i dont think 'chords', i try to use at least 3 or 4 oscillators and i experiment with different combinations of waveforms, especially pulse waves as you can alter the harmonic content by altering the pulse width, and tune each oscillator without reference to notes, i just work with frequencies.
my first oscillator will be the root or fundamental and i will tune the others to higher harmonics by ear. the further away you go from the fundamental the more exotic the combinations of harmonics can be.
i dont reference notes. i just tune evrything by ear, i dont want to know what the notes are.
i rarely use octaves and 5ths, because i know what they sound like and they are too obvious, so i always avoid them, i try to use much higher harmonics which fall in between the normal notes in the scale.
if i'm using a synth with only 3 oscillators like the voyager, i wont bother with the root, i'll let the chord overlay the bass and or kick using them as the root or fundamental.
i suppose theres so many different ways to do things, but the main way i'm working at the moment is to get as far away as possible from conventional chord structures and traditional song structures (ie. percussion / bass / lead or chord progression ) and just mix it all up, and morph between different elements, blurring the boundaries.
for me techno shouldnt be conventional in structure.
This is my turn to pay respects..
I dig advice like this...it allows me to think outside of my conventional ideas!
