Page 1 of 2

Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or free)

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 4:45 am
by monot
Hi folks.

I've strayed a bit from DAWs while noodling with hardware the past few years, doing the odd liveset but not really properly recording/producing/finishing anything. I had used ableton in the past to make techno but never watched too many tutorials, just sort of experimented. This meant I invariably came up with messy loops or half tracks that were abandoned.

I am now dedicating some time to ableton again, but this time I want to get a bit more of a grounding in techno production instead of fucking about. Any tips on decent tutorials available online? I know that I'll learn something new by watching any tutorial, but for typical pounding warehouse-ey style techno are there any tutorials people have come across with relevant techniques? I'm pretty proficient with ableton, but my mixing/arrangement skills need plenty of work and I need to learn how to work better with low end sub stuff.

Many thanks in advance! :D

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 5:48 am
by Lost to the Void
No, there is literally nothing.
No one here talks about production, it's not important.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:26 am
by juodas
If you really keen on, there's free series of techmo production on sonic academy youtube channel

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:56 am
by Evert
Lol @ Void.

I recommend browsing through the Archive subforum. There's tons of useful info in there.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:22 am
by dubdub
This forum has the best techno production advice you're going to get on the internet, paid or free. Just spent a few weeks reading every post by Void and Mattias :lol: (seriously)

If you really want video stuf... I don't know, all the Point Blank videos with JC (the half-balding french guy) are quite good.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:49 am
by 0dd
Literally just look at the few threads above yours.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 2:36 pm
by monot
Ah, yes sorry I should have stated that I meant videos. I'll check out the threads. I used the search feature but did not check these. Thanks for the others tips too folks!

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:10 pm
by Rickskii
Johannes is OK on Youtube, Echoplex has one on ADSR, Sonic Academy have several.
However......these are all Techno in it's loosest, pop kind of way.
That is NOT the type of Techno that is pedalled in here.....

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:15 pm
by RWise
You'll learn much much more reading the threads on this forum than watching some half-assed techno tutorials on youtube, which a lot of the time teach ways to make the most mundane muck classed as 'techno' because theres a reverb on the kick drum.

This forum is the holy grail for legit techno production advice.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:15 pm
by Lost to the Void
Good productions skills are universal.
You don't need techno specific stuff.
In fact if that's all you do look at, you end up painting yourself in to a small box.
Good skills can be had everywhere.
Pensados place on YouTube for example. Never does techno, but invaluable production tips.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:05 pm
by winston
monot wrote: typical pounding warehouse-ey style techno
post an example of what you're looking to make. probably every part of its sound is in the archive, but i get that you want some videos, i also find them easy to understand as you watch and know instead of visualising it (unless you are able to follow along with daw open)

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:33 pm
by monot
Lost to the Void wrote:Good productions skills are universal.
You don't need techno specific stuff.
In fact if that's all you do look at, you end up painting yourself in to a small box.
Good skills can be had everywhere.
Pensados place on YouTube for example. Never does techno, but invaluable production tips.
Thanks for the tips. That makes sense. I have a degree in production/sound engineering, a lot of which focused on bands, so that's why I was asking about more specific relating to techno production using synths/plugins. I see now there's a wealth of info on interesting videos within the archives. I'll give the Pensado videos a look too!

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:51 pm
by monot
winston wrote:
monot wrote: typical pounding warehouse-ey style techno
post an example of what you're looking to make. probably every part of its sound is in the archive, but i get that you want some videos, i also find them easy to understand as you watch and know instead of visualising it (unless you are able to follow along with daw open)
I stated something generic like "pounding warehouse" as I didn't think there'd be tutorials that are too specific to what I'm into. I'm really into hypnotic kind of stuff, anything on Polegroup really.... Reeko, Exium. I fall down a lot with mixing the low end: the kicks on the 1's along with the filtered rhythmic subby rumbling toms/kicks (or bass) on the 2's 3's and 4's (*edit* of 16th notes). Making everything fit without sounding to muddled & choosing correct sounds. I'm only scratching the surface of the archives but I'm sure I'll find what I need there.

Few examples of tunes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Ml6U_FaZs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzSGkx ... jw&index=8

I love the resonant tom sound that pervades throughout in this one but can't quite emulate it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UivaaDI ... w&index=17

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:53 pm
by dubdub
Lost to the Void wrote: Pensados place on YouTube for example. Never does techno, but invaluable production tips.
Invaluable production tips, like infomercials on how to buy vodoo cables and use LANDR on your drums? :lol: Dude has very low standards when it comes to selling out.

youtu.be/aQTAy1eAq98
youtu.be/vaGE-zDoxuY

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:32 pm
by over9000
lol dubdub :D

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:19 am
by winston
monot wrote:
I stated something generic like "pounding warehouse" as I didn't think there'd be tutorials that are too specific to what I'm into. I'm really into hypnotic kind of stuff, anything on Polegroup really.... Reeko, Exium. I fall down a lot with mixing the low end: the kicks on the 1's along with the filtered rhythmic subby rumbling toms/kicks (or bass) on the 2's 3's and 4's (*edit* of 16th notes). Making everything fit without sounding to muddled & choosing correct sounds. I'm only scratching the surface of the archives but I'm sure I'll find what I need there.
there is a pretty decent youtube channel which would give you techniques for the low end
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkL_BZ ... a_OBi16hIw

you'll have to search for the techno stuff, as there's lots of other genres on it too. the descriptions of the videos usually have timestamps so you can jump to whatever interests you and you don't have to watch someone choosing high hat samples.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:38 am
by monot
Much obliged for that tip, Winston. I'll have a look now. Cheers!

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:50 am
by Lost to the Void
monot wrote:
Lost to the Void wrote:Good productions skills are universal.
You don't need techno specific stuff.
In fact if that's all you do look at, you end up painting yourself in to a small box.
Good skills can be had everywhere.
Pensados place on YouTube for example. Never does techno, but invaluable production tips.
Thanks for the tips. That makes sense. I have a degree in production/sound engineering, a lot of which focused on bands, so that's why I was asking about more specific relating to techno production using synths/plugins. I see now there's a wealth of info on interesting videos within the archives. I'll give the Pensado videos a look too!
What on earth do they teach you in these degrees?
The amount of guys I`ve spoken to who come out of music production degrees and don`t even know how to EQ or mix (not pointing at you specifically here) is weird.
One girl I know came out of a degree, then did a masters, and she was asking me how compression works. I was so stunned I just couldn`t answer.
And now she teaches production at a fucking college!!

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 4:00 am
by Lost to the Void
dubdub wrote:
Lost to the Void wrote: Pensados place on YouTube for example. Never does techno, but invaluable production tips.
Invaluable production tips, like infomercials on how to buy vodoo cables and use LANDR on your drums? :lol: Dude has very low standards when it comes to selling out.

youtu.be/aQTAy1eAq98
youtu.be/vaGE-zDoxuY
Yeah people were asking him how much Landr paid him.
He`s done that for a few other products as well.
The man likes money.....

First comment on that power chord video is by good old Ethan Winer
Any change that is audible is measurable. It's trivial to prove that a replacement power cord improves fidelity by measuring the output of the connected audio device with both power cords. But the people who sell these "placebo based" products never do. Or of they do the data is either fraudulent or incompetent. Shame on Dave for falling for one of the oldest scams in audio. More information, including a detailed explanation of what affects audio fidelity and what does not, is in two AES workshop videos you'll find on my own YouTube channel.
Hahaha, that cleared that shit up.

Still, the guy is a damn fine engineer and knows his shit.... I`ve picked up plenty of useful stuff from him.

Weirdly, a lot of these older guys (and some younger ones) swear by a lot of these audiophool myths. Lots of mastering engineers too. It`s actually quite surprising.

Re: Tips on decent techno production tutorials? (paid or fre

Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:07 am
by monot
Lost to the Void wrote:
monot wrote:
Lost to the Void wrote:Good productions skills are universal.
You don't need techno specific stuff.
In fact if that's all you do look at, you end up painting yourself in to a small box.
Good skills can be had everywhere.
Pensados place on YouTube for example. Never does techno, but invaluable production tips.
Thanks for the tips. That makes sense. I have a degree in production/sound engineering, a lot of which focused on bands, so that's why I was asking about more specific relating to techno production using synths/plugins. I see now there's a wealth of info on interesting videos within the archives. I'll give the Pensado videos a look too!
What on earth do they teach you in these degrees?
The amount of guys I`ve spoken to who come out of music production degrees and don`t even know how to EQ or mix (not pointing at you specifically here) is weird.
One girl I know came out of a degree, then did a masters, and she was asking me how compression works. I was so stunned I just couldn`t answer.
And now she teaches production at a fucking college!!

Well to be fair, I majored in coding (Csound, Pure Data etc.) so (thankfully) my so so mixing skills went under the radar for my final grade. It wasn't a strict sound engineering degree per se, but I get what ya mean.