transparency and a more ethical approach, especially when inexperienced producers are involved.

Ultimately, my client came to me feeling extremely uncomfortable and concerned that they might be being taken advantage of financially (there is a language barrier). If that were me, I would want somebody to raise those concerns directly so the situation could be addressed properly.

Hopefully, this labels approach to business practice will change, but we shall see!

https://preview.redd.it/64hcx3qepb1h1.png?width=1320&format=png&auto=webp&s=d8d26ee415c60204b77e0ad05e5dd86b9c4ae258

Hi, I'm new here. I made a trance track and would really appreciate feedback.
I do a lot of orchestral and some electronic stuff, but the electronic stuff has never really sounded professional. Not that I aim to, but sometimes I do feel like I just missed the mark.

So I made this trance track (not inspired by anyone in particular, by I do rather like Ferry Corsten and Joris Voorn). It's using a vocal sample from a Bulgarian folk song, the rest is standard trance stuff.

I'd love to see your thoughts on the structure and the mixing. I'm not sure the track flows as well as it could. And mixing has never been my strong point. Also... risers and drops, not sure I got the hang of those yet. Would love some ideas on how to improve.

Thanks!!

Hi, I'm an amateur, although I have some knowledge of music theory, solfège, and piano (3 years of experience). I love producing trance music. I use Logic Pro 12, and I've watched several videos by Reorder, Adam Ellis, Allan Morrow, etc. But my question is this: When creating a trance riff, which is usually the main melody or chorus (supersaws), I first hear the filter or cutoff closed. As the riff sequence plays, the filter gradually opens, and the high frequencies become more prominent. But how do you make it so that the high frequencies remain consistent as the cutoff opens, or how do you maintain that consistency once the high frequencies reach their maximum? Any tips or advice to ensure it feels powerful and doesn't weaken when the cutoff is fully open? Does that make sense?

Thank you very much!

TIP: You have probably noticed that a "Delay" can be set to1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, dotted etc. to match the BPM of your project, but what about your reverbs?

Reverb decay times dictate how long the reverb will last and it is set in milliseconds (ms), but this means it can be harder to control in terms of syncing it to the BPM.

There is an easy solution to this...

There are 60,000ms in 1 minute

Divide this by your project's BPM and you have a "quarter note" in milliseconds.

From here, it is easy to work out the other timings. Simply multiply by 2, or divide by 2.

Having this control over you reverb may seem trivial to start with, but your mixes will sound a lot better from it in the long run. Don't ignore it as reverb can quickly kill a mix if not treated properly

P.s. If you want to be even more precise, work out the decay time using above method, but subtract the pre-delay time

The image shows example calculations based on 140BPM

https://preview.redd.it/gmf8q364rv0h1.png?width=619&format=png&auto=webp&s=752ae714bc940cc05180930dcdaafc4846ef306a

Hey everyone :)

I’m trying to connect with more trance producers and I thought I could offer some free help with melodies, chord progressions and harmony.

I’m not saying I’m an advanced producer or anything like that. I’d actually say I’m still intermediate, and I’m sure a lot of people here are way better than me at sound design, mixing, arrangement and getting that professional trance sound.

But I do have a pretty strong musical background. I come from a classical/conservatory background, studied piano too, and I’ve been studying composition seriously for the last 3 years. I’m also about to start a music/sound-related program in Berlin.

Melody, harmony, arpeggios, chord movement, tension and release, voice leading, that kind of stuff, is probably the area where I can be most useful.

One thing I notice really often in trance production is that the sounds, mixing or drops can be really good, but the melody or harmony could maybe be developed a bit more. So I thought this could be a nice exchange. I can help with the musical side, and maybe I can also learn from how other people here approach production.

I’m not selling anything. Just trying to connect, help if I can, and learn from the process too :)

Feel free to send me an unfinished track, a loop, a MIDI idea, a melody or a chord progression, and I’ll try to give you some useful feedback.

If not allowed, please remove. If it is allowed, then here's a treat for everyone.

The Internet Archive has a directory for all of the Vengeance Sample packs. Just click on the link and you're go to go

https://archive.org/download/full-38-vengeance-sample-packs/Vengeance/

Anyone got a link to buy the trance essentials 2 pack? I’ve tried freshly squeezed samples and I don’t have PayPal to make the payment, and I’m not buying loads of credits from splice