The techno kick has a pitch that every other voice must be tuned to

In techno the kick is not only a rhythmic anchor but a pitched element — the fundamental of its pitch envelope sets a tonal centre. Kick pitch is extremely important because it is the foundation of the track and everything else needs to gel with it, so synth voices and the bassline should be tuned in relation to the kick or they will clash even when they are not obviously melodic. Checking that voices are in tune with the kick before sending audio to the PA (a visual multi-voice tuner makes this quick) is part of a clean-sounding techno mix.

Examples

Tune the bassline and lead to the kick’s fundamental; a visual tuner showing three voices at once confirms they agree with the kick before soundcheck.

Assessment

Explain why the kick’s pitch matters in techno and what can go wrong if other voices are not tuned to it.