Point Blank Masterclass: How to Make a Techno Track w/ Captain Plugins & Mixed In Key 10 with Sara Simms

For this special live masterclass, Point Blank were joined by DJ/producer Sara Simms to showcase how to make a techno track using Captain Plugins and Mixed In Key 10.

Point Blank alumni, Sara Simms, is a captivating DJ, turntablist and multi-instrumentalist electronic music producer who’s known for her love of music technology. In addition to being championed for her techno sets and turntablism skills, where she makes her mark crafting diverse performances created by multi-deck mixing, she is also the founder of the record label, Simmetry Sounds. The Toronto-native has performed globally playing sets for Allen and Heath’s live broadcast at ADE and Miami Music Week, Charivari Detroit on Detroit’s 313.FM, Techno Taco Tuesday for MNTRA in Las Vegas, Ultra Music Festival in Miami and appeared on DJ QBert’s Skratch University. When she’s not making music and performing, she works as the Communications Manager at Mixed In Key and is a lead trainer for Captain Plugins – so there’s no better person to show you the ropes than her.

During the video, Simms demonstrates how to make a techno track from scratch, utilising Captain Plugins 5’s Captain Beat to lay down her drums, Captain Chords for her chords, Captain Melody for her melody and so on, all whilst showing the ins and outs of how the plugins work. Captain Plugins 5 comes stocked with everything you need to make great music, explore ideas and export them directly to your DAW – so we’d highly recommend checking them out. Stick around until the end of the video where Simms runs through the excellent DJ software, Mixed In Key.

If you’re interested in learning more about making your own tracks and how plugins work, then be sure to check out Point Blank’s courses in London, Los Angeles and online. Feeling inspired? Load up your DAW and get stuck into some music. Need some help with anything production-based? Check out their online courses which feature exclusive 1-2-1s, masterclasses, production tutorials, career opportunities, feedback sessions and more.