Music Theory 101

Every Musician, Producer and this case Trance Producer needs to know the basics of music theory. For that we provided you a link at the end of this post where your all answers will be answered.

Short Definition:
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods. In a grand sense, music theory distills and analyzes the fundamental parameters or elements of music: rhythm, harmony (harmonic function), melody, structure, form, texture, etc. Broadly, music theory may include any statement, belief, or conception of or about music. A person who studies these properties is known as a music theorist. Some have applied acoustics, human physiology, and psychology to the explanation of how and why music is perceived.

Music Theory 101

M-Audio: Ignite by Air (Free Software)

Inspiring Sounds Ignite includes over 275 instruments, many of which are taken from our renowned instrument collections - including Strike, Structure, and Velvet. All sounds have been optimized to load quickly, and the editing controls are automatically mapped to your connected M-Audio keyboard. These extraordinary sounds include keyboards, drums, percussion, basses, guitars, synths, strings, brass, and woodwinds.

Powerful Creative Tools
Ignite features Smart MIDI technology to help jump-start your ideas and enhance your music-making skills. The Chord Player generates a chord pattern from a single key, while the Phrase Player can provide a single-voice line to add to your composition. Both the Chord and Phrase player include dozens of patterns in modern music genres - these aren't canned, boring MIDI patterns. Tailor the performance of these Players by adjusting feel, speed and intensity. The Flexible arpeggiator plays held notes individually, either as a musical flourish or in a rhythmic pattern.

Designed to Work with M-Audio Keyboards Simply connect any current M-Audio keyboard controller to your computer, and Ignite provides seamless integration. The keyboard is automatically detected and controls are automatically mapped when connected to your computer. Adding or changing your keyboard? The controls are automatically updated and mapped.

Share Your Passion Share your latest creation with friends, fans, and family - or collaborate with other musicians - by taking advantage of direct uploads to SoundCloud. Plus, you can export your individual audio (WAV or MP3) and MIDI files, which can then be imported into any computer-based recording software - including Pro Tools.

Feutures

• • Creative Workflow
    • Capture your ideas quickly and make music - without getting bogged down with technical jargon and complicated steps.
    • Individual musical ideas are captured as phrases and are placed in the Arranger. The Arranger is an organic "stage" where you can organize your music ideas and phrases in whatever way make sense to you.
    • Clips can be any length, and don't have to be aligned into a pre-determined structure (such as tracks and lanes). Multiple clips can be played back together, or even grouped to create more complex phrases and song sections.
  • Instant M-Audio Keyboard Integration
    • Ignite will instantly recognize any current generation M-Audio keyboard controller once it is connected to your computer.
    • Key parameters will be automatically assigned, or mapped, to the front panel controllers. The on-screen image labels the controllers with their current parameters, providing visual reminders.
  • Superior AIR Instrument Sounds
    • Included with Ignite are over 275 remarkable instrument sounds developed by AIR Music Technology. This international team also created the acclaimed Hybrid, Strike, Transfer, Structure, and Velvet instruments for Pro Tools - the industry-standard professional music and audio workstation.
    • Instruments include keyboards, drums, percussion, basses, guitars, synths, strings, brass, and woodwinds.
  • Creative Kick-starters
    • Smart MIDI technology provides both a Chord Player and a Phrase Player.
    • The Chord Player plays a chord pattern using either simple or advanced voicings.
    • The Phrase Player can be used to deliver a single-voice melodic phrase, or even a drum pattern depending on the instrument selected.
    • The arpeggiator plays notes individually, either as a musical flourish or in a rhythmic pattern.
  • Collaborate, Send, and Share
    • Share your musical ideas and songs with other musicians through SoundCloud.
    • Export WAV, MP3 and MIDI files, and import them into any DAW recording software - including Pro Tools.

 Grab your free copy from here

Music Studio Monitors

 A thorny subject to be sure, with as many opinions as is believable. As with microphones and sequencers, the debate often turns into flame-fests. Yet there has been some progress in our understanding of monitors. Nearly everyone seems to agree that one needs a "near field" monitor to accurately assess the music they are creating. A near field monitor is one that you keep pretty close to you, typically between 3-5 feet. The idea here is that the music we  hear is dramatically altered by room acoustics.  Go try a little experiment. Take any speaker and put it in the corner of a room. You will hear bass resonating through the room that does not exist when the speaker is in the middle of the room. 
 

Those with big buck studios can afford to treat their room acoustically, with bass traps and other devices.  Perhaps those are the only places where one still sees the mammoth monitors that create wall sized sound. The near field monitor is the solution to minimize as much as possible the interaction of sound with the room.  Because they are positioned close to you, you hear the sound directly.  Because they are so close you need less volume, so less of the sound travels to walls and corners and bounces back at you. 
 

Unlike a hi-fi speaker, which is designed, hopefully, to make all audio material sound pleasing to the ear, the studio monitor has as it's main objective to paint an accurate audio image of the material, with no unnatural emphasis or de-emphasis of particular frequencies. This is what it means when a monitor is said to be "flat".  and "uncolored" or "transparent". That's the theory at least. Reality sometimes paints a different picture. And this is where the arguing typically begins. 

What makes a good Monitor?   

 So, then, what makes a good monitor, other than the sound it produces?  A good monitor is rugged, and can handle peaks, overloads, feedback mistakes and come back ready for more. It's funny. I started my sound development business on hi-end 3-way audiophile speakers, which worked great for a year. But with the constant tweaking of sound experiments in sub bass regions, the woofers just popped right out of their cones with a 360 degree rip around the cone. Bummer. Hi-Fi speakers are not made to take abuse above typical programmed material. Sure you can use them, just don't use them as the main monitors.  

A good monitor does not artificially exaggerate frequencies. You do not want a speaker that sounds like a "disco smile". That's where the bass and the treble are boosted and the mids are cut. They call it a "smile" because that's how it looks on a graphic equalizer. Lots of people really like that sound. If you like that sound, mix up a nice smile for your monitors. Then it might actually translate on other systems. But if you speakers make that automatically, you mix will be shown lacking in bass and high transients. Using that principle was the secret behind the Yamaha NS-10s, the most horrible sounding speaker ever made. On an NS10 there was no bass, no high end, just screeching awful sounding peaky mids. People who referenced on them had to boost the bass massively and cut the mids. The resultant mix?  Yep, the disco smile. It made hit after hit and people thought they were magic. If you could make the shrill box sound passable, it would sound great everywhere else. 

Trance Music Production: Questions Answered Part 3

11. How do I get vocal and stutter effects like BT, Hybrid, etc.?
At some point in time, I will get around to creating a tutorial on this. For now, use the search function and check this page:
Fractal Tendencies

12. How do I make basslines like Benny Bennassi, Eric Prydz, etc.?
Search for something called "sidechaining" or "side-chained compression". Please do not create a new thread about it. I'll have a clean tutorial on this later as well, once I get the appropriate information for certain sequencers that I'm less familiar with.

13. How do I make a super saw?
If you want to make a lot of people happy, then don't make one. If you absolutely must, there are some super saw links in the tutorials thread.

Making It Professional

14. How do I make good leads/drums/pads/basslines/etc.?
The best way to learn how to do this is to read some tutorials.
Some particularly useful and famous threads are:
Exploration of Sound
Your Favorite Basslines: The Fight Against Oompa-itis
Derivative's Theory Tutorial
The Perfect Kick

15. How do I master my track (to make it sound professional)?
The most important things to understand about mastering are:
a) Mastering is about the "subtle" changes. Mostly, it's about raising the overall volume, although it can also be used to "soften" or "sharpen" a track sometimes. If you think your track needs a *major* adjustment in order to sound good, then the problem is probably in your mixdown, not your master.
b) Poor mastering can easily wreck a great track, but the most brilliant mastering in the world cannot save a poor mix. Very often, producers with dull-sounding tracks will assume that the problem is simply their lack of experience with mastering, but a well-mixed track doesn't need to be mastered at all in order to sound great.
c) Mastering involves compromises. Most of the time, the purpose of mastering a track is to make sure that it sounds "good" on all mediums and all sound systems, rather than "great" on a few systems and terrible on others. Thus, during your mastering phase, you need to try and listen to your track on as many systems as possible!
d) Mastering requires emotional detachment. I can't stress this one enough, folks - TAKE A BREAK from your track before attempting to master it. If you are still very "intimate" with your track, then you are not going to be able to make objective decisions.


Troubleshooting

16. My CPU is maxed out / my sound is stuttering/freezing. What should I do!?
Since this is such a long-winded topic, I've created a thread dedicated to answering this one solitary question:

CPU maxed out? Sputtering? Freezing? Read here!

17. Why does my track sound great in my sequencer but terrible when I render it?
In almost all cases, this is evidence of clipping. Unless you're mixing in the analog domain, make sure that the master volume on your track never goes above 0 dB (in the analog domain it's 2-3 dB). If it does, then your track is clipping.

Some people don't understand why this would make a track sound bad on the render but not in the sequencer. The answer is simple: most people have the master volume on their computers set to a moderate level, significantly below 0 dB. If that master volume is, for example, set to -6 dB, and the track volume in your sequencer goes as high as +6 dB, the resulting volume on your PC will not go higher than 0 dB. However, if someone else's PC had their master volume cranked all the way up, it would distort on their system. And when you render the audio, it is simply not possible to encode values higher than 0 dB; attempting to do so will only result in distortion and noise.

A more detailed and technical explanation is beyond the scope of this FAQ; if you still don't understand what clipping is, read this link.

18. How do I prevent clipping?
There are two answers to this question. The first one is easy, but doesn't really solve the problem. The second one does solve the problem, but you won't like it.

The easy answer: Use a master limiter. This will prevent clipping, but if your mix has extremely high peaks, then it will cause another artifact called "pumping", which is very noticeable on high-fidelity equipment and every bit as irritating as clipping. To make a long story short, pumping sounds like someone's holding onto the volume fader and jacking it up and down very quickly. Sometimes producers will intentionally use this effect in a more subtle way, but in those cases it is rhythmic and controlled; pumping caused by too much limiting is random and unpleasant to listeners.

The hard answer: learn to mix. Mixing is not just the art of balancing out all the elements, it's also the art of controlling the dynamics enough to leave headroom. Many beginning producers want their mixes to sound loud and proud, but mixdowns should actually be kept quiet - mastering will increase the apparent "loudness".

Wrong forum!

19. Can I get some feedback on my latest track?
You sure can, if you post it in the Music Producers Promotion forum.

Please note: your odds of getting useful advice if you post your track in there are proportional to the quality and quantity of reviews you've given to others. Your odds of getting useful advice if you post it in here are near zero.

20. My track kicks some serious @$$. Which DJs/Labels should I send to?
At best, this question will probably be ignored by most of the community - at worst, you might get flamed for it. Signed producers are generally going to be pretty wary of giving away their contacts (and with good reason!).

If this is your first time submitting a track to labels, the link below might help:
Submitting a demo for the first time

Here's another link that might help you:
Electronic Musician Bookshelf

How to Create a SuperSaw Lead Sound with Sylenth 1 VST

Supersaws are based upon using sawtooth oscillators – what gives them their distinct sound is the method of detuning the sawtooth oscillators against each other.

This detuning takes place over a set internal of time to create its iconic noise. Although this video demonstrates the principal using Sylenth – any synth can be used to create this trademark Trance synth sound.

Trance Music Production: Questions Answered Part 2

 First 5 Questions were answered earlier and now we continue :)

6. What computer should I buy?
This question comes in many forms:

PC or Mac?
Personal preference. Some people here could write pages on why Macs are better. Some people could write pages on why PCs are better. Ultimately, all these people have the primary motivation of justifying their preference (and often, their purchase). They're just computers, and they'll both get the job done.

AMD or Intel?
Doesn't matter. I should qualify that: if you want to run Windows XP 64-bit edition you'll need AMD, but keep in mind that 64-bit application and driver support is not universal. Most people will end up running traditional 32-bit Windows XP or 2003, and in this case, the brand of CPU makes no difference.

Should I buy Dell, HP, Alienware, or build it myself?
There are thousands of reviews of various brands and models posted online - read them. Google is your friend. Just remember that you get what you pay for, so if an HP model is half the price of a Dell model that looks the same or similar, you're probably overlooking something important.

What are the minimum specs to produce?
The best specs you can afford on your budget.

7. What equipment (speakers, sound card, rack synth, etc.) should I buy?
When it comes to audio equipment, there is just *so much* out there that choosing the "right" studio monitors is almost like choosing the "right" running shoes. There are many quality products and quality brands, and choosing the right one for you is going to require some research.

Here are a few rules of thumb to follow when looking for equipment:
* You get what you pay for. While it's true that in some cases you might be paying more for a brand label, if you see something that's half the price of everything else in the same category, it probably sucks.
* Listen to it! It may save you money to order online or eBay it, but if you can, you should still go a store to actually check out various pieces of equipment and compare the way they sound. Particularly in the case of studio monitors and headphones, the ones which are the most "honest" are usually the ones which sound very dry and thin.
* Read reviews. Sites like Zzounds often have tons of reviews of all the major product lines.

Also check out the "equipment" section in the Tutorial List mentioned at the top of this thread. Some links that might help you are:
Tweak: The "Best" Sound Card
Tweak: The Truth About Studio Monitors
The Official Hardware Synth Thread (compiled by DarkSword)

8. What sequencer should I use?
Which car should you drive? Which cell phone plan should you pick? Should you BBQ that hot dog or nuke it?

Who cares? All cars get you from point A to point B, assuming you know how to drive. All cell plans will allow you to call your friends, assuming you pay your bills. And as long as that meat is cooked, it doesn't really matter how. They're all tools, and although everybody has their personal preferences, they all get the job done. Sure - some cost a fraction of the price that others cost because they're less sophisticated. At the same time, if you're just beginning to produce, then you're shooting yourself in the foot if you automatically dive into the most complex programs available.

Most software vendors will make a trial version of their program(s) available. The best way to find out which sequencer you should use is to try all of them out and see which one suits you best.

Unless you're trying to incite another forum war, you don't want to ask this question. You don't even want to tiptoe around it. People argue enough about this topic *without* being prompted for their opinions.

Location, Location, Location

9. Where can I get a MIDI with the chords/melody in this track?
First, check here: http://www.nonstop2k.com

If you can't find it there, request it in The Newer and Improved MIDI Thread. Please use that thread and that thread ONLY - don't post your request as a new discussion!

10. Where can I find good samples?
The thread listed below has more links than you can shake a stick at:
Where to download quality samples

Download Sound Banks, Patches & Drum Kits

 For those who are wondering what we are talking about, take a quick peek on the following

"A sound bank is usually a file or files containing different sounds, as if you were a music producer you would have kicks&snares etc. Its basically a file"bank" with sounds.

A sound bank can have really big variables, Like one could have 100 sounds and someone could even have up to many 20-100k sounds easily."

Most of the producers these days are looking for new material sound(s) to include them in their productions.
So are you interested to find the best ? If so, take a moment and visit the following websites and enhance your sound with a great collection of Sound Banks, Patches & Drum Kits.

V-Station, Sylenth 1, Albino 3, Nexus, Gladiator, Zebra 2, Omnisphere, Trillian....

Reckerd Sample Archive  KVR Audio  VST4YOU  Patches/Sound Banks

Trance Music Production: Questions Answered Part 1

1. How do I rip a [vocal / drumloop / other element] from a track?
You don't. You can't. There is an article here that explains in detail the challenges behind eliminating the vocals from tracks to create a "dub" - the exact same principles apply to "extracting" the vocals from a track to obtain an acapella. And of course, these principles apply equally well to other elements of a track, not just the vocals.

In any event, bootlegs are a violation of copyright law and are therefore not supported by forum members and owners, and not to be discussed on this site. Please and thank you.

2. Where can I find the acapella for [some track]?
Not here. This question is effectively the same as question #1. Acapellas from released tracks, even if obtained legally, are not legal for distribution. This isn't an acapella site. If you're looking for an acapella site, Google is your friend.

3. Where can I find a serial/crack for [some program?]
Not here. Feel free to hunt around on IRC and UseNet, but once again, these are illegal so please do not ask for them. Yes, many people do engage in software piracy, but the smart ones don't advertise it to people they've never met (hint hint).

4. Does anyone have an invite to [audionews/audiofarm/some other well-known warez/bootleg site?]
Most people would expect this to be covered by #3, but some people seem to think that there's some sort of subtle difference. There isn't - just as members here don't distribute illegal items, they also don't disseminate information on how or where to obtain them.

5. I've got good ideas but my tracks don't sound professional. Can somebody tell me [what presets to use / what buttons to push] to make them better?
Production is an art. Producers usually spend several years mastering that art and developing their own sound, style, and workflow. There are no easy answers because the parameters never stay the same from one track to the next.

If you asked an artist how to make your paintings professional, he/she would laugh in your face. The fact that music production is done on a computer does not mean that the entire task of producing a track can be automated into a few button clicks. Most techniques are relatively simple in theory but take a great deal of experience to get right in practice, and even the experts usually have to go through a great deal of trial and error for each new production (they just do this more quickly and accurately than the inexperienced producers).

Check out the new SoundCloud !

 Faster, more responsive, and available everywhere, our new HTML5-powered platform makes for a simpler, more social SoundCloud.

And now it’s out of private beta and available to everyone.

We hope you’ll enjoy checking out the new features:

Search & Explore makes it easy for your fans and followers to find your music & audio. Reposts let fans and followers share your sounds within SoundCloud and on the social web, including Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and Pinterest. A dedicated Homepage for Creators of music & audio to make it as easy as possible to post your sounds and grow your audience. Realtime Notifications mean that you’ll know what the SoundCloud community is saying about your music & audio as they say it.

Sample Radar from Music Radar: Download Your Free Music Samples !

 Looking for royalty free music loops, acapellas and vocals, want to hook up with like minded musicians from around the world or just looking to get some feedback on your music. Well, you came to the right place. We have 1000s of free loops and other audio resources to keep you making music.

MusicRadar's weekly giveaway of pro-quality, royalty-free samples. Here you can find links to all of our weekly entries, which feature collections of loops, hits and multisamples in a wide range of genres. And the great news is that you won't have to pay a penny to download any of them.

 The samples are supplied as 24-bit WAV files so can be imported directly into your DAW. Because they're royalty-free, you're welcome to use them in your music in any way you like.
All the samples originally appeared on either a Computer Music or Future Music magazine cover disc. Check out their latest issues for many more; in the meantime, scroll through the tabs below, choose your genre and happy downloading!

The Most Commun Questions Asked By Trance Production Beginners

1. How do I rip a [vocal / drumloop / other element] from a track?
2. Where can I find the acapella for [some track]?
3. Where can I find a serial/crack for [some program?]
4. Does anyone have an invite to [audionews/audiofarm/some other well-known warez/bootleg site?]
5. I've got good ideas but my tracks don't sound professional. Can somebody tell me [what presets to use / what buttons to push] to make them better?
6. What computer should I buy?
7. What equipment (speakers, sound card, rack synth, etc.) should I buy?
8. What sequencer should I use?
9. Where can I get a MIDI with the chords/melody in this track?
10. Where can I find good samples?
11. How do I get vocal and stutter effects like Famous X Producer.?
12. How do I make basslines like X, Y, etc.?
13. How do I make a super saw?
14. How do I make good leads/drums/pads/basslines/etc.?
15. How do I master my track?
16. My CPU is maxed out / my sound is stuttering/freezing. What should I do!?
17. Why does my track sound great in my sequencer but terrible when I render it?
18. How do I prevent clipping?
19. Can I get some feedback on my latest track?
20. My track kicks some serious @$$. Which DJs/Labels should I send to?

Eager to have the Answers  ?! Keep checking the blog as we'll post all the answers soon :)

Meanwhile check the following links for some important tips

http://www.tranceproduction.com/ 
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/26-trance-tips-34006
http://www.futureproducers.com/forums/production-techniques/theory-composing-sound-design/trance-production-5672/
  

Enhance Your Sound with CreatingTrance.com

 If you're into production you gotta check this website for the latest tutorials & sound presets.

Much like compression, EQ and many other processing tools, a gate is a very simple tool to understand in theory but actually using it successfully is a different thing altogether. And like mastering the use of a compressor in the studio, it is all about finding the right balance of attack, release etc to manipulate the sounds that are being processed. To allow a sound to pass through a gate unhindered misses the point completely of using it in the first place. But there are seemingly countless ways you can use this tool to achieve some very cool results and change your sounds completely!

More Here

The Uplifting Trance Production Guide - OUT NOW !!

Learn various tricks and techniques used by professional Trance producers all over the world such as Armin Van Buuren, Sean Tyas, Ferry Corsten, Above and Beyond, Gareth Emery, Andy Blueman, Arty, Super8 + Tab and many, many more.

This ebook, perfect for beginners and intermediate producers alike will guide you through the process of creating a track and will improve your production skills infinitely.

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Sick and tired of searching web pages for snippets of information on Trance or Logic?

You could conceivably spend hours upon hours, trawling the net trying to find trance tutorials, tips and guides on producing trance or improving the quality of your productions and still never find what you are looking for.

Furthermore you could  spend years trying to improve and yet no matter how hard you try you just cant get THAT sound.

This ebook saves you spending hours upon hours trying to improve or even get started. Whether you really want to produce but don’t know where to start or are looking to improve your productions, this ebook is perfect for you.

Why not just buy this eBook instructing you on how to produce trance music in logic pro and and save yourself a whole lot of time and trouble?

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Are you unsure of where to begin or what you need to get started?

Don’t worry. This ebook contains all the information you need, including gear reviews, simple explanations and much much more

Furthermore this ebook includes presets, patches and more to aid your productions and to get you started.

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Had enough of working through tutorials that just don’t make sense?

Don’t worry. This ebook is easy to read, contains simple explanations, pictures and even easy to understand video tutorials. Why not take a look at the preview pages at the bottom of the page?

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So does it skim over the details?

NO! The Uplifting Trance Production Guide endeavours to, at all times, explain concepts of a technical nature in understandable terms without avoiding the details or not explaining things properly

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Is this just the Logic Manual?

No! The Uplifting Trance Production Guide is tailored to producing trance music, not just using Logic Pro. Whilst, this guide gives advice on how to use logic and tips and tricks to improve your workflow it is designed for trance.

More Info: Click Here

Markus Schulz – Global DJ Broadcast (22-11-2012)

Genre: Trance & Progressive
DJ: Markus Schulz
Date: November 22, 2012

Tracklist:
01. NDS & Blue vs. Spark7 – Senses (Orbion Remix)
02. Matteo Marini – I Want to Believe (Instrumental Mix)
03. Temple One – Aquamarine
04. Wellenrausch – Echoes in the Night (Gai Barone Demode Remix)
05. Ilya Malyuev – Sleepless Summer Night
06. Darkployers – Incite (Alan Cuevas Remix)
07. Stannis – Childhood
08. Above & Beyond Featuring Zoe Johnston – Alchemy (Extended Album Mix)
09. DJ Shy – Moesko Island
10. Dan Stone – Drive (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)
11. Aerofoil – Dub Stab (Binary Finary vs. Pulse & Sphere Remix)
12. Markus Schulz Featuring Ken Spector – Scream

Ferry Corsten Guestmix
01. BT – Force of Gravity (Orjan Nilsen Remix)
02. Tellur – You
03. Cosmic Gate – Crushed
04. Kamo – Vocoder
05. Sound Quelle – 7.07 (Tellur Remix)
06. Ferry Corsten & Markus Schulz – Stella

Back with Markus Schulz
13. Markus Schulz Featuring Ana Diaz – Nothing Without Me (Markus Schulz Return to Coldharbour Remix)
14. Purple Stories – Close Your Eyes (Basil O’Glue Remix)
15. Planet Perfecto – Bullet in the Gun (Gary Maguire Remix)
16. Lansy K – Insomnia
17. Quincy Weigert – Raspberry Avenue (Paul Trainer Remix)
18. Fisherman & Hawkins – Apache [Global Selection]
19. Markus Schulz & Arnej – Karbon