This is a quick guide to how to get movement in techno sequences in Ableton Live so they’re not so static. This tutorial uses the LFO tools and SQ Sequencer to add continuous movement to a hypnotic techno sequence.
This technique is great for hypnotic techno and looped hard groove too. Here there are 3 LFO units used with different loop lengths to keep a static loop evolving and moving subtly. I love looped up up hypnotic techno grooves, and artists like Sleeparchive, D Dan, Regis, Robert Hood etc. Hopefully this does the sound some justice…
You can get the Ableton rack for this in the Downloads section below. And you can hear what this patch sounds like in the embedded video below too…
See also: all our Techno Technique, and Hypnotic Techno articles. You can find all the free Ableton presets here. See here for a full guide to Ableton’s Step Sequencers.
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How To Get Movement In Hypnotic Techno In Ableton Live
Here’s a run down of the patch from left to right of the midi effects, instruments and audio effects I’ve used to make this hypotonic techno patch…

This hypnotic techno sequence is made in Ableton 12 with the new SQ sequencer pumping out pitch and velocity modulation into an Ableton Operator patch with 3 sinewaves being frequency modulated by a fourth.
I’ve added three LFO tools with different loop/cycle lengths to make some of the parameters on the sequencer and in Operator keep moving and changing over time. This way you get a continuously evolving and changing loop.
The movement comes from the sequencer modulating some filter and FM parameters in Operator, but also from the LFOs adding slower movement over longer timeframes, with all different loop lengths for a hypnotic techno sequence that appears looped but is constantly changing.

More detail about the patch…
I set the sequencer to have a 5 note sequence, so it repeats more than twice in a bar and gives a rushing feeling as it loops shorter than the bar. I use the octave setting to jump a note up much higher which gives the loop a more bleepy feel, especially when I introduce glide. I draw in velocity on the sequencer, I’ll change it a bit later, but need some variation at the start, this will modulate some FM and filter parameters in Operator.
The Operator patch is 3 sinewave oscillators, detuned a bit against each other for a detuned sinewave sequence. Then Oscillator D is the FM source that frequency modulates the other 3.
I then make sure some parameters in Operator be modulated by velocity, this way the sequencer will move them, differently for each note/step. On Oscillator D, I change Time<Vel (this affects the envelope) and Osc<Vel, so the FM source gets longer or shorter based on the Velocity row and the tuning moves per note as well. Then in the filter section I change Time<Vel and Freq<Vel too so the filter envelope length and cut off are affected by the velocity too.

The LFOs: one changes the sequence by modulating Step 2’s Length so that step is always slightly different. The second LFO modulates Operator D’s volume in Operator so it changes the FM level slightly. And the third LFO tool changes the velocity on step 5 in the sequencer so that step is always different. These 3 LFOs all have different rates so are not in sync with each other.
Some Other Things To Try…
Use different LFO shapes and lengths and make them modulate more or different things. The possibilities are endless with the LFO tool in Ableton as you can assign it to anything, even effects.
The Macro Controls For The Hypnotic Techno Sequence Rack
What the macros do:
Time – increases or decreases the length of all the envelopes in Operator
Filter Freq – the cut-off of the low pass filter in Operator
Filter Res – the cut-resonance of the low pass in Operator
All Oscs Release – The elongates the sound by turning up the release of all oscillators.
FM Detune – This drags the FM source out of tune.
Velocity 1 and 4 – This turns up the velocity on steps 1 and 4 of the sequence – it’s godo to automate as it will change the sequence a lot.
Roar Drive – The drive distortion in the Roar distortion.
Roar Shaper 1 – The shaper distortion in the Roar distortion.
Roar Fdbck – feedback delay in the Roar unit.
Roar Dry/Wet – The mix level of the Roar distortion unit.
Delay Fdbck – delay feedback – use it for a build up by turning it to max to get loads of feedback.
Delay Dry/Wet – the wet/dry mix of the delay unit.
Reverb Decay – the length of the reverb – turn it up to add tension and create builds
Reverb Mix – the mix of the reverb
Hypnotic Techno Sequence Movement In Ableton Live – Video:
Here’s a video tutorial and run down of the rack on our Youtube channel….
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Downloads
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