Make a track
How to make techno online, step by step
To make techno, set the tempo between about 125 and 135 BPM, program a heavy kick on every beat with offbeat hats, write a rolling 16th-note bassline that leaves the kick alone, add one short chord stab through a tempo-synced delay, and build the track by changing one thing at a time. EASY RAVE does all of it free in your browser.
Techno grew out of Detroit in the mid-1980s: drum machines, synths and a lot of repetition. The good news for a beginner is that a great techno loop has very few parts. The skill is in the sound of each one and in how you change them over time.
What makes a track sound like techno?
- A tempo between about 125 and 135 BPM. Faster than most house, slower than drum and bass.
- A kick that dominates. Short, hard and loud, on every beat.
- Hats that drive. Offbeat hats and 16ths with accents keep the momentum.
- A bassline that rolls under the kick. It plays in the gaps, so kick and bass never fight.
- Small changes, often. A filter opening, a hat dropping out, an echo on a stab. Techno is a slow story.
How do you make a techno track step by step?
- Set the tempo. Drag the TEMPO display up to around 130 BPM.
- Program the kick and hats on HOUSE 909. Press CLEAR, then copy the groove below. Turn HEAVY KICK up for a harder, dirtier kick.
- Write a rolling bassline on AC 303. Try the Rolling 16ths preset, or copy the line below. Keep the cutoff low and push RESONANCE a little.
- Add a chord stab on POLY-6. Place one chord on a single step and turn LENGTH down so it is short. Then in its SOUND EFFECTS, switch on DELAY and set it to 1/8. (dotted eighth) for the classic dub echo.
- Glue it with sidechain. In the SOUND EFFECTS of the bass and of the stab, set SIDECHAIN to Kick and raise its AMOUNT, so both duck under the kick.
- Record your knob moves. Open AUTO in the transport, press REC AUTOMATION and slowly open the bass cutoff while the loop plays. EASY RAVE replays the move on every pass.
- Perform the arrangement. Mute and unmute machines, hold LO PASS or HI PASS for builds, and use DROP: click it to start a snare roll build, click it again and the drop lands on the next downbeat.
Driving techno groove (HOUSE 909)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KICK | ||||||||||||||||
| CLAP | ||||||||||||||||
| HAT | ||||||||||||||||
| OPEN |
The capital X marks accented steps (right-click a step to accent it). Accents on the offbeat 16ths give the hats a push that a flat pattern never has.
How do you write a rolling techno bassline?
The trick is to leave the kick alone. The bass plays the three 16ths after each kick and rests exactly where the kick hits:
Rolling techno bass in C minor (AC 303)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOTE | C2 | C2 | C3 | C2 | C2 | C3 | C2 | C2 | C3 | C2 | D#2 | C3 | ||||
| ACCENT | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||
| SLIDE |
Keep CUT OFF FREQ low and DECAY short so each note is a tight pulse. Then automate the cutoff upward over 16 or 32 bars: that slow opening is half of what makes techno build. Filter cutoff and resonance shows what each knob does by ear.
What effects make techno sound like techno?
| Effect | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| DRIVE | Kick and snare (HOUSE 909 SOUND MODIFIERS) | Weight and grit on the low end |
| DELAY at 1/8. | Chord stab | The dub techno echo |
| REVERB | Stab and clap | Space, without washing out the kick |
| SIDECHAIN | Bass and stab | Everything breathes with the kick |
| HEAVY | Master (LIVE FX bar) | Squashes the whole mix for a louder, pumping peak |
| PHASER | Master (LIVE FX bar) | A slow swirl for breakdowns |
Every machine has DRIVE, COMPRESSOR, PAN, REVERB, EQ, SIDECHAIN and DELAY in its SOUND EFFECTS rack. Audio effects explained covers each one.
How do you arrange a techno track?
Techno is built in phrases of 8, 16 or 32 bars. Every phrase, something changes: a part comes in, a part drops out, a filter moves. A simple plan:
- Kick and hats alone.
- Add the bass, filtered low.
- Add the stab with its echo, open the bass filter.
- Breakdown: NO KICK on, PHASER up, let the stab and echo ring.
- Build: click DROP and hold HI PASS, then click DROP again to land on the downbeat.
- Everything in, full energy, HEAVY up.
In EASY RAVE, save each stage with ＋ under SECTIONS and click through them while RECORD LIVE PERFORMANCE captures the whole thing. Live effects explains DROP, NO KICK and the filter pads in detail.
Frequently asked questions
What BPM is techno?
Most techno sits between about 125 and 135 BPM, with harder styles going faster. EASY RAVE lets you set any tempo from 60 to 180 BPM by dragging the TEMPO display.
What drum machine is used for techno?
The Roland TR-909 is the drum machine most linked with techno, for its punchy kick and bright hats. In EASY RAVE, HOUSE 909 is a free drum machine inspired by that sound, with HEAVY KICK and DRIVE for a harder edge.
Can I make techno without a synthesizer?
You can start with drums alone, since many techno tracks are mostly percussion. A bassline makes a big difference, though, and EASY RAVE includes a free acid bass (AC 303) and a chord synth (POLY-6) in the browser.