TIPS FOR KILLER TECHNO TRACKS PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUES FOR NAILING A CLUB READY SOUND By Keith Mills ABOUT THE AUTHOR I have been fortunate enough to spend most of my life in and around the electronic music scene. As an accomplished sound engineer, I have had the unique pleasure of working on everything from acoustic recordings to dance floor ready monsters. However, the area I’ve always been most fascinated with is the difficult task of taking our enthusiasm and ideas and turning them into a finished product. Have you ever started making a track only to have the creative process killed by technical perfection? Learning the tools and techniques is essential but let me ask you, do you think it’s more important to know how to use a compressor or how to structure an arrangement? Would you rather know how to layer snares or write captivating music? It’s so often the quest for technical perfection that stands in the way of making great music! Since founding Quantize Courses in 2009 (now called Finish More Music®), I have worked closely with over 4,000 producers and musicians who are passionate about taking their music to the next level. This experience, coupled with fanatical research and a deep exploration of my own creative challenges, has helped me to understand and demystify the areas we most need to focus on to get results. With the Finish More Music System, I teach exactly how to overcome those nightmare creative hurdles and how to find the perfect balance between creativity and technicality so that you can finish more and better music ready to release and share with the world. Hi… I'm Keith Mills NON-COPYRIGHT NOTICE The entirety of this eBook is original. The author would like to state it’s totally fine for individuals to share this eBook with others, either as a printed book or online. However, please do not alter the contents in any way or use them as your own. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 2 INTRODUCTION Techno has become a global phenomenon over the last 2 decades and has had a monumental impact on modern day culture and the Electronic Music scene. With its core focus on pushing sonic boundaries, innovation through sound design and heavy dance floor driven beats, there is always something new and exciting happening that keeps music lovers and producers coming back for more! Although there are many sub genres of Techno nowadays, to me there are 3 defining characteristics of ‘traditional’ dance floor heavy Techno; a heavy, driving kick drum, hypnotic rhythms & grooves and a futuristic soundscape that always feels like it is one step ahead of the creative curve. Labels such as Dubfire’s ‘SCI+TEC’, Adam Beyers ‘Drumcode’ and DJ’s like Richie Hawtin & Charlotte De Witte are synonymous with this style of Techno and continue to drive the scene forward. One of the common challenges I find when aspiring producers approach me and want to learn how to produce Techno is that they are often confused and overwhelmed by the ever growing and seemingly infinite amount of resources available to them. They have read an array of magazine articles, blogs, watched loads of tutorials from different YouTube creators and have purchased tonnes of software to get the job done. What they really need is a simple, trusted guide on the key fundamentals of how to produce Techno, then they need to put this knowledge into action in their music and finish lots of tracks! With his mind I decided to create this beautiful eBook with some of my favourite tips, tricks and resources that can help you to create some banging Techno! All of these tips are divided into categories so that you can focus on one area of the production process at a time and quickly dive in and out of it while you create your next piece of music. The aim is to provide you with some quick inspiration or technical boost to enable you to keep moving forward. Whilst the information here is by no means comprehensive I do hope to have struck a nice balance between simplicity and depth. If you have any questions regarding this eBook, some tips of your own or some music inspired by this content you’d like to share, please do get in touch - my details are at the end. Happy music making :-) Keith Mills Ps.: Please note that some of the links in my favourite tools are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you. I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase. I use all of the sample packs, VST ’s and companies and have recommended them because I think they are great and will be useful to you. Please do not spend any money on them unless you feel you need them or they will help you to achieve your goals. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 3 DRUMS & GROOVE “WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO, YOU HAVE TO TRY TO BE AS HONEST WITH YOURSELF AND WITH YOUR ART AS POSSIBLE." After achieving global commercial success as one half of Grammy Award-winning duo Deep Dish, Ali Shirazinia’s move to the underground led to his phenomenal reinvention as Dubfire, and is now placed within the very top tier of electronic music’s underground. Listen to his interview inside the Finish More Music Podcast here. DUBFIRE SCI + TEC DRUMS & GROOVE Establishing a solid drum groove is the core foundation for a modern day Techno track. This is where we establish the energy, rhythms and driving nature of our tracks which we can then enhance and layer throughout later stages of the production process. I would always recommend working with the samples 2 CREATE A TECHNO REVERB RUMBLE There are lots of different ways to create the ultimate Techno sub rumble. I find the best results come from using your that you have in your current library or exploring one of your main kick as your source material. Try running your kick through a DAW’s pre-built drum kits to get you going. Here are some of my dark & cavernous reverb, such as Eventide’s Blackhole, at 100% favourite Techno drum and groove tips for you to experiment wet and record the results into an audio channel. Normalise the with in your next track. audio, EQ off the top end of the sound, place it in your arrangement timeline and sidechain it to your main kick. Use a fast 1 PICK THE RIGHT KICK attack, high compression ratio and tweak the threshold and release to suit your groove. Techno kicks are defined by their power and low end drive. Picking a kick with lots of sub information below 50hz will get you a long way in creating energy in the low end of your tracks. Pay attention to the length of the tail of your kick as this will define how you layer any tom drums or bass lines further down the process to avoid frequency clashing and phasing issues. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 6 DRUMS & GROOVE 3 THE 'ROLLING' SUB KICK If you’re after a more ‘rolling’ feel to your sub rumble, check out this tutorial where I deconstruct one of the pre-built 4 CREATE A DRIVING DRUM GROOVE Build a groove that will have clubbers dancing all night long by creating a simple ½ bar midi pattern using Tom’s, bongos, racks from our FMM music producer community. In short they congas and other tonal percussion. If you’re after that driving take their main kick and split this into 3 sections; Lows, mids and Techno groove, the shorter the rhythmical phrase, the higher the highs. The low sub information is isolated with an EQ and run energy on the dance floor. Experiment with velocity changes to through a 16th note delay creating a rolling sub that can provide make it even more groovy! If you want to explore the correlation some serious energy on the dancefloor! between loop lengths, rhythm and energy check out my tutorial on the subject here. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 7 DRUMS & GROOVE 5 TUNE YOUR TONAL DRUMS TO THE KEY OF YOUR TRACK 6 USING 16TH NOTES TO DRIVE ENERGY When using any drums that have a defined pitch such as a Kick or Adding a 16th note closed hat or shaker pattern is a fantastic way a Tom drum, try tuning them to the key of your song. Not only to drive energy into your drums. Bringing these in and out of your does this help to keep your drums fitting with any additional arrangement can help you accelerate towards high energy points melodies and harmonies you add later in the process, it makes in your track and get the dancefloor going crazy! For an added tip, them feel like they belong together. On the other hand this is experiment with note lengths, sample decay, velocity and timing Techno, so trust your ears first as sometimes detuning your tonal to add some cool variation to your groove. drums can create a darker, more dissonant sound. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 8 DRUMS & GROOVE 7 THE OFFBEAT OPEN HAT Another big energy driver for your Techno drums is the classic open hat. Find a sample that has a long decay and add this 8 SYNCOPATED CLAPS AND SNARES One of the great things about the experimental nature of Techno is moving away from traditional rhythms. Try adding a on the 1/8th note between your 4x4 kick pattern. The key here is syncopated snare or clap into your drum pattern that offsets the picking the right sample that fits with the vibe of your track. groove you have going. Add some cool effects, such as delays, and Again, the classic 909 is perfect for this! automate to your heart's content. This will add loads of character and interest to your drum arrangement. Check out this quick YouTube tutorial to see exactly how powerful this technique is! 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 9 DRUMS & GROOVE 9 WASHY TECHNO RIDES Want to know the secret of how professional producers set up their groovy, washy Techno ride cymbal patterns? I’ve got 10 ADD DEPTH AND ATMOSPHERE TO YOUR DRUMS Layering your drums with an atmosphere or foley recording can you covered in this tutorial! With a tasty ride sample, a sprinkling add texture, depth and interest into your drum groove. It also of processing and a dash of compression, this technique creates helps fill out all the space in between your drum hits to help them the ultimate Techno rides for your music. glue together and make them feel like they are all grooving together. Check out this quick tutorial on how to achieve this quickly and easily in your Techno tracks. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 10 TECHNO BASSLINES “IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A PROFESSION IN THIS, BE SEEN TO BE AND ACT LIKE A PROFESSIONAL " Mha Iri’s drive and appetite for success has launched her career to spectacular heights in a short space of time. In under 3 short years not only has she been topping the Beatport Techno charts, but regularly DJ’s alongside some of the best Techno artists in the world. Find out her secrets in this two-part episode of The Finish More Music Podcast. MHA IRI 1605 TECHNO BASSLINES Techno basslines are in general short, fast paced and are designed to enhance the low end groove you have running throughout your track. With most of the energy coming from monster kick drums in Techno, when adding your bass layer your goal is to enhance your existing rhythms, add extra energy and enhance tonal quality of your low end. Here are some of the ways I like to approach bass in Techno. 12 GENERATING BASS MIDI PATTERNS Not sure what notes to pick for your basslines? Try running a dissonant chord through a random sequencer or arpeggiator set to 16th’s and record the results. Experiment with different chords and loop lengths until you find something cool and interesting that 11 suits the vibe you are going for. I love using Kirnu Interactive’s THE ‘ROLLING’ BASSLINE Cream as my main arp and midi sequencer Try working with short midi patterns using 16th note hits with your favourite Techno bass sound (there are plenty to pick from inside most synth preset folders!) Experiment with pitch, velocity and always make sure to sidechain your bass to your kick or use your favourite volume shaper such as Xfer’s LFO Tool so you don’t muddy up your low end. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 13 TECHNO BASSLINES 13 EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR SAMPLE LIBRARY Techno is all about experimenting and pushing creative boundaries! Once you have established your bass midi pattern for your track, try chucking some random samples into your sampler and pitch them down into the lower octaves. Try percussive such as rim shots, random synth patches or even a vocal sample. You will be amazed with the unique sounds you can create by taking 14 DETUNE FOR DARKNESS If you want an edgier, darker techno bass sound, try detuning your synth or bass sample. If you don’t want to use the built in settings in your synth / sampler, try using a frequency shifter to alter the pitch of your sample. As an added tip try setting an LFO to the frequency shifter and add some analogue wobble into your bass. If you can’t find one inside your DAW of choice, check out kiloHearts Frequency Shifter Snapin something away from its original purpose and using it to create your bass lines 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 14 TECHNO BASSLINES 15 ADD A TECHNO BASS STAB TO YOUR GROOVE 16 ADD AN EXTRA OSCILLATOR TO YOUR SYNTH PATCH In order to add a little variation to your groove, consider adding a If you find a bass patch that excites you but want to put your own prominent bass stab that repeats every bar. Make sure this has a flavour into it, try adding an additional oscillator set at the minor distinct character that stands out from the rest of your low end so 3rd or perfect 5th of your scale. This can yield some interesting it can have impact in your mix. FM synthesis is fantastic for results that give you that can give your bass a darker, edgier feel. I creating this type of sound and with some simple processing, such love using UHE’s Diva when applying this technique as delays and reverbs, you have plenty of parameters to automate throughout your arrangement 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 15 TECHNO BASSLINES 17 DELAYS, DELAYS, DELAYS Adding a delay to your bass pattern is a fantastic way to bring life and movement to your mix. Try isolating the mid frequencies in your bass using an EQ and adding a delay plugin such as Soundtoys Echoboy. Experiment with different delay times and automate the amount of feedback throughout your arrangement to add some cool interest to your low end. 18 CREATE UNIQUE BASS USING FOLEY SOUNDS I love to use Foley sounds to create unique and interesting bass tones for my music. With the right vision, knowledge and a little processing, you can take most tonal recordings and turn them into a weighty bass sound for your techno track. Check out this tutorial where I take the recording of a bottle being flicked and turn it into a monster bass that will have the walls shaking at your favourite Techno venue. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 16 TECHNO BASSLINES 19 ACID BASS LINES If you love Techno, you will have certainly come across the classic 303 Acid bass sound. If you love a fast paced 20 MULTI FX SEQUENCING Stuck for ideas on how to add life to your Techno bass? Chuck some FX processing at it! Techno is all about bassline then I would highly recommend picking up this experimentation so just start chucking some of your favourite FX AudioRealism Bass Line 3 as a fantastic software emulation of the in a chain and record the results. You never know what will famous TB303. This sound is perfect for fast paced, dark and happen! Check out this cool tutorial where one of my FMM heavy techno tracks! students explored the multi FX sequencing unit, Tantra, and came out with some awesome results on her bass stabs! 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 17 LEAD SOUNDS “ACT LIKE THE PERSON THAT WILL MAKE THIS VISION A REALITY” From his humble beginnings in Iran to becoming one of the biggest names in techno, this man has faced and overcome some of the biggest barriers in life to get to where he is now! Check out this episode of The Finish More Music Podcast where Iman shares with us his musical journey to remind us that we already have everything we need to succeed. HABISCHMAN GLOBAL UNDERGROUND LEAD SOUNDS Techno leads are often constructed using futuristic, experimental sounds that are built with a combination of sampling, synthesis and other foley sound design techniques. Simple ideas combined with creative processing is the key to your success here. Establishing unique rhythms, memorable motifs and 22 POLYRHYTHMS Adding additional rhythms, specifically polyrhythms, into your lead groove can add a very hypnotic feeling to your hypnotic hooks that enhance the groove of your track idea are Techno tracks. By adding a polyrhythm that offsets your main the ultimate goal. Here are some of my best tips and tricks for groove you can keep a listener engaged for minutes on end in an adding lead sounds into your Techno tracks. arrangement, with less need for additional interest and movement in the sound you are using. Check out this awesome tutorial 21 where I cover the theory behind polyrhythms to add extra interest, FOCUS ON RHYTHM tension and rhythmical changes to your techno beat. Before you focus on the huge array of sound design choices and possibilities available to you, establish your rhythm first. Keep it simple and design a pattern that works with the groove you have going on in your track idea using a simple context sound. Once you’ve established that your rhythm will work with your existing groove, you can then focus on finding the right sound for the vision of your track. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 20 LEAD SOUNDS 23 CALL & RESPONSE There are many ways to create a lead groove in your tracks but one technique that is proven to work, and one that 24 DISSONANT RIFFS If you’re trying to add a darker, edgier feel to you lead riffs and motifs, try using dissonant note sequences within your humans inherently love is ‘Call & Response’. Mix that with a super chosen scale. Create a short melodic riff that incorporates jumps to interesting polyrhythm and you have the makings of a Techno dissonant notes that are 1 semitone away from each other. For dance floor hit! Check out this tutorial where we look at example if you’re using a minor scale jumping from the 5th to the combining ‘Call & Response’ and Polyrhythms to enhance the 6th note in the scale will give a much edgier feel than jumping rhythm in our tracks, so that it stands out and has a heavy impact from the 4th to the 6th on the dance floor. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 21 LEAD SOUNDS 25 APPLY AN LFO TO YOUR SYNTH PATCH Techno lead lines often have an unstable feel to them. Add some modulation to your synth patch by assigning an LFO to the pitch of your oscillators. This adds an analog style VCA wobble to the pitch of your synth which can add some instability to your lead lines, making them feel even more Techno! 26 GENERATING RIFFS AND MOTIFS Some days can feel harder than others coming up with new and creative riffs, motifs and hooks. Other days you just need an extra helping hand to inspire you to move forward and finish your track. If you’re working in Ableton, then download our FMM Riff Kick Starter rack and quickly generate a bunch of ideas. Check out this tutorial where I show you how to use this rack for instant inspiration for your next Techno monster. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 22 LEAD SOUNDS 27 AUTOMATE YOUR EFFECTS When adding effects to your lead lines explore the automation possibilities each one provides. Using automation 28 THE TECHNO SYNTH STAB One sound that is synonymous with Techno music is the mighty synth chord stab. Synth stabs have been featured in outside of your synth / samplers ADSR controls is a fantastic way some of the biggest and best tracks over the years and it can to add movement and interest to your sounds and provide instantly make your music feel more Techno! Add an inverted excellent opportunities to create tension and suspense during minor chord to your midi pattern that aligns with your groove with your arrangement. Experiment with delays, reverbs, distortion one of your favourite poly synth patches. Experiment with devices or anything else that adds movement and interest to your different chord inversions, midi patterns and synth patches to nail sounds. the vibe that fits your vision for the track. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 23 LEAD SOUNDS 29 DUB DELAYS To compliment your synth stabs, try adding a deep dub delay that will add a nice washy feedback texture into your 30 FOLEY SOUND DESIGN If you want to create unique sounds that will have other producers asking the question “how the hell did they make mix. Check out this awesome tutorial where I show you a quick that?” then using foley sounds are a great way to go! Check out and easy way to create a dub delay using sends and returns inside this incredible tutorial where members of my Finish More Music your DAW of choice. This is a fantastic technique and can community turn the sound of a pneumatic drill into a quirky techno enhance the futuristic and experimental vibe of your music. Don’t sequence. Apply these simple processing techniques to various forget to add a limiter to your master channel or you might need source material and you will have a selection of lead sounds ready to buy new speakers in the next back Friday sales! to use in your next Techno banger 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 24 ATMOSPHERE & FX “YOU CAN’T CONTROL OTHER PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION, SO CREATE THE MUSIC YOU WANT.” With over a 150 releases and more than 600 tracks finished, no one has understood the power of finish tracks more so than FMM Techno Legend, James Dyer a.k.a. JIMMYZKINZ. Check out this interview with James inside The Finish More Music Podcast where he shares his production insights and understand how he has mastered the art of being prolific! JIMMYZKINZ WHITE LINE MUSIC ATMOSPHERE & FX Techno atmospheres combine the use of evolving drones, warm lush ambient tones and eery foley textures. Creating an atmospheric sonic landscape for your Techno track to shine in can elevate your musical idea to a professional level and really make it stand out from the rest of the crowd. Let’s check out some of my 32 THE FMM DRONE RACK If you’re using Ableton then check out this tutorial and download our free FMM Drone Rack. With this rack you can favourite ‘go to’ techniques that I use to create my own Techno take almost any source material and turn it into a moving, evolving sonic world when I create. atmospheric drone in seconds! Plus with our pre-built macros you can drop the rack onto any channel, turn some knobs and instantly 31 create a range of drone sounds to use in your Techno tracks TECHNO DRONES Drone sounds are a fantastic way to set the atmosphere, vibe and tone of your Techno tracks. Try running a synth or sample from your track through a long cavernous reverb, add some chorus and distort to your taste. Record the audio and drop it into your track for an instant Techno vibe! 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 27 ATMOSPHERE & FX 33 REAL WORLD AMBIENCE Adding a simple field recording into your mix can add depth, texture and help all your sounds gel together. The next 34 VINYL AND TAPE HISS In the digital era, modern music recordings can sometimes sound a bit clean and empty if you’re producing entirely time you’re in a cafe, waiting for a train or out in nature, use your ‘out of the box’. Bring back the analog feel to your tracks by adding smartphone to record any ambience around you. Drop the a vinyl sample or tape hiss into your arrangement. Doing this recording throughout the length of your track quietly in your mix creates the vibe that your tracks have been run through some to add a totally unique atmosphere to your next Techno record. classic analog hardware and can add tonnes of grit and character. If you don’t have any samples to hand, check out this iZotope’s Vinyl plugin that you can add to any channel to add an instant analog vibe to your Techno tracks. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 28 ATMOSPHERE & FX 35 CREATIVE SAMPLING Creative sampling has been at the forefront of Techno production throughout its history. Check out this tutorial 36 BRING YOUR ATMOSPHERES TO LIFE Once you have generated your Techno atmospheres, bring them where I create a lush, eerie drone pad sound from a plastic bottle to life assigning a bunch of LFO’s to a simple EQ. This will add being flicked into a microphone. If you want to check out some tonnes of movement and interest to any static sounds you have fun and creative advanced sampling techniques, this one's for going on in your mix that will keep listeners engaged throughout you! your track arrangement. Check out this quick tutorial where I show you how to set this up quickly and easily inside Ableton Live. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 29 ATMOSPHERE & FX 37 ADDING TENSION & RELEASE If you want to add some extra tension into your arrangement, try automating the gain of a sustained sound, such 38 FX SUPER SENDS When it comes to finalising your song arrangement adding extra splashes of FX can help enhance your creative ideas as a drone or dissonant pad sound, into key transition points in and elevate your track to another level. Try adding some random your arrangement. Take listeners to the edge of their comfort audio effects such as delays, reverbs or saturation into a return zone and make them feel as uncomfortable as possible before channel and send some of your sounds for a quick FX blast at letting go of the sound and dropping back into your killer Techno certain points throughout your track. Check out this quick video groove. where I explain this technique during one of our Live Q&A sessions inside the Finish More Music community. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 30 ATMOSPHERE & FX 39 DARK FX If you want to create a dark FX riser that will sit perfectly with the other elements in your track, generate your 40 PARALLEL DISTORTION If you want to add a crispy tonal quality to your main sounds that can help your music feel dark and edgy, try own using a kick, tom or other percussive sound that already experimenting with parallel distortion. Add your favourite features heavily in your creative idea. With some simple reversing distortion or saturation device to a return channel, such as D16’s techniques and effect processing you can create your own dark Devastor 2, isolate the frequencies you want to target using an EQ FX riser that will enhance your transitions. Experiment with and send some of your sounds into the return. This can add some different source material for some interesting results. You can serious grit and character to your mix! check out this simple and highly effective technique here 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 31 MINDSET & WORKFLOW “I WORK ON ONE TRACK AT A TIME AND I ALWAYS FINISH IT. THAT'S THE RULE!” Techno DJ producer and label owner Roberto truly has an impressive discography, with releases on Fachwerk, ARTS, and Obscura and now running his own Techno label, ‘Fossil Archive’, Roberto shares with us some massive insights in his mindset, production processes, and his workflow in his exclusive interview inside The Finish More Music Podcast. ROBERTO FOSSIL ARCHIVE MINDSET & WORKFLOW Creative ideas can arrive at any given moment. Some arrive when we are sitting in front of our DAW, others choose to appear at the most unexpected times. We do not decide when a great creative idea will come to us and if we’re not ready to capture that moment quickly and don’t have the mindset to push forward with this creative idea, some of the best Techno tracks will never materialise into finished tracks. Here are some mindset and workflow tips to get you firing on all cylinders when these creative ideas arrive. 41 42 TAKE INSPIRATION FROM PRO TRACKS Analysing your favourite Techno tracks is a great way to find some creative inspiration for your next project. Listen to a bunch of tracks before your creative sessions and note down any ideas that come to your mind. Then out these ideas into action in your DAW! Avoid imitating and copying these ideas, instead use them as inspiration to generate your own creative concepts so you can RECORD EVERYTHING! generate your own, unique Techno sound. If you’re experimenting with any of the techniques in this eBook, or prefer to use hardware to create your ideas, record everything you make! When you are experimenting with new techniques and twisting various knobs on your controllers, happy accidents will appear. If you’re not recording everything you are creating, these unique ideas could be lost forever! So remember to hit record before you experiment so all your ideas are safely stored for you to slice, resample and resequence in your track after you finished jamming. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 34 MINDSET & WORKFLOW 43 SAVE YOUR FAVOURITE CREATIVE TOOLS If you find yourself building loads of cool experimental FX racks 44 SUSPEND JUDGEMENT WHEN CREATING Keep an open mindset when you are busy jamming new creative and effects chains, save them in your user library! By quickly ideas. It is very easy to be focussed on the outcome rather than grabbing your creative FX racks from your library, rather than enjoying the process and opening yourself up to what arrives in building them from scratch each time you create, you can save your studio at any given moment. Be open to new ideas, new yourself valuable producing time. Having these tools organised techniques and new ways of operating to enhance your creativity. and ready to go can help you stay in your creative flow and Habischamn recently joined me a podcast interview and keeping enable you to move forward with ideas at a much faster pace. this open mindset in the studio has enabled him to release music on some of the biggest Techno record labels in the world 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 35 MINDSET & WORKFLOW 45 SHARE YOUR MUSIC FOR FEEDBACK If you want to improve your music then it is always a fantastic idea to seek objective and unbiased feedback on your tracks (DON’T send it to your non-producer friends as they will likely offer ‘nice’ rather than objective critique.) Find yourself a community of music producers that you can trust and ask for their review of your music. Evaluate the suggestions they provide and you can then focus on key areas of your production skills that you can work on in your next project. We do this each month inside the Finish More Music Producer community. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 36 DEVELOPING YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST “IF YOU JUST KEEP PUSHING FORWARD, BUILD YOUR HABITS, AND BE DEDICATED, YOU’RE GOING TO GET THERE. IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN.” Tom had been passionate about music his entire life, but when it came to producing he just couldn’t get the results he wanted but he knew his passion for music was too large to fail. And it took just one thing, one flick of the switch to turn it all around. Listen to Tom's transformation in this episode of The Finish More Music Podcast. TOM SCHIPPERS MAVIC MUSIC DEVELOPING YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST If you’re finishing lots of music and starting to release some of your work, then the next big step is to develop yourself as a unique Techno artist. In this section I cover my favourite tips from some of the biggest names in the industry from my FMM Podcast. These tips and tricks are a sure fire way to level up your game and set yourself up for success to become the professional producer you aspire to be. 46 LEARN FROM THE PRO’S If you want to know exactly how to build a lifelong career in the industry, then seek the knowledge from someone who has been there and done it! In this podcast Techno legend, Dubfire, reveals how he continues to find creative inspiration, how to be honest with yourself as an artist, plus some super interesting perspectives on what the future might hold for Electronic Music. This podcast is rammed full of incredible advice for any up and coming Techno producers on how to advance their skills and make it into the top tier of professional music producers 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 39 DEVELOPING YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST 47 NOW ACT LIKE A PRO Emulating Pro habits is the best way to become one yourself! Whether it’s getting up early and sticking to your daily creative routine or limiting the amount of drinks you consume at your next DJ gig, if you think and act like a professional producer, you give yourself the best chance of making your dreams a reality. Mha iri from the FMM community has adopted this mindset and over 3 short years has gone from being a bedroom singer / songwriter and built a thriving DJ career while constantly churning out top selling Techno releases. Listen to her 2 part story here 48 FIND YOUR OWN UNIQUE SOUND “You don’t find your sound, your sound finds you.” Most producers' end goal is to create their own unique signature sound that makes them stand out from the crowd. The easiest way to find it? Keep writing, keep finishing tracks and eventually that signature sound will find you Check out this podcast where I boil down what makes successful producers truly authentic and outline proven methods which you can follow to start becoming that yourself. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 40 DEVELOPING YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST 49 BE PROLIFIC If you want to advance your skills and become a professional Techno producer, you need to consistently finish lots of music. The leading Techno names in the industry may only release a handful of tracks each year, but they will be finishing hundreds behind the scenes. Check out this podcast from FMM member, JIMMYZKINZ, and become inspired as he discusses how he has developed a clear and concise workflow that enables him to finish tracks at ease every time he sits down to create. 50 SET GOALS AND MAKE THEM HAPPEN It is proven that when you set yourself goals, you are more likely to see results that can help you move forward with your music. If you effectively set goals and foster the right mindset to follow through with them, you have every chance of achieving greatness. Check out this podcast if you want to learn further about the power of goal setting to level up and reach your version of success. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 41 “FOCUS ON THE WORK, AND THE WORK WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.” Described by some as “Detroit Techno’s Renaissance Man”, Alan AKA DJ T-1000 is a crucial figure in the techno history books, and remains to this day an active voice within the creative community. Check out how Alan stays on top his game after 30 years in the creative industry in his exclusive interview inside The Finish More Music Podcast. ALAN OLDHAM PURE SONIK RECORDS You might have noticed that ALL of the tips in this eBook came from either members of the Finish More Music community, myself or… Our guest FMM mentors who open up their projects LIVE in the community to show you exactly how they write music for the world’s biggest labels: Dubfire and his engineer Matt Nordstrom, Habischman, Roberto, Mha Iri Imagine how far you could go if you were surrounded by a group of dedicated Techno Producers AND top level Pro’s like this who are all invested in your success. We’ll… if you love the idea of this and you want to learn from the best, build connections with other Techno Producers and start releasing your music on the labels you love, then I’d love to welcome you into the community that has it all: The Finish More Music® Community. Since this ebook is inspired by our FMM members, here is a glimpse of this wonderful community. 50 Tips for Writing Killer Techno Tracks 42 ABOUT FINISH MORE MUSIC The Finish More Music® system takes my experience of working with thousands of music producers and distills it down into the essential strategies and workflows that make all the difference to a music producer’s success. Finish More Music is about driving you forward with a clear, step by step path that leverages your existing knowledge and skills and gets you realising your potential to finish better and better tracks. To learn more about how Finish More Music® can help you experience huge jumps in your productivity and write music you’re proud of, check out some of our members' breakthrough here: https://finishmoremusic.com/fmm085/ If you want to know more, make sure to join the waitlist and you’ll be invited to a FREE FMM WORKSHOP that will turbo charge your output in advance! HERE ARE SOME OF THE BREAKTHROUGHS OUR MEMBERS EXPERIENCE WITH FMM "I HAVE AN EP HIT NO. 1 IN THE TECHNO CHARTS!" Keith is a fantastic mentor and what he’s doing for the music community is fantastic. At the start I had points where I struggled and felt I wasn't progressing fast enough. I didn't think it was possible for me to get into the top 100 so early in my production journey and have an EP hit No. 1 in the Techno charts! FMM played a huge role in me achieving this and I’m excited to keep developing more and more and chasing my dreams. - Mha Iri | 1605 "FMM BROUGHT ME A WHOLE LOAD OF NEW TRACKS!" Having a mentor is like having your own personal audience, someone with knowledge telling you what they think and giving you feedback and advice. It's invaluable. Keith simplifies things that seem complex. His arrangement and song structure methods brought me a whole load of new tracks. I highly recommended FMM to anyone wanting to know exactly how music works. - Mark Jenkyns | Suara , Hot Creations "FMM MADE SUCH A POSITIVE IMPACT ON EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE" After more than ten long years struggling with music production, going down the usual rabbit holes, watching tons of tutorials and making countless 8 bar loops I had one track finished. In just a few months of being in FMM, I now have 19 and one of them signed! I'm over the moon! -Tamás Székely | Deep People Records "FMM HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED THE WAY I PRODUCE MUSIC " Before joining FMM I nearly gave up on music production altogether. The only thing that stopped me was my love for dance music and how good it made me feel when I was in the zone. So at 41, I have my first release. That in itself is an amazing feeling. One I can get used to! I have still only scratched the surface of FMM and what benefits it will bring to my future music productions. FMM has completely changed the way I produce music and I have gained so much knowledge and confidence since I joined. - Barry Johnstone | SoundOptix "FMM HAS GIVEN ME THE CONFIDENCE TO MOVE TO THE BIGGEST LABELS IN MY GENRE." If it wasn't for FMM, I'd probably still be spending most days on my music, but not finishing it. I'd be in that stage where I'm just tweaking the bassline. Being part of FMM has driven me forward and given me the confidence to move from small labels to the biggest labels in my genre. -Paul Lock | Deep Disco Records THANK YOU I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this eBook and it serves as a constant source of ideas to help simplify and streamline your creative process. If this ebook has been helpful, share it with your friends and tag me on Instagram @iamkeithmills. If you would like to reach out, feel free to DM me anytime. I’d love to hear from you :-) Please get in touch if you have any tips you would like to share or have any suggestions for subjects you would like to see more tips on. If you are driven to refine your workflow, focus on the right areas to move you forward with your music, and network with a super positive group of like minded producers, you will love the Finish More Music Community. Join me on Instagram and YouTube where you’ll find a constant source of tips, tricks and video tutorials about everything music production.
