Conventions of Trance Music

Trance

Time Signature is usually 4/4 as that is the beat that people can dance to easier.
Between 120-150bpm. It tends to be faster than house music.
A 'four to the floor' drum pattern is normally used.
In trance music the mixing of layers distinctly shows a strong build-up and release.
They often have one strong, catchy melody line that is repeated throughout the whole song.
Fast Arpeggios and Minor Keys and Chords are used.
Drums and Bass are usually made electronically and often have a deep bass sound to them.
Reverb is usually used on claps or crashes at the end of bars/sections in the song to give a fading/blending effect. Low Pass Filters may be used on harmonic instruments to put more emphasis on the deep drum and bass parts.
Synthesizers are extremely common. Different presets or techniques may be used, so artists can change the sound of synths, using ADSR, Resonance, and Pitch.
Songs usually fade in/out so that artists can blend two songs together, in a compilation style.

Compression

Compression reduces the dynamic range of a piece of music. It brings the loudest points (that are over a certain threshold) down, so you can then bring the overall volume up.
Dynamics is the relative loudness or volume of the piece of music, and how it changes throughout the song.

During the 1940-1950's, someone would manually control the dynamics. Eventually something was made to control it automatically.

Compression works by monitoring an input and using the data to effect the output. It reduces the volume of the loudest points in the signal, so they loudest parts are closer to the quietest parts.



The ratio is how much you turn the loudest points down by.
A limiter is something that makes sure it doesn't go past the threshold.

Compression settings:
*Threshold- how loud the signal has to be before compression is applied
*Attack- how quickly the compression changes the volume. How long with a frequency stay over the threshold before compression is applied.
*Release- How long does it take the compressor to turn down
*Makeup Gain- when you turn the whole piece of music up, after applying compression.

Microphones

Dynamic Mic.

Condenser Mic.

Ribbon Mic.

Polar Pattern

• Cardioid - Picks up some sound from the side, lots from the front but rejects it at the back.

• Omnidirectional - All the way around, like a balloon. Best as a room mic.

• Bidirectional - Picks up at the front and back, but nothing at the sides.