Trance = Beatless break + lush saw pad + "aah" choir + saw lead with low pass filter that opens up before the beat comes back in. Maybe throw a nice plinky piano or guitar / guitar-like synth in there for good measure.
That's what trance is, right?
You might think so, judging by what some producers do. I bring this up because I looked at this thread:
Not having heard anything by Static Blue, I listened to all the Beatport samples of tracks and remixes by Static Blue. Not one deviated from "the formula." If somebody decided to check out trance and happened to listen to this stuff, I might forgive him for thinking that all trance "sounds the same," because this stuff really does. It's like some producers received some kind of limited versions of DAWs and synths that won't let you deviate very far from the same twenty or so presets (and that's being generous).
And yet so many people lap it up. Why?
Aug-03-2007 12:33
david.michael
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Dayton, OH, USA
Almost all rock, rap, R&B, and pop songs are born out of a repeated formula as well... and it gets eaten up like candy. It's not just trance.
People like what they like.
Aug-03-2007 12:39
Tholius
Senior tranceaddict
Registered: Mar 2005
Location: Australia
"aah" choir + saw lead
thats the shit that does it for me. "chanting trance" ftw. yes i made that genre up.
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Aug-03-2007 12:40
Zoso
Banging Gangs!
Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Dirty South, United States
I'd have to agree that most genres offer us music in the form of some type of "formula". Perhaps we gravitate towards this because our brains are so good at picking out patterns. In general, I think, we gravitate towards things that are familiar and predictable. I have no studies or links to back this up, of course, so take all that with the appropriate sized grain of salt.
Last edited by Zoso on Aug-03-2007 at 13:38
Aug-03-2007 13:14
GoSpeedGo!
no more Mr. Nice Guy
Registered: May 2006
Location: Eisenstein's laboratory
quote:
Originally posted by Zoso
I'd have to agree that most genres offer us music in the form of some type of "formula". Perhaps we gravitate towards this because our brains our so good at picking out patterns. In general, I think, we gravitate towards things that are familiar and predictable. I have no studies or links to back this up, of course, so take all that with the appropriate sized grain of salt.
Yes. Many people feel comfortable when listening to familiar sounding music. It's the same thing with any other environment we move in; once we're in a place we perfectly know, we feel better.
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Aug-03-2007 13:23
Domesticated
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Feb 2007
Location:
Re: The trance formula
quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Trance = Beatless break + lush saw pad + "aah" choir + saw lead with low pass filter that opens up before the beat comes back in. Maybe throw a nice plinky piano or guitar / guitar-like synth in there for good measure.
That's what trance is, right?
You might think so, judging by what some producers do. I bring this up because I looked at this thread:
Not having heard anything by Static Blue, I listened to all the Beatport samples of tracks and remixes by Static Blue. Not one deviated from "the formula." If somebody decided to check out trance and happened to listen to this stuff, I might forgive him for thinking that all trance "sounds the same," because this stuff really does. It's like some producers received some kind of limited versions of DAWs and synths that won't let you deviate very far from the same twenty or so presets (and that's being generous).
And yet so many people lap it up. Why?
Perhaps for the same reason that people continue to make formulaic threads about how shit trance is these days?
Originally posted by Beat Blog
Perhaps for the same reason that people continue to make formulaic threads about how shit trance is these days?
touche
Aug-03-2007 14:32
nefardec
Tranceaddict in tranning
Registered: Oct 2004
Location:
yeah i don't know how the same things keep getting signed over and over
circle jerk?
Aug-03-2007 15:04
SPAWNmaster
DJ/Producer
Registered: Jun 2006
Location: Boston, USA
quote:
Originally posted by nefardec
yeah i don't know how the same things keep getting signed over and over
circle jerk?
well one thing to consider is that producers are commodities just like dj's. the label only wants to invest money in something thats marketable just like any other product. if the masses are buying, the label will keep providing from the same batch of cookies.
i guess this says more about the masses than the labels, because no one seems to have respect for their ears or legs anymore do they? only their fists...
Originally posted by SPAWNmaster
the label only wants to invest money in something thats marketable just like any other product. if the masses are buying, the label will keep providing from the same batch of cookies.
indeed.
money is awesome (or so i hear)
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Aug-03-2007 16:58
nefardec
Tranceaddict in tranning
Registered: Oct 2004
Location:
quote:
well one thing to consider is that producers are commodities just like dj's. the label only wants to invest money in something thats marketable just like any other product. if the masses are buying, the label will keep providing from the same batch of cookies.
haha, i meant that more as a rhetorical question.
i think you're right it says more about the consumers than the producers.
if the consumers were on the cultural edge, then surely the labels would have to release more 'culturally edgy' music
