This YouTube video titled "How to Make Latin Infused Techno + Templates | Live Electronic Music 322" is a tutorial that shows viewers how to create a Latin-infused techno track using Ableton Live and Logic Pro X. The video includes templates, samples, and a step-by-step guide that makes it easy for beginners and experienced producers alike to follow along.
The video begins with an introduction to the Live Electronic Music Tutorials series and quickly moves on to the creative process. The instructor explains how he comes up with ideas for tracks and shares tips for staying inspired throughout the production process.
The tutorial then dives into programming drums, covering everything from kick drums to high hats and toms. Viewers will learn how to add a classic 909 snare and select and add Latin percussion loops to give the track a unique sound.
Next, the instructor demonstrates how to work with Logic Pro X Drummer to program human-like percussions, followed by adding and designing a sax sample to add melody to the track. The video then moves on to recording and designing a bass line, followed by creating techno brass hits with automations.
The tutorial also covers creating a top pad using the midi progression in long form. The instructor shows viewers how to create a cohesive sound by layering different sounds and how to use automations to add interest to the track.
Finally, the video concludes with some final thoughts and a bit about the studio. The instructor shares some tips on mixing and mastering and provides viewers with a sample pack, Ableton templates, and Logic Pro X project files to help them get started with their own Latin-infused techno tracks.
Overall, "How to Make Latin Infused Techno + Templates | Live Electronic Music 322" is an informative and engaging tutorial that teaches viewers the basics of producing a Latin-infused techno track. With its step-by-step instructions and useful tips, this video is perfect for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of electronic music production.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction: Live Electronic Music Tutorials Explained
A brief introduction to the purpose and format of the Live Electronic Music Tutorials series.
0:22 The Creative Process: Tips and Tricks for Staying Inspired
An overview of the creative process behind producing a Latin-infused techno track, including tips for staying inspired throughout.
2:15 Programing Drums: Kick, Sub Kick, Snare, High Hats, Toms
A step-by-step guide to programming a range of drum sounds, including kicks, sub kicks, snares, high hats, and toms.
9:25 Adding a Classic 909 Snare: Elevating the Drumbeat
A demonstration of how to add a classic 909 snare to the drumbeat to give it extra depth and character.
9:45 Selecting and Adding Latin Percussion Loops: Adding Flavor and Rhythm
How to select and add Latin percussion loops to enhance the rhythm and flavor of the track.
12:30 Working with Logic Pro X Drummer: Creating Human-Like Percussion
A tutorial on how to use Logic Pro X Drummer to program percussion with a human-like feel, adding further depth to the track.
15:35 Adding and Designing a Sax Sample: Introducing Melody
How to add a sax sample to introduce melody to the track and how to design the sample to fit with the rest of the composition.
21:58 Recording and Designing a Bass Line: Building the Foundation
A guide to recording and designing a bass line to provide a solid foundation for the track.
26:38 Creating Techno Brass Hits with Automations: Adding Interest and Texture
A tutorial on creating techno brass hits and using automations to add interest and texture to the composition.
33:03 Creating a Top Pad Using the MIDI Progression in Long Form: Layering Sounds for Cohesion
How to create a top pad by layering different sounds and using the MIDI progression in long form to achieve cohesion.
37:14 Final Thoughts and a Bit About the Studio: Mixing and Mastering Tips and Resources
Some final thoughts on producing Latin-infused techno, including tips on mixing and mastering, and a brief discussion of the studio resources available to viewers.
May the sounds be with you.
How to Make Latin Techno Like Danny Tenaglia & Chus + Ceballos
In this live electronic music tutorial, veteran producer Mikas builds a Latin-infused techno track from an empty project in real time, working mainly in Logic Pro X. Drawing on more than two decades of production, he layers a pounding techno foundation with Latin percussion, a saxophone melody, a subby bass line, and classic techno brass hits — the hammering, groove-driven sound made famous by artists like Danny Tenaglia and Chus + Ceballos. The goal isn’t a polished walk-through of every menu; it’s to show the creative process and how to stay resilient when an idea won’t come together.
What you’ll learn
- Programming a techno kick and sub kick, then tuning and trimming the samples so the low end doesn’t swamp the track
- Mixing your kick to a reliable reference level so the rest of the mix wraps around it
- Adding Latin percussion using tempo-synced Apple Loops and Logic’s Drummer for human feel
- Designing a saxophone sample with a custom resonant filter, send reverb, and delay
- Recording a deep techno bass line and sidechaining it to the kick
- Building evolving techno brass hits with filter automation and a long-form top pad
1. Lock in the kick and sub kick
Mikas starts with an 808 kick, tunes it down to a sensible key (it was sitting too high, so he drops it back to C), and records a steady four-on-the-floor beat. He then does “a bit of surgery” on the sub kick in the sampler — it was around two seconds long, so he shortens it to keep the rumble big without letting it invade the whole track. The aim is that big, techno “boom boom boom” that still leaves room for everything else.
2. Reference your kick to −9 dB
A practical mixing tip lifted from The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook: set your kick to roughly −9 dB. Using Logic’s Drum Machine Designer, Mikas levels both kicks to that mark so the rest of the mix wraps around the low end. He also calibrates his monitoring with a Sonarworks-style reference profile so what he hears in the room and on headphones is trustworthy.
3. Build the core percussion
With the kick anchored, he layers in snares, hi-hats and a ride, again trimming overly long samples (one ride was five seconds long). He adds a tom hit on the beat before the snare for movement, a tambourine sitting back in the mix, and a rim hit on the first beat. From a loaded 909 he keeps just the punchy, grainy snare — pulling only the element he wants rather than the whole kit.
4. Add Latin flavor with Apple Loops
Mikas browses Logic’s Apple Loops for Latin percussion, which sync automatically to the project BPM so he can audition them straight in the mix. He pulls in congas, maracas and Cubana-style loops, favoring more complex, offbeat patterns that sit at a different feel against the four-on-the-floor groove. This is where the track gets its signature Latin flavor.
5. Layer Logic’s Drummer for human feel
To make the percussion feel played rather than programmed, he adds a Drummer track. It works “like having a studio with a bunch of players” — you can add fills, swing, claps and extra elements, push the intensity to the max, then dial it back so it sits naturally in the mix and breathes with the arrangement.
6. Design a saxophone melody
For melody, Mikas auditions brass and lands on a sax sample. Instead of reaching for a stock plug-in filter, he builds his own filter and adds a resonant peak for character. He routes it to a send with a gated reverb (catching that it was mono at first) plus delay, then automates the filter cutoff in touch mode so he can sweep the frequency live and write the movement into the track.
7. Record and sidechain the bass line
He records a deep, subby bass — not extremely low, but with weight — trying alternating patterns and adding a bit of wobble for movement. He keeps the parts in key by referencing the bass notes (simple C–F–G material). Crucially, he adds a compressor sidechained to the kick so the bass ducks out of the way of the low end, then nudges the gain to reclaim level once the two sit together cleanly.
8. Techno brass hits and a long-form top pad
Using Alchemy, Mikas triggers a brassy stab from a couple of held keys and lets it progress — one of the classic techno recipes — adding delay and stereo width and sending it to the shared reverb bus. To tie everything together, he reuses the same key progression to build a high-pitched top pad over a much longer time scale, giving the track cohesion and air before the final mix.
Get the project file: Mikas turns this jam into a full three-minute template with separated percussion, MIDI and parts so you can learn from it and make it your own — for Ableton, Logic Pro X and FL Studio, plus a sample pack. Download the template →
