Connect a MIDI controller to your computer with a USB cable. The MIDI controller is very similar to a synthesizer, but rather than creating its own sounds, it enables you to play the synthesized software instruments in Ableton.
Double-click the desktop icon to launch Ableton.
Click "File" and select "New Track."
Click the "Tab" button to toggle between "Session View" and "Arrangement View." The former is for the mixing stage, the latter is for the composing stage. If "Arrangement View" is selected already, leave the "Tab" button.
Click on the tempo box. This is the box at the bottom of the interface containing the tempo information, in beats per minute, or "BPM." The default tempo in Ableton is 120 BPM. This is too slow for trance music, which is characterized by a tempo range of between 140 to 145 BPM. Type "140" in the box.
Click "File" and select "New MIDI Track." This opens a new recording channel and assigns the MIDI controller as the primary recording device.
Click the "Browser" tab on the left of the interface and select a drum kit from the "Drums" folder. Hit the keys on the MIDI controller to audition the sounds. Selecting a sound is a matter of preference, but for an authentic trance sound, select a kit with a deep, electronic sound.
Hit "Record" and play four bars of a drum beat using the keys on the MIDI controller. The last beat should only contain kick drum notes. This is your break down section.
Highlight the four-bar loop. Copy and paste it into the recording channel three times to create a 16 bar loop.
Create a second MIDI track. Select a bass synthesizer sound from the browser. Pick an instrument with a lot of resonance and ambiance.
Hit "Record" and play in your synthesizer take.
Create a third track and record your bass line, using a deep, electronic bass sound.
Highlight all the recorded music. In "Arrangement View" the recorded audio is displayed as sound waves. Line up the marker bar so it's level with the end of the sound wave. Copy the highlighted section and paste it. This will create a copy of the first 16 bars, starting at the end of bar 16, to create a 32 bar recording.