Learn how to produce Trance with DMP’s Trance Producer Pack

How to compose Trance music? Ever since I am proud owner of FL Studio, this question got me googling for books, articles and videos that would disclose the magic rules to me. There had to be loads of resources on the theme I figured.

I have to acknowledge, there really are a lot of bits and pieces out there, bits and pieces that have been (and still are and always will be) absolutely vital in becoming ever more skilled in composing music with my favourite DAW. If it were not for the online communities, the numerous blogs and online videos, I would never have mastered some of the methods and techniques I may now consider obvious and simple, but that once kept me scratching my head.

Having said that, I had a hard time finding resources that walked me through the entire production process of a trance track, from initial idea to the final mixing and mastering stage. I did have the bits and pieces, but nothing that glued everything together and showed me how to get from A to B.

Not long ago, however, I stumbled upon and purchased the ‘Trance Producer Pack’ from dancemusicproduction.com, which consists of two DVD’s with video sessions during which Rick Snoman and Jon Froggatt from Phiadra walk you through the entire production of their trance track ‘Sunset’, from initial idea to full blown production.

The first DVD (Trance) shows the production process of Sunset from blank sequencer to full blown production, after first discussing the ‘tools of the trade’, i.e. Phiadra’s preferred toolset as far as effects and processors are concerned.

Phiadra then shows you how they – fairly quickly – program their initial ideas. The reasoning behind this is that creativity comes in short waves or bursts, so during such creative moments you want to record as many ideas as possible without worrying too much about how things sound or the overall arrangement.

Now, with the initial (and quite simple) ideas in the sequencer, Phiadra then shows you that they spend a considerable amount of time on programming the drums and bass to create that absolutely vital groove for the composition. Subsequently, they work on getting the right sounds for the lead and the chords.

The DVD is never showing you exactly how to get this or that particular timbre using this or that generator or effect. But that is not its intention. What Phiadra does – and they should be applauded for that - is demystify the whole process of producing a trance track (there is no magic formula or secret guys!). They allow us to look them over the shoulder as they program their song.

After the hard work of getting the sounds for the bass, lead and chords right, they move on and add some more creative elements, such as the main lead and a catchy motif. Subsequently, with all the elements in place, Phiadra focusses on the arrangement and pre mix stages.

The second DVD (Mixing and Mastering) picks up where the first DVD ended. It starts with a look at the arrangement of Sunset before moving on to the mixing and mastering stages.

Conclusion

The DVD’s have many hours of material (filmed during the seven days it took for producing, mixing and mastering the track), and I consider it a ‘must have’ for everyone interested in the production process of trance tracks.

It would be incorrect to say that following the DVD’s will make you a professional trance track producer, but it can give you new insights and ideas. That’s what it did for me. Again, the purpose of the DVD’s are to show you the process rather than to explain you everything from A-Z (as Phiadra says ‘it is not paint by numbers’). Therefore it is highly recommended to have Rick Snoman’s The Dance Music Manual within reach as well (which can be obtained from dancemusicproduction.com as well), which discusses many aspects of dance music that are not further explained in the DVD’s.

While Phiadra uses Logic, the material is universal. As FL Studio user I had absolutely no problem in following along and grasping what they were doing. In fact, most of the time you are looking at Logic’s Piano Roll view. I am not familiar with Logic’s on board generators and some of the plugins Phiadra uses, but again, the DVD’s are not about giving precise instructions on how to get a particular sound. What you can easily follow however is how Phiadra layers their sounds and throws in certain effects and processors (delays, reverbs, filters, etc.) to get that professional timbre. I started doing some of the same things, carefully crafting each timbre with whatever I have available. And I have to give Rick and Jon the credit. The quality of my music already went up several notches.

You can find DMP’s web shop here: http://www.dancemusicproduction.com/shop/

Category: Review