Mattias Fridell – Techno Sample Pack | Techniques for Creating Captivating Basses
- 20/01/2024
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Hello to all techno music fans,
Today, in our special“Production” edition of Techno Mag, we invited producers Mattias Fridell and Alexander Johansson to talk about their method of creating bass in techno, and it’s a real source of inspiration for budding producers and enthusiasts of the genre.
Mattias and Alexander’s techniques for creating techno basses
We have a few different approaches to the lower part of our tracks. This is something we could discuss for weeks, but we’ll be brief and try to summarize as best we can.
Our main aim and methodology is to work with several components that connect well together, creating the type of bass we prefer. We simply call it a “bass cluster”.
The cluster is made up of numerous elements from different parts of the track, such as synthesizer bass parts, processed and pitched bass drums and percussion sounds. These elements are methodically worked on to complement each other during the creation of our tracks. From time to time, we also mix them with classic reverb or simple synthetic bass lines. It all depends on the track and what we want to achieve.
From time to time, we like to lower the pitch of sounds that aren’t usually bass sounds, but still have a wide range in the frequency spectrum. The particular richness and tonality when these sounds are pitched down and treated with distortion, compression, filtration, delays and other effects make them particularly effective in supporting the complete bass structure. Generally, some attenuation is required with an equalizer to ensure that sounds are controlled to work within the track.
Many years ago, when we started making techno, we discovered that bass drums playing arpeggios or stacking them like “chords” with lots of compression and filtering can be incredibly effective at making bass thick, full and driving, so that’s probably where the idea of the “bass cluster” came from.
The way we work our processing is also crucial in shaping the sound of our bass. All other sounds in the track must function in the same way.
Ideally, start with a simple idea and build from there. You don’t necessarily need to keep it simple throughout, although that’s certainly a good approach. The important thing is to get started and try to work as quickly as possible so as not to lose interest. As you progress, don’t forget to go back and adjust your bass elements continuously throughout the creation of your track if necessary.
Alexander Johansson & Mattias Fridell
Eric, le capitaine du navire TechnoMag, est développeur web, consultant SEO, rédacteur de metier, et surtout fanatique de musique ! Depuis l’enfance, il est attiré par les basses et les kicks, passant des heures à écouter et jouer sur machines pour le plaisir, avec son frère et ses amis, depuis plus de dix ans. Globe-trotteur, il a exploré des free parties sauvages et illégales jusqu’aux plus grands festivals internationaux. Dans son passé, il a aussi été VJ et impliqué dans l’organisation de soirées pas toujours vraiment autorisées. Aujourd’hui, il aime capturer l’énergie des événements pour la retranscrire aux autres, que ce soit derrière l’appareil photo, la caméra, ou en rédigeant un article. Avec quelques missions bénévoles à son actif et une association toute neuve, il rêve d’un lieu autonome où chacun pourrait balancer son set sans craindre de perdre son matos.
