Most producers skip this. Don't.

Welcome back. In this post I want to talk about one of the most powerful concepts in electronic dance music that most intermediate producers completely overlook — call and response.

I've been producing psytrance for over 25 years, and in all that time I was also experimenting with techno in the background — never releasing it, but always learning. One of my strongest beliefs is that producing across different genres makes you a better producer. You start borrowing ideas and techniques that don't exist in your primary genre yet — and that's where the magic happens.

The Gap Nobody Talks About

Think about the structure of a typical track. You have your intro, then the groove section where the kick and bass drive everything. And then at some point you want to start telling a story — melodies, arps, atmosphere, the big moments.

But there's a gap in between.

That gap is where most intermediate producers get stuck. The groove alone starts to feel repetitive, but the full storytelling elements aren't ready to come in yet. So what do you do?

This is where I started using what I call additional groove elements. I'm honestly not sure what the official term is — I've been calling them that in my courses for years. They're essentially small rhythmic, tonal sequences that live in the background and extend the groove without taking over. They're sneaky. They're not upfront. But their power to push a track forward is enormous.

What Are Additional Groove Elements?

These are short, rhythmic sequences — usually just a few bass notes or stabs — played around the root note of your key, in the same octave as your bassline or one octave above. They sit in the lower-mid frequency range, right next to the groove itself. They are not melodies. They are not leads. They are extensions of the groove. The key thing about them is rhythm. The actual notes matter less than how they are placed rhythmically. The pattern itself is the story.

Call and Response in Practice

The idea is simple: one element makes a statement — the call. Then there's space. Then another element answers — the response. And in between, the kick and bass fill that space naturally.

This is critical: that space between the call and the response is NOT empty. Your kick and bass are always there. Never treat them as background. In fact, if you stripped everything else away and left just the kick and bass, a well-crafted groove should still sound interesting on its own. They are the most powerful elements in your track. Don't forget that.

Here's how I build these elements practically:

• Find a rhythmic pattern first — before you even think about sound selection.

• Open 3–5 different VSTs and find sounds that feel like they could work together.

• Copy that rhythmic pattern across all of them and place notes on different channels.

• Move notes up or down an octave, adjust timing, listen for what feels interesting.

• If a sound is too aggressive or lead-like, give it only one note — don't let it dominate.

• Build slowly, one element at a time, and ask yourself: where is the point where this becomes boring? Place the next element just before that point.

My Current VST Setup for This

I should mention — I'm not heavy on sound design for these elements. I go straight to presets. My current favorites are Phase Plant, Diva, and Legend by Synapse Audio. Legend in particular is incredible — I bought it on day one and it's still one of my most-used synths. Synapse Audio in general are my favorite plugin developers right now.

And yes — I've basically stopped using Serum. I haven't opened it in at least two months. Everything I made with it started sounding the same. Sometimes you just need to step away from a tool to rediscover your own creative decisions.

This also brings up something I see a lot in the psytrance community — the belief that you must design every single sound from scratch. Your own kicks, your own patches, everything. I used to think that too. But I've come to realize it was wasting time I could have spent finishing tracks and releasing music. Using someone else's preset doesn't make you less of a producer. Being a producer means making creative decisions — sound design is just one small part of that.

The Minimum Effective Dose

When placing these call and response elements, resist the urge to fill every gap. Ask yourself what's the minimum you need to add to prevent the track from getting boring. That restraint is what separates tracks that breathe from tracks that feel cluttered.

Start with one call. Let it sit. Wait for the moment where the groove alone starts to feel flat. That's your entry point. Build from there.

---

If you want to go deeper into all of this — groove design, arrangement, the full production process — check out my courses at www.eclipmusic.com/courses. There's something there for wherever you are in your production journey.

See you in the next one. — E-Clip