Dub Techno: This Gear is a Perfect Match in 2026
Gear for Deep Dub Techno Sound
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Today’s Perfect Match focuses on hardware for producing dub techno. We’ll present three hardware products that represent essential building blocks for dub techno and complement each other perfectly. We’ll also mention a few interesting alternatives.
Dub Techno – Perfect Match
What is Dub Techno?
It is a genre of techno music that combines two seemingly unrelated styles. In addition to dub – a minimalist variant of Jamaican reggae – Detroit techno also comes into play here, in a fairly stripped-down form.
This music’s typical characteristics take key elements from both styles and combine them in a sophisticated way. Simple minor chords played on a synthesizer play an important role here. As in Jamaican dub, these chords are given a lot of delay and reverb. Minimalist techno beats are added, giving the music a spacious quality. Another characteristic is the deliberate use of noise, which gives the music a certain lo-fi patina.
Notable dub techno artists include Basic Channel (Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus), Rhythm & Sound, DeepChord, STL, and Vril.
What Kind of Hardware is Suitable for Producing Dub Techno?
While it’s possible to produce a dub techno track exclusively in a DAW, there is plenty of other gear suitable for this purpose. Since this genre of music creates a lot of atmosphere with relatively few resources, not much hardware is required. Assuming you have a computer, DAW, and audio interface, we’ll show you three essential pieces of equipment, including some alternatives.
Elektron Digitakt II as a Source for Drums and Other Sounds
The Elektron Digitakt II sampler groovebox is a great starting point for producing dub techno tracks. This device packs several practical features into one. In theory and in practice, you can create a complete dub techno track with this sampler alone.
Dub techno uses a rather simple rhythm framework for the beat. The kick drum often provides the bass foundation – sometimes accompanied by an additional bassline – and often imitates the sound of the Roland TR-909. Therefore, a drum machine with such sounds is also very suitable, but it is definitely practical if you can fire off samples as well. This provides more options for variation in the basic sounds and allows you to play typical dub chords. Endless 909 drum sounds are available as samples, and you’ll find suitable ones in the Digitakt II factory library.
One major advantage of the Digitakt II is its excellent sequencer, which allows you to play chords with a MIDI-connected synthesizer. With features like Probability, Retrigs, and Parameter Locks, you can easily create lively grooves.
Another advantage is the Digitakt II’s audio input, which lets you loop an external synthesizer. This eliminates the need for a mixer. With USB and Overbridge software, you can record individual tracks directly to your computer and mix and finalize everything in your DAW.
The internal effects are also noteworthy, as the delay and reverb provide the most essential effects for dub techno in one device. With filters, overdrive, and a stereo compressor as master effects, you can create a convincing sound! Get the Elektron Digitakt II at Thomann*.
Twisted Electrons MEGAfm MKII as an Unusual Sound Generator for Dub Techno Chords (and More)
A good addition is a synth that you can use specifically for chords or other sounds. Several devices are suitable for this purpose, but keep in mind that since you want to play chords, it should be polyphonic. Although monophonic synthesizers with three oscillators can produce a simple triad, a polyphonic synthesizer is simply more fun!
The Twisted Electrons MEGAfm MKII meets this requirement and is flexible with its FM sound. It is primarily operated via sliders, which is advantageous, especially with FM. Its sound is rather dirty and fits well with the sometimes slightly lo-fi sound of dub techno.
As mentioned above, several other synths also fit the sound well, provided they offer polyphony and are suitable for chords. One brand new insider tip is the Waldorf Protein*, a compact synthesizer with a flexible old-school wavetable sound that undoubtedly fits the desired aesthetic. It even comes with two effect slots, a feature lacking in the Twisted Electrons MEGAfm MKII.
You can, however, achieve the “magical” combination of delay and reverb in the Elektron Digitakt II. As the third link in this trio, we would like to introduce you to a dedicated effect: The Twisted Electrons MEGAfm MKII is available from Thomann*.
BOSS RE-202: Modern and Affordable Version of the Roland Space Echo for Dub Techno
Delay and reverb effects are an integral part of dub techno, used to place the few synthesizer chords (sometimes a single chord is enough) in huge reverberation spaces. When combined with a little modulation and filter sweeps, this quickly results in a unique sound signature. This technique is particularly effective when there is minimal noise in the music.
In this context, the Roland Space Echo – especially the RE-201 version – is the famous model, which has become a sought-after cult device thanks to its many features. The combination of dirty-sounding preamps, a unique spring reverb, and noisy tape delay gives the Roland Space Echo its very special sound, which is now replicated by various plugins and other devices.
As mentioned, our focus here is on hardware, but the DAW’s standard effects are also interesting in terms of software. Ableton Live Suite, for example, includes Echo, a fantastic-sounding effect that produces this kind of sound. In terms of plugins, the emulations from Arturia (Delay TAPE-201)*, Universal Audio (Galaxy)*, and IK Multimedia (Space Delay) are worth a look, and EchoBoy* from Soundtoys is also highly recommended.
Now, for the hardware, we recommend the BOSS RE-202, an effects pedal that faithfully captures the sound of the Roland Space Echo and offers a “hands-on” experience with its controls and knobs. As you might have guessed, the BOSS RE-202 is also great for guitars! A slightly cheaper, more stripped-down option that still sounds great is the smaller BOSS RE-2*. You can purchase the BOSS RE-202 here at Thomann*.
By the way, a more expensive but really nice, professional-sounding alternative is the Echo Fix EF-X3. Get it here at Thomann*.
More Information
- Drum Machines for Techno 2026: Punch, Workflow, and Character
- Techno Beats in Ableton Live Made Easy!
- The Best Synths for Techno Productions in 2025: Powerful, Flexible and Creative
- How to Use Dub Delay Plugins to Create Authentic Sounds
- Perfect Match
*Note: This article about a perfect match for dub techno contains affiliate links that help us finance our site. Don’t worry: the price for you remains the same! If you buy something through these links, we receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
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