How to Make a House Beat (Free, in Your Browser)

House is the foundation of dance music, and it's wonderfully logical to build. At its core are four ideas: the four-on-the-floor kick, the off-beat open hat, the clap on 2 and 4, and the sidechain pump that makes the whole track breathe with the beat. Master those and you can make deep house, tech house, or classic house — they're all variations on the same skeleton.

This guide covers what makes house sound the way it does — the tempo, the drum pattern, the bassline, the all-important pump — and how to build one in Onomo Studio, free and entirely in your browser.

#What defines the house sound

Tempo. House sits at 120–128 BPM. 124–126 is a classic club tempo; deep house often sits a touch lower, tech house a touch higher.

Feel. Driving, hypnotic, and propulsive. House is built for continuous motion — a steady four-on-the-floor pulse you can dance to for minutes without it ever stopping. The groove is in the consistency, with subtle variation keeping it alive.

Key sounds. A punchy four-on-the-floor kick. Off-beat open hi-hats (the "tss" between the kicks). Claps or snares on beats 2 and 4. A deep, rolling bassline. And piano/organ stabs or warm pads for the melodic and harmonic layer. The sidechain pump ties it all together.

#The drums

This is the most logical drum pattern in music. Program on the step sequencer at ~124 BPM (16 steps per bar).

• Kick — four-on-the-floor: one kick on every beat (steps 1, 5, 9, 13). This steady pulse is the non-negotiable heart of house. Make it punchy and tight.
• Clap / snare — on the backbeat, beats 2 and 4 (steps 5 and 13), layered on top of the kick there. This adds the classic house bounce.
• Open hi-hat — the signature: an off-beat open hat on the "and" of each beat (steps 3, 7, 11, 15), so it falls between the kicks. That kick-then-open-hat alternation ("boom-tss, boom-tss") is the unmistakable house groove.
• Closed hats / shakers / percussion — add steady 16th closed hats or shakers for drive, plus light percussion for groove. Use per-step velocity so they're not robotic, and a touch of swing for a looser, more organic feel (deep and tech house often swing slightly).

That's a complete house drum pattern: four kicks, claps on 2 and 4, open hats off the beat. Everything else is seasoning.

#The bass

House basslines are deep and rolling — they keep the groove moving underneath the kick. Pick a synth bass (a subtractive engine makes a fat, round house bass; FM gives a sharper, more rubbery tone) and write a bassline in the piano roll that's rhythmic and repetitive, usually following the chord roots with movement.

The defining house bass technique is the off-beat roll: the bass often plays on the off-beats (in the gaps between the kicks), creating a bouncing call-and-response with the four-on-the-floor kick. Combined with sidechain (below), this gives that pumping, rolling momentum. Keep the bassline simple and hypnotic — it's there to groove, not to solo.

#Chords and melody

House harmony ranges from soulful to minimal depending on the substyle. Pick a piano, organ, or warm synth from Studio's engines and lay down chord stabs or pads:

• Classic / soulful house — bright piano or organ stabs playing rhythmic, often off-beat chord hits, frequently using rich 7th and 9th chords for that gospel-soul flavor.
• Deep house — lush, warm pads and soft Rhodes-style chords, mellow and atmospheric, again with extended chords.
• Tech house — minimal: a stab, a vocal chop, a blip. Harmony takes a back seat to the groove.

A simple 2–4 chord loop is plenty. Play the stabs on the off-beats to interlock with the kick and bass, and let the sidechain pump them along. Add a vocal chop or a simple lead hook if the track wants a focal point.

#Arrangement and mix tips

• Build with energy layers. House arrangements are about gradually adding and removing elements over longer sections: an intro with just drums, then bass enters, then chords, then a breakdown that strips back and filters down, then the full drop. Use the timeline and automate filters/levels for builds.
• Use filter sweeps and risers. Automating a low-pass filter opening up into a drop is a core house transition. Tempo and automation tools in Studio let you ride these moves.
• Mix for the club. Use Track EQ to give the kick the low end, carve the bass so it sits just above the sub, and keep hats and stabs crisp up top. Sidechain as described — it's the most impactful move. A touch of reverb on stabs and pads adds space; keep the kick dry and punchy.
• Keep the low end mono. Bass and kick should sit centered so they translate on big club systems; save the width for hats, pads, and effects.

#How to do it fast in Onomo

A house groove comes together quickly:

1. Set tempo to ~124 BPM.
2. Grab drums from Foundry. The free, rule-based Kit Generator and Loop Generator can hand you a kit and a four-on-the-floor starting pattern sent straight to Studio.
3. Program the pattern: kick on every beat, clap on 2 and 4, open hat on the off-beats, steady closed hats.
4. Write a rolling bassline on the off-beats following the chord roots.
5. Add piano/organ stabs or pads with extended chords on the off-beats.
6. Sidechain the bass and pads to the kick with SuperComp — the defining move.
7. Arrange with filter sweeps and energy layers.
8. Optionally use Airess. Airess, Studio's AI assistant, can drop an editable chord loop into your project to build soulful stabs or deep-house pads around.

New to beats? The from-scratch walkthrough covers the fundamentals, including a deeper look at sidechain.

#FAQ

Is this really free? Yes. Programming the groove, writing the bassline, sidechaining, and mixing in Studio are free — no download, no plugins. Everything runs in your browser.

What exactly is "four-on-the-floor"? A kick drum on every beat of the bar — four kicks per 4/4 bar, evenly spaced. It's the steady, danceable pulse at the heart of house and most dance music.

How do I get the house "pump"? Sidechain your bass and pads to the kick using SuperComp: each kick briefly ducks those elements, which then swell back, creating a rhythmic pumping that breathes with the beat. Fast attack, release timed to the tempo.

Can I make house on my phone? You can sketch ideas in a mobile browser, but writing basslines, sidechaining, and automating builds in the piano roll and mixer are far easier on a laptop or desktop.

What BPM is house music? Typically 120–128 BPM. Around 124–126 is a classic club tempo; deep house leans slightly slower, tech house slightly faster.

That's the skeleton. Open Studio, drop a kick on every beat, an open hat between them, and sidechain the bass. That's house.