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How to Make a Rave Song

Rave music is a popular form of electronica, especially in the house, trance, progressive and happy-hardcore scenes that started in the 90s. This form of music is especially popular in club and underground scenes, as its steady beat and distinctive synthesizers create a sound that is highly conducive to dancing. With a few synthesizers and percussive elements, you too can create your own rave music with a tremendous beat and catchy melody to get people moving on the dance floor.

Things You'll Need

  • Digital Audio Workstation such as Ableton, Reason or FL Studio
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set the BPM (beats per minute) of the song somewhere between 120 to 150.

    • 2

      Select a synthesizer in your Digital Audio Workstation of choice to create the first audio channel. Common synthesizers for rave music include saw wave synths or trance pad synths.

    • 3

      Generate a melody by adding individual notes in the MIDI section. This box will be clearly marked in any Digital Audio Workstation, and notes will always be represented by rectangles.

    • 4

      Select a bass synthesizer from the menu and place it in a second audio channel.

    • 5

      Generate a bass line by adding individual notes or chords in the MIDI section of the bass synth. It should be in the same key as the melody, but it should also be a simpler track than the melody. Bass lines usually incorporate an alternation of a few notes or a chord per bar.

    • 6

      Add a percussion channel to your track. Your percussion channel should include at minimum a bass drum, a snare drum, and a hi-hat. Each Digital Audio Workstation will allow you to select a percussion kit with multiple percussion elements.

    • 7

      Place a bass drum note in the MIDI on every fourth note beat.

    • 8

      Place an alternating snare drum and hi-hat every other fourth note beat starting on the second beat of the bar.

Digital Music

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