Use compression to exaggerate attack or sustain But, within a few clicks, I was able to breathe some life into it. Before I added the automation, everything felt too precise, uniform, and definitely not organic. In the audio example below, I used SUPER 8 (another software synth from Native Instruments) to create a bouncy riff and then automated the cutoff filter frequency. Moving notes and percussive elements slightly forward will create a driving feel, whereas moving them backward will give you a more laid back vibe.Īutomate parameters in your synthesizers to create some subtle variation throughout the song. Rather than quantizing all your samples and MIDI notes so that they fall perfectly in time, try sliding them around a little to give more push and pull where needed. You can also play with the volume and tuning of each recurring sample ever so slightly to create the feeling of a live drummer. This will give the ear something to follow while also adding a bit more of an organic quality.īreak up the monotony of recurring samples like snares by layering some of the hits with a complimentary sound. On a synth or bass part, automate the pitch of notes to bend (subtly) in the direction of the next one. Now you won’t fool anyone into thinking your widened, EDM bass was played on a guitar-that’s not really the point-but you can give it a feel that lets people know an actual person was behind it. Oddly enough, a lot of time mixing house music is spent making electronic sounds appear more organic, as if a live musician had played them. But, keeping the dancefloor in mind will help you create house music that DJs want to play. It's up to you to find the moves that make your music differ just enough. On digital paper, this may all seem a little formulaic, but you have to remember that all genres have a structure and listeners expect things to unfold in a somewhat predictable way. Midway through, there might be a rhythmic breakdown for DJs to use as an exit. If you’re looking to produce house music that gets played at clubs and festivals, you want to make it as easy as possible for DJs to mix in your tunes.įor this reason, many house tracks open-and close-with stripped-down drums and gradually add layers of instruments, then slowly reduce the number of elements to return to where it all began. If the track is busy from start to end and lacks a distinct rhythm, even the most seasoned DJs will struggle to blend it with another song. When producing house music, it’s important to think of the DJs who will play it. To get a nice, clean balance between these two instruments, you’ll want to pay extra attention to frequency masking. It’s usually not a problem if the kick and bass rub shoulders a little bit, but if their frequencies overlap too much, you’ll get a bloated, muddy sound. But no matter which you decide to let win the low end war, you’ll always want to make sure the kick and bass have their own, unique space in the frequency spectrum. The earlier you define these roles, the better. Just keep in mind that both parts should be filling their own roles-not competing with each other for attention. So, if your track sounds better with the bass reigning over the low end, don’t switch it up just to follow the guidelines of the genre. That being said, there are always exceptions to every rule. But, when mixing house music, keeping the kick as the main focus of your low end will make sure your track slaps in the way people expect from a good house banger. Putting the bass in a higher register (starting at say, 100 Hz) allows you to get a more percussive, funky, or aggressive sound. The bass, on the other hand, is there to provide energy. It holds down the groove and signifies the genre. The kick drum is the heart of house music. Which should take priority, the kick or the bass? Although not always the case when producing house music, it’s common practice to let the kick win more often than not. Across every genre of EDM, the battle for the low end provides a consistent mixing dilemma.
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