How to Make a House Beat
The complete guide to four-on-the-floor drums, sidechain compression, chord stabs, and the house music production workflow.
BPM and House Subgenre
Pick the tempo that matches your target subgenre.
| Subgenre | BPM Range | Feel | Key Artists / Labels | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep House | 118-124 | Slow, hypnotic, warm | Larry Heard, Larry Heard, Kerri Chandler | Emphasize groove and space over energy |
| Classic House | 120-127 | Soulful, danceable | Frankie Knuckles, Jungle Brothers | Gospel-influenced chord progressions, vocal samples |
| Tech House | 126-132 | Dark, driving, minimal | Carl Cox, Fisher, Chris Lake | Minimal chords, focus on bassline and percussion groove |
| Progressive House | 126-132 | Building, melodic | Eric Prydz, Deadmau5, Sasha | Long builds, evolving pads, emotional chord progressions |
| Electro House | 128-135 | Punchy, energetic | Knife Party, Skrillex, Feed Me | Heavy sidechain, big drops, chord stabs |
| Afro House | 120-128 | Percussive, organic | Black Coffee, Themba, Enoo Napa | African percussion layers, warm basslines, minimal chords |
The Four-on-the-Floor Drum Pattern
The kick on every beat is the defining feature of house music.
In house, every bar has 16 steps (16th note grid). The kick hits on beats 1, 5, 9, and 13 (every quarter note). This is the "four-on-the-floor" pattern. The clap or snare hits on beats 5 and 13 (the 2 and 4). Hi-hats fill the 8th or 16th note spaces.
| Element | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | K | K | K | K | ||||||||||||
| Clap / Snare | S | S | ||||||||||||||
| Closed HH | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | ||||||||
| Open HH | O | O | ||||||||||||||
| Percussion | P | P | P | P |
Kick Sound
Deep kick with a sub thump (50-80 Hz). Short attack (0-2ms), fast decay (80-150ms). Layer a punchy mid kick with a sub sine wave for clubs. Roland TR-909 or TR-808 samples are the house standard. Tune the kick to the root note of your track.
Clap / Snare
Clap on beats 2 and 4. For deep house, use a real snare sample with room ambience. For tech house, use a punchy, short clap with no reverb. Layer a rimshot behind the clap for crack. Clap frequency: 1-4 kHz presence, HPF below 200 Hz.
Hi-Hats
Closed hats on every 8th note (beats 1, 3, 5, 7... in 8th notation). Open hat on the off-beat 8th (beat 7 of the 16-step grid). Vary hi-hat velocity per step (80-100 for main beats, 60-70 for off-beats) to avoid a robotic feel.
Percussion Layer
Add conga, bongo, tambourine, or shaker for groove. Afro house layers djembe and talking drum. Tech house uses industrial percussion and rim clicks. Keep percussion in the 200 Hz-4 kHz range to avoid conflict with kick and bass.
Sidechain Compression: The House Pump
The defining production technique of house music.
Sidechain compression makes the bass and pads duck (dip in volume) every time the kick hits. This creates the pumping, breathing sound that is fundamental to house music. Without sidechain, your mix sounds flat. With it, the track pulses with energy.
Insert a compressor on your bass or pad channel. Set the sidechain input to receive signal from the kick drum channel.
Set attack to 0.1-1ms. The compressor must clamp down before you hear the transient to create a tight, modern pump.
Set release to 80-150ms for 126 BPM house. The release controls the pump feel. Longer release = more obvious pump. Shorter = tighter.
Higher ratio = more dramatic ducking. Start at 4:1 for subtle pumping. Use 8:1-10:1 for the aggressive electro house pump.
| Subgenre | Attack | Release | Ratio | GR Target | Feel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep House | 1-3ms | 120-150ms | 3:1-4:1 | -3 to -5 dB | Subtle, warm pump |
| Classic House | 0.5-1ms | 100-120ms | 4:1-6:1 | -4 to -6 dB | Moderate, groovy pump |
| Tech House | 0.1-0.5ms | 80-100ms | 6:1-8:1 | -6 to -9 dB | Tight, driving pump |
| Electro / Prog | 0.1ms | 80-100ms | 8:1-20:1 | -9 to -15 dB | Aggressive, dramatic pump |
House Chord Stabs and Progressions
Punchy rhythmic chords are the harmonic signature of house music.
House chords are typically short, punchy stabs rather than sustained pads. The rhythm of the stabs creates groove on top of the four-on-the-floor kick. Gospel-influenced IV-I movements defined classic Chicago house. Minor 7th and dominant 7th chords give house its warm, jazzy character.
The House Bassline
Deep, driving bass is as important as the kick in house music.
Deep House Bass
Sine wave or smooth sub-bass. Root note on beat 1, with occasional movement to the 5th (P5) or octave. Pitch slides between notes for warmth. Keep it in the C1-B2 range (32-123 Hz). Deep house bass breathes with the kick via sidechain.
A2 - A2 - E2 - A2 (root - root - 5th - root)Tech House Bass
Mid-range growl bass with distortion or saturation. Emphasizes the mid frequencies (80-300 Hz) rather than pure sub. Often uses a filtered synth bass (Moog-style) with resonance sweeps. Sidechain ratio 6:1-8:1 for a tight pump.
A1 - A1 - G1 - A1 - E1 - A1 (syncopated groove)Classic House Bass
Roland TB-303 bassline sound: acid bass with cutoff filter sweep and resonance. Short notes with portamento (pitch slide). The 303 filter sweep from closed to open over 4-8 bars is one of the defining sounds of house and acid house.
| House Key | Root Note Hz | P5 Note | P5 Hz | Camelot | Mood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A minor | A1: 55 Hz | E | E2: 82 Hz | 8A | Dark, driving |
| F minor | F1: 43.65 Hz | C | C2: 65 Hz | 4A | Deep, melancholic |
| C minor | C1: 32.7 Hz | G | G1: 49 Hz | 5A | Heavy, dark |
| G minor | G1: 49 Hz | D | D2: 73 Hz | 6A | Funky, soulful |
| C major | C2: 65 Hz | G | G2: 98 Hz | 8B | Bright, uplifting |
| F major | F1: 43.65 Hz | C | C2: 65 Hz | 7B | Gospel, warm |
House Music Arrangement
House tracks are built for DJ sets: long intros, gradual builds, extended outros.
| Section | Bars | What Happens | DJ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro (Drums Only) | 16-32 | Kick, hi-hat, percussion only. No bass, no chords. Let the DJ mix in clean. | Mix point for DJs - provides clean 16-32 bar intro for blending |
| Intro B (Bass Enters) | 8-16 | Bass enters. Still no chords or melody. Builds anticipation. | DJs drop the bass here for energy build |
| Main Loop A | 16-32 | Full loop: kick, bass, chord stabs, pads, hi-hats. The main groove. | Core of the track. Loops here in DJ sets. |
| Breakdown | 8-16 | Kick drops out. Pads swell. Filter sweeps. Tension builds. Melody may appear alone. | Emotional moment. Crowd anticipates the drop. |
| Build / Riser | 4-8 | White noise riser, snare roll or hi-hat acceleration. Energy compresses before drop. | The moment before the kick comes back in. |
| Drop / Main Loop B | 16-32 | Full energy. Kick, bass, all elements return. Often with a new melodic or harmonic element. | Peak energy. Floor moment. |
| Second Breakdown | 8-16 | Second emotional breakdown. Can introduce a new chord or vocal element. | Optional. Adds variety to longer DJ tracks. |
| Outro (Mirror of Intro) | 16-32 | Elements strip back in reverse order. Ends with drums only. Clean mix-out point. | DJs mix out cleanly here. Mirror of the intro. |
Mix and Master House Music
House mix targets and the house-specific signal chain.
Gain Staging
Set each element to peak at -12 to -6 dBFS before any processing. Your mix bus should not clip before mastering. Leave 6 dB of headroom on the master output.
Kick and Bass Separation
Low-pass filter the kick below 200 Hz for sub presence. High-pass filter the bass above 40-50 Hz to cut rumble. Sidechain the bass to the kick (see Step 3). They share the sub spectrum, so sidechain ensures they do not clash.
Chord Stabs EQ
High-pass filter chord stabs at 200-300 Hz to remove mud. Boost 2-5 kHz for presence. Cut 500-800 Hz if they sound boxy. Pan stabs slightly left and right (L10 / R10) for width while keeping the kick and bass centered.
Reverb and Delay
House uses short reverb on snare (0.6-1.2s RT60) and longer reverb on pads (1.5-3s). BPM-synced delay: at 126 BPM, the dotted 8th note delay is 357ms. Use the Delay Calculator for exact ms values.
Mastering Target
House music for streaming: -14 to -11 LUFS integrated. For club / DJ use: -9 to -7 LUFS (louder for system headroom). True Peak: -1.0 dBTP. A/B against a reference house track at the same LUFS level before final export.
BPM-Synced Delay Reference
| BPM | 1/4 Note | 1/8 Note | Dotted 1/8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | 500ms | 250ms | 375ms |
| 124 | 484ms | 242ms | 363ms |
| 126 | 476ms | 238ms | 357ms |
| 128 | 469ms | 234ms | 352ms |
| 130 | 461ms | 231ms | 346ms |
Free House Production Tools
BeatKey
Detect the key of any house sample or reference track instantly
Chord Finder
Find chord shapes, stab voicings, and progressions in any key
Delay Calculator
Get BPM-synced delay times for reverb pre-delay and delay effects
Scale Finder
Find Dorian, minor, and major scales for house melodies
808 / Bass Tuning
Tune your kick and bass to the root note of your track
Camelot Wheel
Find harmonically compatible keys for mixing house tracks
6 Common House Production Mistakes
Frequently Asked Questions
What BPM should I use for house music?
Most house music is produced at 124-128 BPM. Deep house sits lower at 118-124 BPM. Tech house and progressive house typically use 126-132 BPM. The four-on-the-floor kick pattern works at any of these tempos. Start at 126 BPM if you are unsure, as it is the single most common house music tempo globally.
What key is house music usually in?
House music uses both minor and major keys. For deep and tech house, A minor, F minor, C minor, and G minor are most common for a dark, driving feel. For uplifting progressive house, C major, F major, and A major create euphoric energy. Always detect the key of your sample or reference track with BeatKey before building to ensure all elements lock together harmonically.
How do I set up sidechain compression for house music?
Insert a compressor on your bass or pad channel and route the kick drum as the sidechain input. Set attack to 0.1-1ms (very fast), release to 80-150ms (adjust for the pump feel you want), ratio to 4:1-8:1, and threshold to achieve 4-9 dB of gain reduction on each kick hit. The release time is the most important parameter: longer release creates a longer, more pronounced pump. Shorter release creates a tighter, more subtle pump. Use the ghost kick trick to control the pump independently of the kick sound.
What chord progressions are used in house music?
House music uses several classic progressions. In minor keys: i7 - bVII - bVI - V7 (classic minor vamp with gospel tension), i - iv - i - V (funky minor), and i7 - IV7 (deep house 2-chord vamp). In major keys: I - IV - vi - V (uplifting progressive), and IV - I (gospel house, the sound of original Chicago house). Chord stabs should be placed on off-beats and sidechained to the kick for authentic house groove.