The whole build
Noise riser, tonal riser, filter sweep, snare roll, the silent beat, crash, impact and downlifter. Switch any layer off, and see each one's shape on the timeline.
TranceTools Build · Free plugin · Mac · VST3 and AU
TranceTools Build: a free riser and build-up plugin
The whole trance build-up from one held note. A noise riser, a tonal riser, a filter sweep, a snare roll that speeds up, the silent beat before the drop, then crash, impact and downlifter, all in key and locked to your track. Free, from the people behind TranceTools.
Made for trance
Twenty minutes of automation, in one note
A good trance build is many layers that all have to agree: a snare roll that speeds up on the right beats, risers climbing to the drop's key, a filter opening, a gap before the drop, and the crash landing on the one. Most plugins only make the riser. Sample packs are the wrong length and key.
TranceTools Build plays all of it as one instrument. Hold a note, and the build fits your track.
In key and in time
The note you hold sets the drop's key, or pick it. The build locks to your DAW's tempo and bar, so the crash lands exactly on the drop.
A roll that speeds up
Quarters, 8ths, 16ths, then 32nds in the last bar. Or Fast, which gets there sooner, or Smooth, which speeds up gradually. The pitch rises as it goes.
Your own sounds
Drop your own snare, crash or impact on a slot. TranceTools Build rolls it, shapes it and tunes the impact to the key, and keeps it inside your project.
MIDI out
Prefer your own synths? Switch to MIDI out and TranceTools Build writes the build as MIDI: the riser with pitch bend, filter CC, the roll and the crash. Or drag it out as a clip.
19 presets
Uplifting, Progressive, Psy, Tech, Vocal and 90s, each with its own roll, riser and drop. Then save your own.
The controls
Shape it your way
- 4, 8 or 16 bars.
- Intensity, and the balance between the noise and tonal risers.
- A tonal riser that climbs one octave, two, or a Shepard tone that seems to rise for ever.
- Half a beat, one beat or two beats of silence before the drop, with the reverb ringing on if you like.
- A downlifter of 1, 2 or 4 bars after the drop.
- Start on the bar, or the moment you play.
- A safety limiter, so the drop never clips.
Made to go with TranceTools
Write the track in TranceTools. Build the drop with TranceTools Build.
TranceTools writes trance ideas you can drag into your DAW: chords, leads, basslines, arps and more, made to fit together. Hold a note in TranceTools Build before the drop, in the same key, and the track lifts into it.
TranceTools: £29 one-off · £19 until 31 December · every 1.x update free
No catch
Free, and staying free
No account, no sign-up and no nag screens in the plugin. The only link is a small "Made by TranceTools" in the corner.
Questions
Good to know
New to it? Read the TranceTools Build guide. Want MIDI in your browser instead? Try the Build-up Generator.
Anything else? Email hello@trancetools.com, or ask on the TranceTools Discord.
Is it really free?
Yes. TranceTools Build is free for personal and commercial use, so you can use it on tracks you release and sell. Please don't share the plugin files or sell them; send people to this page instead. It's provided as is, with no warranty.
Can I use the starter kit sounds in my tracks?
Yes. We made every sound in the starter kit ourselves, so you can use the snare, crash and impact in anything you release.
Which formats and systems?
VST3 and AU on Mac: macOS 11 or later, Apple silicon and Intel. There's no Windows or AAX version yet.
Does it work with my DAW?
We've tested it in Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio. It's a standard VST3 and AU instrument, so it should load in any Mac DAW that hosts them. Put it on its own MIDI track.
Which audio files can I drop on a slot?
WAV, AIFF, FLAC or MP3, up to 20 seconds. Silence at the start is trimmed, and the level is matched to the starter kit.
How is it different from the Build-up Generator on this site?
The Build-up Generator runs in your browser and gives you MIDI and a ready-made WAV riser to import. TranceTools Build is a plugin: it plays the build live in your DAW, in your track's key and tempo, with your own sounds.
Get TranceTools Build
Free for Mac, VST3 and AU.
Download free