Dub Techno
[music germany youtube synth An appreciation of dub techno, and how to make it…
What do I like about it?
- It appeals to my interests in ambient space music and minimal techo, but a bit more peppy
- It tends to avoid annoying EDM tropes like ramps, supersaws, drops
- It leaves room open for experimentation, generative strategies, and exploring new sonic architectures
- OTOH, it’s hard to really define a “composition” and much of it tends to sound similar
History
- Video: The Origin and History of Dub Techo (10:54)
- Basic Channel is effectively the originator
How to make it (in Ableton)
One of the challenges in these videos: They tend to use effects/instruments that are only present in the Ableton Suite, not the intro version. I’ve tried to figure out substitutions when possible.
- Video: Understanding Dub Techno ─ A Musicologist’s Approach (39:15) — as much a lecture on the aesthetic motifs (spontaneous repetition from delays, atmospheric modulation using LFOs, embracing noise sources) as it is a “how-to” tutorial. (sub wavetable –> drift or vital, echo –> dub echo, DS Kick –> any old kick, resonators –> ??? )
- Video: Ableton Live Tutorial - Minimal Dub Techno — I love this guys irreverant take. He makes an entire track just by processing a kick through various return tracks. It’s interesting how he does this all with effects, without explicitly using any LFOs. (DS Kick –> some kick, spectral resonator –> ???, vocoder –> ???, resonators –> ???, dynamic tube –> ??? (skipable), spectral time –> ???, OTT –> xfer records OTT )
- Video: How to make Dub Techno chords, drums, and bass (20:39) — pretty simple setup with minimal effects: kick + shaker + clave (samples) + synth chords (massive –> vital or drift). Unlike the other ones, he’s essentially composing the baseline, with some basic baseline, no complicated patterns.
- Article: Pheek’s Guide To Making Dub Techno — good because it describes particular effects and substitutions and gives some guidance on how they feel sonically.