How to make psytrance
Psytrance is built on one thing above all: a tight, rolling bassline locked to a short kick. Around it go squelchy acid lines, effects and short hypnotic motifs. Here's how it fits together.
The numbers
The rolling bassline
The psy bassline plays the three 16ths after each kick, with the kick on the beat: kick, bass, bass, bass. Each bass note is short and tight, and the kick and bass are tuned together so they never overlap. Getting this right is most of the sound.
Keys and harmony
Psytrance often sits on one root note for long stretches, using a low key so the bass hits hard. Instead of chord progressions, it gets its dark or twisted flavour from minor scales with an added flat second (Phrygian) or a raised seventh (harmonic minor). Progressive psy borrows more chords from trance.
Leads and effects
Leads are short, repeating motifs: acid lines from a 303-style filter, FM and pitch-bent sounds, and plenty of automation. Pads are sparse. Effects, sweeps and spoken samples mark the changes between sections.
Drums
A short, punchy kick on every beat, open hats on the offbeats and minimal claps or snares. The busy feel comes from the bassline and percussion loops rather than lots of drum hits.
Arrangement
Psytrance changes something every 16 bars: a new motif, a filter opening, a layer dropping out. Breakdowns are often effects-heavy, and a build-up resets the energy with the roll coming back in. Full-on psy runs faster and busier; progressive psy is slower and closer to progressive trance.
Artists to listen to
Infected Mushroom, Astrix and Vini Vici cover the range from the classic sound to the festival end. Listen to how the kick and bass lock together.
Try it
The TranceTools app has a Psy genre preset that sets the tempo, scale, progression, chord colour and every part's style for this sound in one click, then plays it on your own synths. The rest of the styles are compared in trance subgenres explained.
Questions
What BPM is psytrance?
Most psytrance sits between 138 and 148 BPM. Progressive psy is slower, around 136 to 140, and full-on is usually 142 to 148.
What key is psytrance in?
Low keys are common because they make the roll hit hard, with roots around E, F, F# and G. The flavour comes from the scale, often Phrygian or harmonic minor, more than from chords.
How is psytrance different from trance?
Psytrance relies on the rolling kick-and-bass groove and repeating motifs, with fewer chord changes and smaller melodies. Trance leans on chord progressions, supersaw leads and big breakdowns.
More guides
Getting started with the TranceTools app
Install it, open it in your DAW and write your first trance idea in five minutes.
How to make uplifting trance
Chords to drop in order: 138 BPM, minor keys, supersaws, gates, breakdown and build.
How to write trance chord progressions
Numerals, why trance lives in minor keys, the raised V and voice leading.
How to write a trance melody
Call and answer, chord tones on the beat, rhythm, range and the peak note.
Trance basslines
Offbeat, octave, galloping and rolling: the four patterns and the sound.
Trance arps and plucks
Arp patterns and rates, the pluck sound, the dotted delay and layering.
How to make an uplifting trance lead
Unison, the octave layer, filtering, delay and the mix tricks that make a lead huge.
How to make a trance pad
Slow attack, long release, width, chorus, reverb and movement.
Trancegate settings explained
Patterns, smoothing and where the reverb goes, for gates that chop cleanly.
Acid in trance
The 303 sound, accents and slides, and the filter movement that makes it talk.
Programming trance drums
Four to the floor, the offbeat hat, velocity, swing, fills and sounds.
Trance track structure
Section lengths, timings at your tempo, and why DJs need the first and last 32 bars.
The trance breakdown
What to strip away, revealing the melody, and keeping it moving without a kick.
How to make a trance build-up
Snare rolls, risers, filter sweeps and the gap before the drop.
Arrange trance from a reference track
Map a track you love into sections and bar counts, then write your own into the same layout.
Mixing kick and bass in trance
Tuning, timing and frequency: a low end that hits hard without fighting.
Sidechain settings for trance
Depth, release and what to duck, for a pump that breathes with the kick.
Mastering trance for the club
Loudness targets, true peak, the mastering chain and streaming.
Trance subgenres explained
Uplifting, progressive, psy, tech, vocal and hard trance compared at a glance.
How to make progressive trance
Rolling bass, plucks, evolving pads and builds that take their time.
How to make psytrance
The rolling kick and bass, acid and FM leads, low keys and 16-bar changes.
How to make tech trance
Driving bass, stabs and acid, heavy percussion and short breakdowns.
How to make vocal trance
Song structure, chords that leave room for the voice, and the doubled hook.
How to make hard trance
Hard kicks, faster tempos, acid and hoovers, and fast builds.
Mixing trance in key
The Camelot wheel, energy boosts, small tempo changes, phrasing and the bass swap.
Getting your trance track signed
Picking labels, sending demos, premasters and what happens when a label says yes.
Trance MIDI generator plugins compared
TranceEngine, Scaler 3, Cthulhu, Captain Plugins and TranceTools: what each writes and costs.