Trance/Dance: Offbeat bass or....

[BDead]

When you guys make trance or dance songs do you then create the bassline on the offbeat of the drumpart or the 1 and 2 of the 4? or any other ideas? I have been creating them on the offbeat of the bassdrum to pump up the rythm and the speed with some small variations. But recently I have heard more and more songs with other bass solutions.

Any comments on that subject?

And, what do you do when programming the drumparts, what is the most effectful variation, my experience is that you don't need much variation, maybe just two small variatons in 8 bars, very simalar variatons but still not quite the same. this keeps the listener more on the edge waiting for the next variation..

Share your ideas if you like, I'm not xpecting you to share your deepest secrets, just as much as you want..

And just to add more confusion, do you only make music in 4/4 or do you use other options?

[bitcrusher]

depends what you are going for I guess. I tend to like basslines a bit funky and not too mechanical.

Funky music has *a lot* to do with the bass. Even though the wah-wah seems to get all the credit j/k.

Upbeat accents are good like you mention but if I ever hear kick-bass-kick-bass-kick-bass-kick-bass I change the radio station by the 2nd bar.

Also another good trick is to tie a note or two (let it hang over the next downbeat).

A good groove has some syncopation but not too much. Like everything, its about balance and giving the listener many expectations (so it isn't chaos) but not too many (that might make it childish-sounding).

[tee boy]

I dont really do that type of stuff anymore, but i used to go for two basslines most times. Id have a nice fat low off beat one to provide some bottom end and to interact with the kick drum. Then i would a tighter more rhythmic line to sit on top. Quite often this would involve skips of a 5th or 8ve. I also make sure it worked well with and percussion I had going on.

[Kriminal]

I usually run two basslines too. One 4/4 one, sidechained to the kickdrum to pump the f**ker, and an acid line to give the bass some movement and groove

[DJ REMIDI]

I started with just an off-beat bassline, but lately I try to be more creative. I usually layer two or three bassline patterns, but I try to keep bass notes away from the kick.

Kriminal, I heard some people mentioned sidechaining kick and bass before, but I don't really know how this works. Could you explain this technique in greater detail? What do you accomplish with this method?

Thanks!

[Kriminal]

It stops the two competing for space, so the compressor kinda ducks the sound to allow one thru and in the process gives a pumping affect

[Orbitutle]

There are so many variations...

The classic techno/trance is just offbeat.

Then there are the fast variated "Full On" basslines, that go up and down the octaves in a fast specific rythem. If you do this one you'll need either a light kick and deep bass, or the opposite.
Or you have to sidechain it like Krim said.

But even without sidechining, there are zillions of cool rythmic variations you can do.
One of the simple ones are just to move the bassline a 32note from the offbeat and too the right.

[peejunk]

Straight offbeat tu-du-tu-du bass does not qualify as a bassLINE in my boooks. Sequence something interesting, don't be lazy. I like people who write small melodies with bass, with syncopation and embelishments (within good taste off course).

If you treat a bassline as a hook it can be the most powerfull hook in the track (I'm mostly into breaks and DandB, so basslines are my fetish ). A good driving bline can drive the track so well that you don't have to work too hard on the topping.

There are decent basslines in trance, but mostly in prog and goa/psy rather than the everyday trance-trance tho.

Btw, offbeat is not a classic techno bass. Classic techno blines, in my books, are deep long melodic basses of Kevin Reese, and other Detroit things. The offbeat is euro-trance kinda thing.

[tee boy]

Alot of the techno iv been into lately has no clearly definable bass line. Quite often the bass content comes from the low end of the percussion. In this instance the side chain technique is particularly useful. In you are using synths then it really depends on what else is going on in that range. For example, a single off beat line might work well if there is dense percussion just above it. On the other hand, if the percussion is a little thinner a second line might be needed. Sometimes it can work really well to tune a percussion hit and layer it on top of a line, like in that Hemstock and Jennings tune 'Mirage'. Iv found this last method to spawn some great results.