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A step filter makes syncing filtered effects to your tune a cinch

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1. Learn the rules of trance - and then forget about them. On the face of it, it seems easy: if you follow the usual kick/ arpeggiation/sweeping synth/breakdown formula, you'll have a massive trance hit, right? No, you'll have a bog-standard trance track just like the other nine million (a conservative estimate) out there and you won't get noticed. A trance hit takes the production rules and messes with them to create something special. The standout tracks might follow the form for a while, but they hit home because they do the unexpected...

2. ...But what might the unexpected be? Well, that's ultimately up to you. The trance basics are straightforward enough but taking them to the next level requires inspiration. Sunlounger's White Sand uses a strumming guitar to great effect. Who'd have thought? The lesson here is: Don't be afraid to throw in some 'non-trance' sounds or ideas.

3. Atmosphere or impact?A few too many trance tunes start with huge atmospheric pad productions to help build expectation for when the inevitable kick comes in. That's all very nice and ethereal, but a hard production will lift a tune beyond this cliche. Just check the stripped back and huge bass/kick intro on Super8 & POS's excellent 5. But if you do like your atmosphere...

4. ...Then that's not a problem either. Trance seems to be one of the few remaining areas of music where raw synth sounds and simple melodies still work. Oh, and pads too; Armin van Buuren's DJ sets would be nowhere without them. Pads offer a lush counterpoint to the rigid and solid beats, thus enabling people in a trancelike state to discover new planes of existence (or whatever).

5. Bring pads to the fore with EQ and/or filtering. With the former, you have to be a bit delicate and experiment with boosting between 200Hz and 1kHz. With the latter, you can get busy and twist those filter knobs to your heart's content...

6. ...But bear in mind that you can over-filter elements within a trance tune. Eventually, frequencies will clash, so keep it for your main riffs, if possible, otherwise you'll end up with listeners reaching for the Anadin rather than the glo-sticks.

7. But what synths to try for those top trance tones? You might like to test out NI's Absynth, Rob Papen's Blue and Cakewalk's Dimension Pro for atmosphere, and good old Cakewalk Z3TA+ for some extra arpeggiated stuff. For the classic trance sound, dial in some saw waves - the more the merrier - and tweak the detune controls until you hit the spot. Add a cavernous reverb for that giant, epic sound.