Make a track
How to make house music for free, in your browser
To make house music, set the tempo to around 120 to 128 BPM, put a kick on every beat with claps on beats 2 and 4 and open hats on the offbeats, add a bassline that answers the kick, lay warm chords on top, and make the chords pump with sidechain. You can do every step for free in EASY RAVE, in your browser.
House music came out of Chicago clubs in the early 1980s, built on drum machines, basslines and soulful chords. The recipe is still simple enough to learn in an evening, and every ingredient is in EASY RAVE. If you have never opened it, make your first beat first.
What makes a track sound like house?
Four things, in this order of importance:
- Four on the floor. A kick on every beat, at around 120 to 128 BPM.
- The offbeat hat. An open hi-hat between the kicks, the "tss" that makes people move.
- A bassline that leaves room for the kick. Notes on the offbeats, or short notes that duck out of the kick's way.
- Chords with a pulse. Warm chords (often 7ths) that pump against the kick.
Get these right and the track sounds like house before you add anything else.
How do you make a house track step by step?
- Set the tempo. EASY RAVE starts at 122 BPM, a classic house tempo. To change it, drag the red TEMPO display up or down.
- Program the drums on HOUSE 909. Press CLEAR, then copy the groove below: kick on every beat, clap on 2 and 4, closed hats on the 16ths and open hats on the offbeats.
- Write the bassline on AC 303. Open PRESETS and try Deep house or Offbeat sub, or click your own notes onto the offbeats (steps 3, 7, 11 and 15).
- Add chords on POLY-6. Open PRESETS and pick Deep ii-V-vi-IV or Chicago vi-IV-ii-V. Set CHORD SETS to Deep or Chicago for a jazzier colour.
- Make the chords pump. On POLY-6, open SOUND EFFECTS, set SIDECHAIN to Kick and turn up its AMOUNT. The chords now duck every time the kick lands.
- Add space. Give the chords some REVERB and the clap a touch too. Keep the kick and bass dry, so the low end stays tight.
- Arrange with SECTIONS. When a version sounds good, press ＋ under SECTIONS to save it. Mute the kick and save a breakdown, bring it back and save the main part. Click a section to jump to it.
This is the drum groove from step 2:
Classic house groove (HOUSE 909)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KICK | ||||||||||||||||
| CLAP | ||||||||||||||||
| HAT | ||||||||||||||||
| OPEN |
The closed hats leave a gap wherever the open hat plays, the way a drummer lifts the foot off the pedal. If the hats feel stiff, turn SWING up to around 10 to 15% and they start to roll.
How do you write a house bassline?
The simplest house bassline sits on the offbeats, between the kicks. The kick takes the beat, the bass takes the space after it, and the two lock together.
Offbeat house bassline in C minor (AC 303)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOTE | C2 | → | C2 | → | C2 | → | G2 | → | ||||||||
| ACCENT | A | A | ||||||||||||||
| SLIDE |
On AC 303, click a note into the piano roll and drag its right edge to make it longer. Turn the CUT OFF FREQ knob down and DECAY to medium for a round, deep tone, or switch on SUB for weight on small speakers.
For an acid house line with slides and a squelchy filter, see how to make acid house.
Which chords work for house?
Minor 7th and major 7th chords are the sound of deep house. On POLY-6, the CHORD SETS menu gives every one of the 7 chord pads a voicing from the same palette, so whatever you play stays in the key and keeps one colour. Deep and Chicago are the sets to try for house.
Two progressions from the PRESETS menu that sound like house straight away:
| Preset | Feel |
|---|---|
| Deep ii-V-vi-IV | Smooth and late night |
| Chicago vi-IV-ii-V | Classic, soulful, a little melancholy |
Chord progressions that always work explains what the Roman numerals mean and gives you more to try.
How do you make house drums sound better?
- Accent the hats. Right-click a few closed hat steps (or use the ACC row) so some hits are louder. A steady machine sounds human once the dynamics move.
- Shorten the kick. On HOUSE 909, a shorter KICK DECAY leaves room for the bass. A longer one is for tracks where the kick is the bass.
- Add the ride. In the busiest part of the track, a RIDE on the offbeats lifts the energy without getting louder.
- Use the live effects. Hold HI PASS for a build, or click DROP for a snare roll and click it again to land on the next downbeat. Live effects covers every pad.
How do you finish and export the track?
Click the red record circle next to play. RECORD LIVE PERFORMANCE records everything you play, including section changes and live effects, to a WAV or MP3 file. RECORD LOOP records a set number of bars. Your project stays in the browser, and EXPORT PROJECT in the PROJECT menu saves it as one file. Save, export and share has the details.
Frequently asked questions
What BPM is house music?
Most house music sits between about 120 and 128 BPM. Deep house is often at the slower end, around 120 to 122, and tech house and club house sit closer to 124 to 128. EASY RAVE starts at 122 BPM.
Do I need a 909 to make house music?
No. The 909 sound is part of house history, but any punchy kit works. In EASY RAVE, HOUSE 909 is a free drum machine inspired by that sound, and DEEP 808 or LinnBeats give a different flavour.
What key is best for house music?
Any key works. Minor keys are the most common in deep house because they sound moody and warm. In EASY RAVE, set ROOT and SCALE at the top of the screen and the bass, chords and lead all follow it. Music scales for beginners explains the options.