How to create techno rumble and textures on the modular

Today we are making techno rumble with the modular! If you are interested in making modular techno this video helps you to make those dark gritty sounds in between kicks. I show some basic patches with delays and reverbs. How to do side chaining to keep the kick clean. And then go on and expand the patch to more advanced setups for studio explorations.
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Follow my channel ‪@Monotrailmusic‬ if you are interested in my music!
Timetable:
00:00 - Intro & sounds
01:13 - Simple rumble
07:04 - Advanced rumble
Special thanks to Legendary & Crazy Patrons:
Michael Rutchik
Wayne Cowan
Steve Williams
Glnds
Kickroot
Christoph von der Heyden
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#euroracktechno #modulartechno #technorumble

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Patreon: www.patreon.com/monotrail Perfect Circuit (US): link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/8-12626-267461-9759 Thomann (EU): www.thomann.de/de/index.html?partner_id=32555 * These are affiliate links.

[@PabloRodriguezwhyCharlieWhy]

Dude help me to do a budget-friendly setup...

[@mikesegarra869]

Your videos are amazing

[@peteb4ker]

Fantastic tutorial. The advanced rumble patch sounds epic!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you think so! Cheers!

[@hulqen]

This video is just incredibly useful, inspirational, and advanced without being complicated. Well done!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you very much! It's lovely to hear when people get value out of these, cheers!

[@fosferus]

really like the format of these videos. after a long time of experiementing with rhythmic noisey/melodic patches, i'm getting into this darker style of techno. love the ideas for techniques in this style of music.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you, and glad to hear you get some value out of it! Cheers :)

[@djsyndicate0001]

Awesome video man! Easy to follow and put together very well! Love the charts you have added to. Giving me some great ideas to try here :D

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad it was helpful! Enjoy your patching :)

[@vinylarchaeologist]

I don’t know, man, but a solid kick, a bit of noise and some good quality rumble - and you can fill up Berghain for half a day.

[@michaelb.3482]

Yes and then rumble in the dark room.

[@maikrobin]

@@michaelb.3482 😂👍

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Bring a hat and a cowbell and you can go for a day! :)

[@florafunk4515]

Add a spliff and adjust to tastr

[@HenryCullenDaveTheDrummer]

haha seems that way sometimes

[@csselement]

Just what I was looking for. Great video with clear information. Very inspiring!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad it was helpful! Happy to make these as long as people react so friendly, cheers :)

[@mathieumartin9344]

Your stuff is really amazing. Keep up the good work! Also, Rumble Chain is going to be the title of my first Industrial EP

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! That nice to hear, and will do for sure! Also post a link to the album here when it's ready :)

[@AndreaArturoGiuseppeGrossi]

Thank you so much for this and for all your tutorials! I, as a total noob and amateur for what it concern electronic music and modular synths, am learning so many facts! So yeah, absolutely thank you!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

That's lovely to hear, thanks for letting me know, and all the best!

[@brokenscart7989]

Your videos are great tutorials.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! Cheers :)

[@maxernst37]

Only listen the first sounds I know that is this a incredible tutorial. Thanks Monotrail

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, glad to hear it, you're very welcome. Cheers! :)

[@TomChurchill]

Great stuff as always! Lots of food for thought here 👍

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it, thanks! :)

[@cryptout]

What a fun and easy way to create the dark techno rumble! I never thought of using my eurorack instead of my daw for this.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you liked it! Have to say a DAW can be extremely efficient for Rumble, lots of tutorials on that, but if you have some modular sure give it a shot! :)

[@yogawithdom]

Loving your videos!!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! All the best :)

[@MartinDoudoroffLLC]

Excellent tutorial.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you Martin, glad to hear it!

[@gia7676]

Best youtube content about modular i ever seen. just subscribed

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Awesome to hear! These positive comments make it worth it, cheers!

[@charlesbronson2806]

Thx, I've been looking for this.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Happy to hear it! Cheers :)

[@prestonhart6685]

You make great videos! Thank you. I will check out your Patreon.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you very much! Glad you like it :)

[@debbie09090]

very interesting stuff.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers :)

[@unternatuerlich]

I realy like your videos. They are very informative.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! And thanks for watching :)

[@adroc9841]

Man I love your channel.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you enjoy it, really nice to hear :)

[@SingleMaltZombie]

Very interesting video! When I moved from DAW to Hardware (Eurorack), I had taken my usual Rumble concept with me, and it is great to get some more Eurorack specific ideas here as well! I especially find your application of the Clouds module in such a chain very interesting! Would have never seen that kind of usage in it before

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! Glad you liked it, feel free to share other ideas if you have! I never went deep with producing in a DAW, I'm sure there are other concepts that translate to a modular :)

[@SingleMaltZombie]

@@MonotrailTechTalk One difference I noticed is the ducking, that I would usually do via compressor in DAW. But since I do not have any in my rack I always did it via VCA as well. I still want to give it a try in the future, using a compressor though and have the 2hp comp on my wishlist for a while now. Maybe you can try and see if you find it sounding any different if you happen to have a compressor module :) I actually think it is this need for improvisation, that made modular much more interesting to me than DAW. Makes us find many different routes for the lack of modules sometimes :D

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, thanks. Unfortunately I don't have a compressor in my system. I usually don't need one when performing, and generally work in the DAW for mixing etc. I think it will be slightly different though, With some compressors you could color the sound, might be interesting. But you would need one with a more extreme release time to create the slower pumping groove. That 2hp one might be interesting, nice and compact :)

[@23Gears]

I will be trying out these tips! Don’t have an inverter at present, but have a kit ready to go.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Good to hear! Any atenuverter wil do, glad you have one to be fixed up, they are really useful tools :)

[@Probbie]

Excellent 👌

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@thefoxfamily341]

Danke für des super Video❤..coole Tricks noch dazu..lg aus Wien 🇦🇹✌

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Freut mich, dass es dir gefällt. Alles Gute!

[@exoner6110]

Thank you so much for this video. No software solution can compete with hardware controlled by knowing hands. In my little studio there is a Kurzweil K2500S synthesizer, an ESI 4000 turbo sampler, an Arturia drumbrute, a mackie mixer, a hardware effect/midi rack stuffed with gear from the 70s/80s. All this equipment was bought from second and third hand for little money. And it sounds powerful, warm - just amazing! My daw is finally a digital recording/backup/mixing engine for my good old tape- and cassette-machines at the end of the chain. This setup is ready for modular enrichments, that might be added in the future. But I want to encourage everyone to leave the computer screen when it comes to make music. Listen to the simple but nice kick drum in this video and what some effects can do with it - and get an idea of what a simple hardware equipment (from the past) can do for you. Get ready and have fun.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! thanks for sharing. I think there are many diferent ways to have fun, and make good stuff. There are great producers out there working exclusively in a DAW, and I always promote people can get started making music with a DAW and midi controller. But it's the same for me. I work a lot as a freelance graphic designer behind a screen. Making these videos is mostly editing etc behind a screen. When I'm making music I like to do so by touching stuff and walking around in my studio. There's no beating that for me either. Enjoy your setup, sounds like a lovely chain of devices! All the best :)

[@manuelsteinmair]

Great tutorial! - "Again what learned!" ;-)

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it Manuel! :)

[@jonaseggen2230]

I'm not into making techno but found also this video very interesting. Your videos are so clear and your sheets make everything so comprehensible. The length is also perfect for the "How did he do that again? And in what video? Ah, here it is" moments, as it as expressed here, easy to find your answers. I'll definitely will come back to this video to.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, thanks for the kind words! I love taking some inspiration from, but also not a techno producer. Happy to explain these kind of setups though. This even inspired myself to incorporate this kind of patch in non-techno setups like melodic drones for example. All the best!

[@jonaseggen2230]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Yes exactly! : )

[@zacharyrowden7692]

I don't usually like techno rumbles but these sounds are fckng awesome!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! I'm not a techno producer, but it seems to be a popular topic, and happy to exlain what I can :) Cheers!

[@Redefine01]

That Rumble reminds me of Drop Bass Rumble on the Hardcoprs EP. Wonder if that was Doormouse back then at Drop Bass

[@RobertCharlesMann]

fkn wicked, thanks

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@4lpina]

Some good tips here! I never tested my rumble on PA but it's sounds good to me and pretty simple. I just send an attenuated envelope into kick's pitch CV, where envelopes are triggered on every 16th note except for the kick notes. So xoooxoooxoooxooo. Adjust the envelope and attenuation to taste and I don't even need reverb or delay.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there, thanks for sharing! Could you elaborate? I think I get the picture, the X000 envelope is creating a pattern out of the kick, that's a nice idea. Do you use this kick also for the sound of the kick itself? So you would need a kick with a long delay time, or make a kick from an oscillator? :)

[@4lpina]

​@@MonotrailTechTalk hey, sorry missed your question! Yes I use the same kick for the sound and indeed you need a very long decay. You don't even need to sidechain because it is essentially the same sound. It is of course pretty simple, and the possibilities of what you showed in the video are much larger. I made quick video to showcase: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHLQmaSjaLBmZ8k. In the video I sequence envelope on every 16th note and send it as pitch modulator. I am not actually sure if this is actually considered a rumble, but it adds a nice bass layer on top of the kick, and you can make it as subtle or pronounced as you want.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Ha, thanks for the answer and demo, that sounds nice!

[@Terjue]

Thanks a lot for this tutorial, do you favour the quadra over the newer quadrax? Cheers

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! Haven't worked a lot with the Quadrax, it's a lot more powerfull than the Quadra. But I do love simplicity in a compact module In my live set's I just need a bunch of simple envelopes. If my quadra would die, I don't think id replace it with the quadrax. Bigger and more isn't always better ;)

[@schaltschrank]

Cool tutorial. Thanks for sharing. Which mode was the clouds in? Can't really wrap my head around it.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! And just original granular mode. I never used an other way :)

[@danvandal4127]

💗

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

:)

[@thesystemboot2664]

Great tutorial! Though not being used in this example, is your DOD Rubberneck synced to clock?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! There's no clock/sync input in the DOD, but it does have tap tempo, so indeed in many cases when I use it it is manually tempo synced :)

[@thesystemboot2664]

@@MonotrailTechTalk yep that's how I do it to. Didn't know if that footswitch input might respond to clock. May try it later.

[@raskolnikov1242]

Hi, are u using the regular clouds setup to do the delay/reverb stuff or the "looping delay" mode?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hello! It's the regular clouds mode, still find it sounding very good :)

[@BoardgameBaker]

The main mystery here is getting Clouds do more than one delay tap. The only way I can do that is by looping the delay. Are you running some alternate firmware or are you using some other algorithm than the looping delay? I have other delay modules, so it’s not really a problem, but getting delay and reverb for the rumble from the same module would be nice. Great video as always!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey there, I'm using the stockf firmware, first mode. So using the granular engine, not the delay. Use the position knob to create delay time, and feedback for multiple taps. This is a very filthy and messy kind of delay, but perfect for rumble :)

[@BoardgameBaker]

@@MonotrailTechTalk cheers! I'll make sure to try that.

[@whiterottenrabbit]

Love this tutorial, especially because like every other techno rumble tutorial is for DAWs, ffs...

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you liked it! I came across a few of those as well, some are really good though, but thought i'd make a modular version :)

[@tB3o3tR9o9]

you can also use sampled pieces of any songs and filter out high frequencies and apply side chain compression

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Yeah, absolutely! Thought about that, but actually forgot to implement in the video. But similar to the section where I inject noise in the patch, you can use prepared samples. It's really an efficent way of making good sounds! Cheers!

[@4lpina]

Two questions: 1) When you make a techno rumble, does that act as your main bass sound, so you no longer make a bassline? 2) When playing live I assume you would not make a copy of your main kick sample for the rumble, because changing kick sample mid-play would bring unexpected results. I assume you would just use the same known kick for the rumble, while your main kick is a separate sample, or? Thanks!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! 1) Whatever you like of course. A massive rumble is more often used in this sort of dense industrial stuff, can be great without melodic bassline. But you can also actually cut some low end in the rumble, make it more 'airy' and still experiment with other bass sounds! 2) This video is just to teach the principles. I am actually working on a setup for techno atm. If I would perform with this style I wouldn't use a sample for the kick. I advise a 'proper' kick module if you are aiming at performing techno. Samples can lack some low-end on a larger system. And with a dedicated kick module you could 'sculpt' the kick gradually over time, moving from part or track to track, and the rumble would organically change along :) But indeed, if you want the rumble to be separately 'sculptable' (is that even a word? :) you can always use a different sample or sound than the kick!

[@4lpina]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Thanks for the answer, understood! So regarding the fact that samples can lack some low end - is the only way to find out is by actually playing on PA? For example if I am playing a kick sample which sounds like it has as massive bass on my quality home monitors + subwoofer, that does not necessarily mean that it will translate well into a massive bass in PA? Of course assuming that my room is acoustically treated otherwise we cannot know for sure if we get lots of low end reflections.

[@ghostrunner713]

I am a massive fan of the DOOM and DOOM eternal soundtrack. This is very similar sounding.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

I'll have a listen :)

[@soejrd24978]

Pleease live patch these examples while you're explaining the patch, so we can follow you in a more tangible form. Those examples at the end sound amazing, if you'd show them, it'd make it a lot more clear, don't even have to explain it all.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hello there! It's impossible to please everyone. I made the choice to explain things beginner friendly, and based on signal flow of modules, not my own system with specific modules. Lot of people seem to like it, all the best!

[@donheatley]

I have a 2hp VCA. How do I invert it?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Invert the envelope going into the VCA to close it!

[@donheatley]

@@MonotrailTechTalk what modules could do that?

[@TomChurchill]

To invert the envelope that’s controlling the VCA, you could use something like the ALM O/A/x2, the Intellijel Triatt/Quadratt, Happy Nerding 3xMIA… there are lots of options for mixing/attenuverting utility modules that will let you do that 👍

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Good answer from Tom. I use the Intellijel Triatt, or my favorite, the Happy Nerding 3xMIA. Make sure to check an older video I did on mixing, inverting and offset using the 3xMIA if this in new territory for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4rXfaCoi91ng7s

[@christophsmaul5575]

Have you thought about also uploading your videos on Odysee?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nope. So many platforms to chose from and manage, it all costs more time. But who knows. You think there are benefits?

[@christophsmaul5575]

@@MonotrailTechTalk I just like that platform and the thought behind it. I know that ot is easier to support content creator there, but thats the only benefit that I can think of rn, I bet there are more. Cant tel you alot about it, I guess you'll have to look it up and see if ur interested.

[@Loki6669Alpha]

You may want to get your ears checked. There’s a VERY irritating high pitched sound in the video when the synth is playing. If you can’t hear it, try running the audio through a frequency analyzer. It should peak out and be very easy to detect visually.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

You may want to pay better attention to the video. It's called clock noise, caused by analog bucket brigade delays. In my case the Erica Synths BBD. I made the conscious choice to keep my patches simple, and not do any multitracking/EQ/postprocessing on my audio, so people can hear how patches and modules sound out of the box. You'd want to filter that out with another filter module or in post for clean performances or productions.

[@foenzie]

Best tip has to be not to use modular for this.