Best products from r/Techno

Honestly, it's going to take some trial and error to find the right ones for you.

There's plenty cheap but decent options so that if you lose yours on a somewhat consistent basis, it won't cost too much. It might happen as you get used to carrying them with you. A lot of people do Keys, I do my wallet but YMMV.

Three Popular options: Etymotic 20 DownBeats & Earasers I used US Amazon to show examples.

The Earasers are the Pricey option, but from my understanding, they offer the best Clarity. No case either, so you'll need to look for one. There's a fully "licensed" (meaning they'll fit) case for an extra 10$.

Etymotic 20's are what I use. Again, no case but I use a cheap key-chain pill case. Sounds good to my ears.

DownBeats are the most popular option I've seen around. They're too small for my ear canals, but they work for most. Come with a case, which is nice. Nice silicon and a friend who owns a pair usually forgets they're in.

All of these might work, or none of them. You just kind of have to try them out and see what works for you. Best of luck!

Thanks for your response ! How are the sound stage and clarity on your AKG's for techno? I am new to the genre and would definitely sacrifice some bass for some awesome imaging and details (which I assume are probably more important than bass, especially for techno right?

I also came across the Fidelio X2's recently and reports seem to say the sound stage on these are average to good with more than enough bass for open cans. I would for sure be down to throw $250-$300 for these since the build and comfort looks awesome with low impedance too ! Thoughts on these?

Alright, here's my current list of supplements which I take like 1 or 2 hours before I start rolling:

• 2 pills of 120 mg Magnesium glycinate^1
  
  
• 1 pill of 100 mg Na-R-ALA^2
  
  
• 2 pills of 500 mg Acetyl L-carnitine
  
  
• 1 pill of 500 mg Quercetin, 1000 mg Vitamin C, and 100 mg Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex; all in one pill
  
  
• 2 pills of 400 IU Vitamin E, 50 µg Selenium; all in one pill^3
  
  
• 2 pills of 200 mg Ubiquinone (also known as CoQ10)^3
  
  
• 1 pill of 500 mg Nicotinamide (also known as Vitamin B3)
  
  
• 1 multivitamin pill^4
  
  
• Final note: Ginger is supposed to be pretty good for you prior to rolling, so drinking some fresh ginger tea in the day preceding the party isn't a bad idea.
  
  ^1 A lot of Magnesium pills out there are Magnesium oxide which has shit bioavailability, get Magnesium glycinate or citrate or one of the other recommended forms.
  
  ^2 ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) may be more budget-friendly than Na-R-ALA, so alternatively you can take 200 mg of ALA.
  
  ^3 Vitamin E and Ubiquinone (aka CoQ10) are best taken like 6 hours before rolling. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't. Otherwise just take them together with the rest.
  
  ^4 Not really as important as the rest but it can't hurt to provide your body with a bunch of vitamins and minerals before dancing all night long.
  
  ---
  
  Before I go to sleep after the party, I take 1mg of melatonin and a multivitamin pill.
  
  24 hours after rolling, I take the following supplements every day for like a week:
  
  
• 1 pill of 100 mg 5-HTP
  
  
• 1 pill of 350 mg EGCG
  

Don't know if you will find things like that

But i know this book : http://www.musicae.fr/livre-La-Techno-Minimale-de-Mathieu-Guillien-133-112.html
Main problem, it's in french. But this guy is a musicology teacher paris, and actually wrote about techno during his studies.
(PS I'm seeing him tomorrow, he's doing a conference about this )

I know other books that talk about techno :
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/2081294435/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=556244447&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=2080683926&pf_rd_m=A1X6FK5RDHNB96&pf_rd_r=03D4XGVZYYJRSG6EGWA2
Laurent Garnier, well his name itself is enough, this book is worth reading. Buuuuuuuuuuuut. Again in French ...

I also know Modulations: A History of Electronic Music
http://books.google.fr/books?id=tkKjM69-2FAC&hl=fr&source=gbs_navlinks_s
This one exists in english ... But well, good luck to find it
It's more easy to find in ... french : ) It was recently translated and re-edited
But there's a documentary, it's on youtube, or somewhere on the internet

to finish, i found this
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/nc81/modules/iem/reading.html
didn't took time to check the references though

hope it helps

One kind of obscure book is Sonic Warfare by Steve Goodman (Kode9)

Not particularly about techno (or any genre), but figured I'd mention it. It's pretty interesting stuff especially if you like philosophy as well.

Based on what you've got listed there, you might also like

Monolake

Rhythm & Sound

Borderland

If you're a reader, it's well worth finding a copy of Dan Sicko's Techno Rebels. That will give you loads of hints and cross references to help you find the techno you really love.

2. If you can get your hands on these, get them.
   
   LiveMus!c HearSafe Ear Plugs - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2F87I8
   
   This has the max NRR rating for commercially available earplugs, 29 dB. There are other earplugs but they tend to range from 13-22 db. I used to use 20db earplugs but my ears still rang for quite a while after. No longer have that problem after switching to these.
   
   Take breaks to give your ears a rest when at events and try your best to not worship the speaker (I know its hard.lol) This is the best thing you can do for your hearing.
   
   1,3,4,5 is all personal preference. Just play it by the ear.

Hey Bjeaurn,

I'm a struggling techno producer myself as well. The main source of learning will, I guess, always be already existing music. Listen carefully and try to understand what is going on in the tracks you listen to. How many instruments do you hear? What effects are there used when and where?

I cannot listen to any music without figuring out what is going on.

Also I'm reading these books at the moment. http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manual-Second-Edition/dp/0240521072
and
http://www.amazon.com/Ableton-Live-Power-Comprehensive-Guide/dp/1598639757

It's a really great help, you learn so much from it.

Also /r/edmproduction is a place you need to go.

And it's obviously important to just make music as much as you can. It's not something you are gifted to just do. You will have to put a lot of time in it.

Not so much as techno but required dj reading is Last Night a DJ Saved my Life:

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-DJ-Saved-Life/dp/0802146104/ref=pd_sbs_14_2/131-6196188-9715469?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0802146104&pd_rd_r=36be3542-a4e2-11e9-ba92-bb067f05f30f&pd_rd_w=xzGkE&pd_rd_wg=DfBiy&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=EM131RAQ39E6B2665JTR&psc=1&refRID=EM131RAQ39E6B2665JTR

​

The Rough Guide to Techno music is a nice pocket read too:

https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Guide-Techno-Tim-Barr/dp/1858284341

I also recommend the etymotic earplug.

However, in my opinion the ER20XS are better. You can replace the tips on those once they are get to "soft" (and dirty).

It's a bit hard to get used to them though. Finding how to correctly insert takes some times. But once you know how, they are really good and confortable.

Unless you already read it, I can recommend the book Altered States. It's a brilliant read about how it all took off.

If anyone is interested, here's a link for Der Klang der Familie... auf Deutsch. I've never read it, but I saw the book mentioned in this thread a lot, and as a native English speaker who studied German, I'm always looking for stuff to keep me fresh ;) Will be purchasing soon.
http://www.amazon.com/Der-Klang-der-Familie/dp/3518465481/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448953450&sr=1-2&keywords=der+klang+der+familie

uh, might as well just get an relatively inexpensive dj controller. like this: hhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4SP526/ref=psdc_5524094011_t1_B0149XD9CY

plug in speakers and a computer and you're ready to go.

Get these https://www.amazon.de/Senner-Geh%C3%B6rschutz-Ohrst%C3%B6psel-Alubeh%C3%A4lter-transparent/dp/B01N21FPDI/ for starters. In case you have a larger ear canal take the non-soft version. It's worth every penny and you should absolutely not party without hearing protection. And actually the sound gets a lot better, when you got used to wearing them.

Volume in Berlin clubs in generally peaking at about 105 dB(A) so somewhere between a jackhammer and a starting jet. You should opt for 20+ db(A) protection, because 85 db(A) is the point where permanet hearing damage will occur.

Edit: Yes it will be weird for the first 5 minutes, but after that you'll have forgotten that you are wearing some anyway :)

Check out
Techno Rebels

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life

The best one is Loops (Javier Blánquez). Sadly, it's only in spanish: https://www.amazon.es/historia-m%C3%BAsica-electr%C3%B3nica-RESERVOIR-NARRATIVA/dp/8417125809/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SCZK7NPQNW96Y0BV27H4