Crafting Progressive House Akin to Anjuna in 5 Simplified Approaches
For aspiring electronic music producers looking to venture into Progressive House, this comprehensive tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to creating your first track using Ableton Live.
Progressive House, a genre that combines melodic elements with a driving rhythm suitable for both home listening and major festivals, gained popularity with labels like Anjunabeats. In this detailed tutorial, learn how to create a complete Progressive House track from scratch.
The tutorial is divided into several sections, each focusing on a critical aspect of the track's development.
Understanding Progressive House
To provide context, the tutorial starts by explaining what Progressive House truly represents. Originating in the early 90s, Progressive House is characterized by intricate arrangements, evolving structures, and slow buildups contrasting repetitive loops found in other House subgenres. The focus lies more on the "journey" rather than the "drop."
Setting up the Project
Start by setting the tempo, typically ranging from 122 to 128 BPM, and creating a MIDI arrangement. A BPM of 125 serves as a versatile middle-ground, offering both melodic and classic Trance-inspired Progressive House elements.
Creating the Drums
The drum section is crucial for Progressive House's driving rhythm. To create an almighty kick drum, start by selecting the perfect kick for your track from pre-curated samples, layering it with a second kick to enhance punch. Group the layers and apply limiting to catch any unwanted peaks.
Add claps, hats, and percussion to complete the drum loop. Ensure you EQ each layer to avoid clashing frequencies and a messy mix. Experiment with effects such as autopanning, phasing, or filtering to make your loops change over time.
Adding Atmosphere and a Bassline
To create a spacious sound environment, use reverb and delay on atmospheric elements. For the Progressive House bass, design a deep sound using Serum, adding multiband compression and sidechain compression to bring out the nuances.
Adding Melodies and Leads
Introduce plucks, piano, leads, and arpeggios to fill out the arrangement. For the plucks, build a Major chord based on the bass note and experiment with sound design using Serum. The piano adds an organic touch, while leads and arps create a calm and ambient layer.
Adding a Vocal
Finally, wrap up the track with a vocal to experience the full Progressive House feel.
The tutorial concludes by offering readers the opportunity to download the full project file, drum samples, melodic elements, and Serum presets for free.
For additional guidance, check out the enrichment data provided, which includes helpful tips on arranging, mixing, and mastering your Progressive House track. Couple the tutorial with video tutorials or project files from reputable sources for a more in-depth learning experience.
Embrace this tour de force on Progressive House production, and let your creative vision come to life with Ableton Live!
In the detailed tutorial, learners are guided to design the sound of a driving rhythm, characteristic of Progressive House, by focusing on creating an almighty kick drum, adding atmospheric elements, and incorporating melodies and leads. This process of music production not only caters to creating entertainment suitable for both home listening and major festivals but also provides an opportunity to explore the art of sound design.
