I find that the presence or absence of some squiggly acid-like element -- be it squelchy background or full-on 303 lead -- is the most common feature to trance I find great. This came to my attention after trying to figure out why I used to like a lot of epic trance, but find so much of today's just utter crap.

Carte Blanche? Squelchy supporting synth. Rollercoaster (Courtyard Mix)? Supporting acid line. Epic Monolith? Supporting acid line. Tenshi? Supporting acid line. Red Sun Rising (Lange Remix)? Supporting squelchy synth. And so on.

The exception (for me, at least) seems to be Balearic trance like Seven Cities and Saltwater. It appears tropical flair can replace acid. This is my theory as to why I really liked Tiesto's mix of Southern Sun, even though it lacked any acid-like textures.

"Growing out of it" has never struck me as a very believable reason, because I can still go back and listen to those anthems and get the same satisfaction. Around 2002, epic trance seemed to shed its shadows of acid, with only a few exceptions, and to me the quality seemed to drain out with it. In fact, the tracks I have seemed to "grow out of" have been the ones lacking acid-like sounds.

So, is this just my personal preference, or a more general rule? Is acid of some sort an essential bit to quality epic trance?

yeah

acid

gritty moogs

supersaws

portamento pulse

they tickle me right

I love acid, but trance can still be trance without it, in my eyes. This is what I think of as trance:

(1) Repetitive (yeah, all dance music is repetitive, but trance is even more so than other genres of dance music).

(2) Completely or almost exclusively synthesized melodic elements, or maybe samples that are treated so that they no longer sound like they're samples.

(3) No elements that scream out "I'm the center of the track! Listen to me!" This often means no vocals, because lyrical vocals draw attention to themselves right away automatically -- people want to know what they're saying.

(4) Very gradual morphing / bringing in and out of elements throughout a track -- very little "slamming" stuff in. Subtlety.

(5) Generally fairly high tempo (130-150 bpm) with a regular 4/4 beat.

(6) No huge breakdowns.

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles (1) Repetitive (yeah, all dance music is repetitive, but trance is even more so than other genres of dance music).

I'd say it's just the other way? Trance (usually) consists of breaks, leads and climaxes, which obviously makes it less repetitive than other EDM genres. No?

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quote:

Originally posted by Real I'd say it's just the other way? Trance (usually) consists of breaks, leads and climaxes, which obviously makes it less repetitive than other EDM genres. No?

If you're talking about modern trance, sure.

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quote:

Originally posted by Cobalt So, is this just my personal preference, or a more general rule? Is acid of some sort an essential bit to quality epic trance?

I totally agree with that acid gives trance tunes a nice touch. Even If i think that the tunes you mentioned aren't the best examples. Trance tunes with acid lines which works really well are such as Deepsky - Stargazer (Original mix), Body Shock - Full Moon etc.
It's sad to see that the old Roland TBR-303 isn't used very often nowadays. Nowadays you even raise your eyebrowns when you hear it, that rarely do you find it.

The reason why it's used so rarely nowadays is because I think that the modern producers aren't familiar with it and doesn't know how to use it properly and because it doesn't fit in their soft epic tunes. Acid adds a rawness which they probably think kills the cloud soft vibe of their tunes.

Modern producers are allergic to raw sound. I remember when we discussed the raw sound of Digital Blonde over at the CD/Review section. Some producers couldn't accept anything that didn't sound crystal clear.

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quote:

Originally posted by RebeL9 It's sad to see that the old Roland TBR-303 isn't used very often nowadays. Nowadays you even raise your eyebrowns when you hear it, that rarely do you find it.

The reason for that is that it's too hard to emulate that sound with software

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quote:

Originally posted by Mr.Mystery The reason for that is that it's too hard to emulate that sound with software

Rebirth ftw!

Good thread! I too love the old acid sound and i wonder why people won't use it more often. I have been experimenting with acid stuff in my recent stuff and it really hits the spot. Acid ftw!

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That's the reason why I barely listen to any modern music anymore. When I want new material I find myself digging through catalogs of the 1990-97 era.

It's not essential, and it doesn't automatically make a track better, but I admit I like trance with a strong element of abstract synths, and the 303 is the original abstract synth sound. I also cheered in surprise when John Askew threw some acid into his album.

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quote:

Originally posted by Whirloop Good thread! I too love the old acid sound and i wonder why people won't use it more often. I have been experimenting with acid stuff in my recent stuff and it really hits the spot. Acid ftw!

Acid definitely ftw!

I must say you are quite succesul in your experiments

One of the few who can revive the quality acid sounds from the 90s in a modern production. Keep up the good work!

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