In the first installment of Techno Fundamentals, electronic musician, Ableton Certified Trainer and Dubspot Instructor John Selway explains and shows you how to create interesting, deep, and lush bass sounds with Ableton Live’s versatile software instrument Operator.
I first thought to call this series “Techno Basics”, as I am showing some simple ways to get started with making beats and doing sound design for techno. But even just a few basic elements quickly develop into complex textures and open the door to bigger production concepts. Also, I’m keeping an ear to the past, taking techniques and sounds I’ve worked with in the late 80’s and 90’s and bringing them up to date with the modern tools in Ableton Live. I think it’s a great way to learn about techno production, having some perspective on where it all comes from. So “Fundamentals” refers to the musical and production techniques as well as the past of techno and how it relates to current music.
In this first tutorial, I’m introducing the idea that a single element can sound like more than it is, and that small changes can get a big result. Now I’m not specifically referring to “minimal”, but the idea that less is more applies. Making the most out of a few elements is always a great way to go. Lately I’ve been diving into early to mid 90’s techno styles again, the era of techno where I got my start and that I know very well, and which is what gave me the idea to use FM synthesis with Operator as an example for the tutorial. Much early techno uses FM sounds, tracks by Detroit pioneers such as Derrick May (Rhythim is Rhythim’s “Sinister“) and Juan Aitkins (Model 500’s “The Chase“) feature FM synths prominently – excepting the drums which are almost invariably Roland TR-909, TR-808 or other similar machines of the time. Also in the early to mid-90’s, artists like Cajmere (aka Green Velvet) used the distinctive FM tones almost exclusively for bass and lead sounds in classic tracks such as “Conniption” which the sound in my tutorial is partially inspired by.
Operator is one of my favorite devices in Live, it’s made FM synthesis more approachable and useful for me. My example in the video is to start with the most basic sound that Operator makes, the default with a single sine wave, and show how quickly it can evolve into something complex and dynamic. Also, without going into too much detail about exactly how FM works, it gives some experience into that kind of synthesis just by playing around and hearing the distinctive quality that happens when one oscillator is modulated by another at very high frequency.
A lot of the life in the sound I create in the video comes from the real time control of the Operator parameters. I’m showing how a sound evolves in a musical way, and choosing how and when subtle or extreme changes happen is where the magic is. A simple yet energetic beat and one interesting, dynamic sound, playing together in an undeniable groove, are enough to capture imaginations and move bodies. In the next installment there will be more of a focus on arranging, using the evolving sound to shape and build out a track.
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John Selway, Ableton Certified Trainer & Dubspot Instructor
