How to Make House Music

Not everyone understands House music; it's a spiritual thing; a body thing; a soul thing." - Eddie Amador

Many decades ago, there were only acoustic and percussion instruments that were being used by people for entertainment purposes. However, since technology has gotten far more advanced today, there has been an amplification of the acoustic sounds. This is what has led to a totally new world of music, generally known as electronic music. One of the most prominent sub-genres of this type is house music. Before moving on to how to go about creating house music, let us get to know the basics of this music type.

What is House Music?

House music is an electronic dance music, a kind of genre that is believed to spawn in the early 80s in Chicago. It is not directly related to any kind of genre but is considered to come from a blend of disco and dance. There are a lot many electronic instruments used such as drum machines and samplers, synthesizers and keyboards, sequencers, and so on. The main elements of house are the bass drum sound on every beat of a bar, sometimes accompanied by the snare drum or clap sound on every second beat. With the standard tempo being in between 118 and 135 bpm, it gives an uptempo beat to the music. In the following, let us understand how to create house music.

How to Make House Music?

To create house music, you need a keyboard/ synthesizer and a DJ audio application.

Drums, Beats, and Fancy Percussions
After you put on the synth or keyboard, go to the music database and select the main beat that appeals to you to be set on the house music track. Most probably there would be a wide range of rhythm patterns for house music that you can choose from. Note the number of the same to refer to in future. Since house music consists of a tempo ranging from 118 and 135 bpm, you can set the speed anywhere in this range. If you want to make the beats any faster, simply increase the tempo by controls. You can even change the settings and add different percussion instruments to the main beat with accessing appropriate controls.

Bassline and Loop Creation
Now that you have the beats and rhythm set, you can move on to the bassline. These are essential in a song to render a solid backing. Typically, keyboards would have accompaniment settings to play the bassline along with the main rhythm. You need to at least be familiar with playing the keys and scales on the keyboard for changing the chord of the music piece ccording to certain beats in a bar. Start the beat and rhythm that you selected at first by pressing the 'Start' button. Now give the accompaniment key, which can be a minor or a major. However, it is suggested to follow the standard chord progression such as G-C-D, G-Em-C-D, or Em-C-D. Along with the beat, rhythm and bars, play the chord combination on the bass part of the keyboard. This part of music will serve as the bassline. Keep a note of what all you have set and played.

Equalizer Adjustment and Final Recording
The final step for the track is to set the sounds correctly. Play the rhythm and bassline, and check if the bass or treble needs to be arranged properly. You may even consider adding other synth effects such as reverb, echo, pitch, harmonics, distortion, chorus, delay, and so on. Effects like these do add up to the overall bassline. Use the EQ on the keyboard to change the settings individually. Once all is set, play the piece that you set, and record the MIDI file on media such as a pen drive via the USB connector or a floppy disk.

Sound Editing Software
In addition to this, you can even enhance the sound quality of your recording by adding extra effects using an audio software. Note that the software is usually to be used in the same manner as the musical keyboard for producing music. You can even use a MIDI controller to produce music with the software. Simply connect the MIDI controller keyboard to the computer, and use the keys and controls as a substitute or add-on to those in the software. You can avail the features of various applications such as Steinberg Cubase, DUBturbo, GarageBand, etc.

Once you get to know how to use the functions of the keyboard and sound editing and mixing applications, you can try out a wide range of music styles. Note that professional DJs use hi-tech equipment and consoles to produce music and effects. The method mentioned above is the best for a beginner in making house music tracks.