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How to Make House Loops

Electronic dance music has seen a resurgence in the last ten years. Just as Detroit is the mecca of techno, Chicago is the sacred land of house music. Founded out of the disco movement of the 1970s, house music has birthed some of dance music's greatest pioneers and remixers, including Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, David Morales and Masters At Work. To bang out grooves like these veterans takes time and skill, but you can learn many of the fundamentals by creating loops.

Things You'll Need

  • DAW (digital audio workstation)
  • VST instruments
  • Controller
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open the DAW. If you don't have one, I suggest FL Studio by Imageline. This is a unique DAW that uses a step method of making music that's intuitive and quick; plus, it lends itself toward making house, techno, and hip-hop music. You can download a trial version, but it will not allow you to save your compositions, so make sure you buy a full version.

    • 2

      Label the tracks. Each instrument should have a separate track. This takes a little bit of forethought and setup. Make sure the tracks' inputs are all set to the VST instrument that will be used. Open and activate each VST instrument that will be used.

    • 3

      Create a one- or two-bar phrase. When deciding on drum sounds, use an electronic drum kit. Make sure the bass drum is solid and electronic and that it doesn't sound like acoustic drums. Play or program one hit on each downbeat. This is commonly known as "four on the floor," and it's the universal groove for 99.9% of all house music. Add whatever instruments you desire.

    • 4

      Set the left and right locators to the beginning and end of the phrase. Set it to loop and listen to verify that the loop is in time.

    • 5

      Click "File," then "Export" once the loop sounds like you want it. Export the file as a .WAV or .MP3 file.

Recording Music

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