Psychedelic trance or psytrance is a form of electronic music characterized by hypnotic arrangements of synthetic rhythms and mesmerizing melodies created by high tempo riffs. It first broke out into the mainstream in 1995 as the UK music press began to report on the exploding trend of Goa trance. Since then the genre has diversified immensely and now offers considerable variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include melodic, full on, dark, progressive, suomi, psybreaks and psybient.
The original Goa trance (or "old school") was often made with popular Modular synthesizers and hardware samplers, but modern psychedelic trance is typically made with VST and AU software sampler applications. The use of analog synthesizers for sound synthesis has given way to digital "virtual analog" instruments like the Nord Lead, Access Virus, Korg MS-2000, Roland JP-8000 and computer VST and AU plugins like Native Instruments Reaktor. These are usually controlled by MIDI sequencers within Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) applications. Emphasis is placed on purely synthesized timbres for programming and lead melodies. Tempos range across the spectrum depending on the style and approach of the individual producer although speeds between 140 and 150 BPM are most common.
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