How to make a rave-style techno track

Prepare to get fists in the air as we learn the tools, tricks and tempos for nailing the basics of rave-ready techno

A popular sound in techno today is a hybrid of modern production techniques and the rave sound of the '90s. 

In this merging, faster tempos, detuned synths, melodies and acid basslines are fused with modern techno sounds. A multitude of music production techniques were born in the rave scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the emphasis for producers from this era was firmly on inventiveness and experimentation. Plugins and software synths can allow us to creatively recreate sounds that bear resemblance to sounds from the rave era. In this month's tutorial, we'll look at how to create rave-style techno, including building an atmospheric synth and trance synth using Ableton's Operator. To lay the foundations for your track, program in a kick drum with a strong transient, and sub bass.

Use closed and open high hats and a clap from a 909 drum kit (NI's Battery, or D16's Drumazon are good choices). Rolling basslines come next, and then it's time to start thinking synths...

Open Ableton Live and an instance of Operator. In Osc 1, choose Sub 1 and set Osc position to 21% and Fold to 20%. On Osc 2, choose Harmonic Series and set it to 71%. In the Filter section, set the Low Pass Filter’s Resonance to 0 and Frequency to 20Hz. Drag the Frequency knob to the Matrix to assign it to the Amp with a value of 52.

In the Mod Sources, set the Amp to 1.09ms, Decay to 683ms, Sustain to -19dB and Release to 467ms. Add in a simple melodic pattern, ideally one that repeats three times with a variation in the fourth bar. Add an aggressive distortion (We’re using Universal Audio’s Raw) with the filter around 11 o’clock, distortion low and volume high.