Melodic house

History and character

Emotional, cinematic house in which melody, arpeggios and chord progressions are as much the protagonists as the groove. It established itself in the 2010s in the area between deep, progressive and melodic techno; Beatport gave it a home of its own in March 2018 with the “Melodic House & Techno” category, citing artists such as Stephan Bodzin, Patrice Bäumel, Oliver Koletzki, Kölsch, Mind Against, Matador, Dixon, Tale Of Us and Solomun, and labels such as Diynamic and Afterlife.

The “house” side (softer and more melodic than Afterlife's techno) includes artists such as Ben Böhmer, Lane 8 (This Never Happened), Yotto, Tinlicker, Monolink, Nora En Pure, Rüfüs Du Sol in remix form, and the labels Anjunadeep, This Never Happened, Purified, Diynamic; the boundary with progressive house and organic house is fluid. The sound derives from the progressive of the '90s–2000s (Sasha, Digweed, Way Out West) and from European deep house, updated with modern synths and very clean production.

Aesthetic: nostalgia, bright melancholy, journey; a steady groove at medium energy; emotional climaxes in the breakdowns.

Scales and keys

Convention: Roman numerals refer to the major scale on the same tonic (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor, ° diminished, ø half-diminished, + augmented; b/# = degree lowered/raised relative to the major: in A minor F = bVI, G = bVII). Notes and chords below are calculated exactly from the formula.

Aeolian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: T S T T S T T
• On C: C D Eb F G Ab Bb
• Diatonic triads: Cm i · Ddim ii° · Eb bIII · Fm iv · Gm v · Ab bVI · Bb bVII
• Seventh chords: Cm7 i7 · Dm7b5 iiø7 · Ebmaj7 bIIImaj7 · Fm7 iv7 · Gm7 v7 · Abmaj7 bVImaj7 · Bb7 bVII7
• Characteristic note: the b6 (Ab): the bVI (Abmaj7) is the chord of melodic emotion.
• Use: i–bVI–bIII–bVII loops, sixteenth-note arpeggios, leads that sing on the notes common to the chords.
• Common mistakes: root-position chords without voice leading: it sounds “blocky”.

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 — steps: T S T T T S T
• On E: E F# G A B C# D
• Diatonic triads: Em i · F#m ii · G bIII · A IV · Bm v · C#dim vi° · D bVII
• Seventh chords: Em7 i7 · F#m7 ii7 · Gmaj7 bIIImaj7 · A7 IV7 · Bm7 v7 · C#m7b5 viø7 · Dmaj7 bVIImaj7
• Characteristic note: the major sixth (C#): light in the minor, “hopeful” melancholy.
• Use: i–IV, arpeggios that touch the 6, i–IV–bVI loops (borrowed chord).
• Common mistakes: confusing C and C# between the arpeggio and the bass.

Ionian / Lydian (bright breaks)

• Formula: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 — steps: T T T S T T S
• On Ab: Ab Bb C D Eb F G
• Diatonic triads: Ab I · Bb II · Cm iii · Ddim #iv° · Eb V · Fm vi · Gm vii
• Seventh chords: Abmaj7 Imaj7 · Bb7 II7 · Cm7 iii7 · Dm7b5 #ivø7 · Ebmaj7 Vmaj7 · Fm7 vi7 · Gm7 vii7
• Characteristic note: the #4 (D in Ab Lydian): bright suspension, “sunrise”.
• Use: breakdowns in the relative major with Imaj7–II, open pads.
• Common mistakes: using Db (natural 4) in the melody over Ab Lydian.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7 — steps: T+S T T T+S T
• On C: C Eb F G Bb
• Characteristic note: simplicity and singability.
• Use: lead and vocal hooks; arpeggios of 3–5 notes.
• Common mistakes: flat melodies without contour: create a clear peak every 4 bars.

How to choose between scales

The body of the track in Aeolian or Dorian; the emotional break in the relative major or in Lydian to open up the light; leads and vocals in pentatonic with the characteristic note added at the climax points. Many tracks keep the same 4 chords and change only the register and the density of the layers.

Harmony

Function

Emotional 4-chord minor progressions, repeated but “orchestrated” differently in each section. More harmony than tech house, fewer cadences than trance.

Techniques

• i–bVI–bIII–bVII with inversions (bIII/5, bVII/3) for a bass that moves by step.
• Add9, sus2, maj7 chords for color.
• Tonic pedal under the chords in the intros.
• Arpeggios outlining the chord with polyrhythms (3/16 over 4/4) and delay.
• Modulation to the relative major in the break.

Harmonic rhythm and density

1 chord per bar or every 2; open pads (C3–C6), simple bass, arpeggios between C4 and C6.

Examples

• Cm–Ab–Eb–Bb (i–bVI–bIII–bVII).
• Em–C–G–D with C# in the arpeggios (Dorian).
• Abmaj7–Bb/Ab (Imaj7–II/I) in the Lydian break.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Feel: straight, hypnotic, light swing (0–54%). The rhythmic movement is left to synced arpeggios and delays.
• Polyrhythms: 3/16 arpeggios or 3/16 delay over the 4/4.
• Energy: medium and constant; long breakdowns; soft drops.

Drums

Kick

Round, deep and clean (fundamental 50–55 Hz), decay 200–300 ms, moderate click.

Clap and snare

Soft clap on 2 and 4, often with long reverb; snare rolls in the builds.

Hi-hat and ride

Open hat on the offbeat at medium volume, low closed hats, ride in the full sections, shaker.

Percussion

Soft perc, filtered toms, small percussive loops that come in every 8–16 bars.

Dynamics and ghost notes

Soft velocities, filter and volume automation.

Interaction with bass and vocals

The rolling or sidechained bass leaves the stage to the arpeggios; under the vocals, ride and perc are lowered.

Sections

DJ intro; build with arpeggio and bass; main; long breakdown with melody/vocals; drop; outro.

Fills and transitions

Reverses, sweeps, long snare rolls, filtered toms.

Sound choice

Clean, warm samples, a softened 909.

Typical mistakes

Drums that are too aggressive; percussion that covers the arpeggios.

Bass

• Sound: analog synth bass (filtered saw), sixteenth-note rolling bass, or a long sub+mid bass with sidechain.
• Register: C1–C3.
• With the kick: offbeat or rolling; sidechain 4–8 dB.
• Notes: roots and inversions (following the bass of the progression).
• Rhythm: steady sixteenth notes or long notes.

Harmonic instruments

• Wide, layered pads with slow attack.
• Arpeggios and plucks in sixteenth notes or 3/16, with delay and automated filter.
• Piano in the breakdowns.
• Synthetic or real strings at the climaxes.

Melody and vocals

• Lead: analog, soft, with light glide; melodies of 4–8 bars.
• Vocals: ethereal, melancholic (Monolink, Lane 8 feat.), often male and in the mid register; long phrases with lots of reverb.
• Backing vocals: textures and distant harmonies.
• Effects: 1/4 and dotted 1/8 ping-pong delay, long reverbs (hall 3–6 s), chorus, tape saturation.

Instruments

Analog and virtual synths (Moog, Prophet, Juno, Jupiter, Diva, Serum, Pigments), drum machines and samples, piano, strings, vocals.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Mini V — Lead and bass: Warm single-oscillator leads with 40–80 ms glide and filter modulated by envelope; rolling bass with short decay.
• Prophet-5 V — Plucks and arpeggios: Saw + square, filter closed to 30%, fast envelope, 200–300 ms decay, no sustain; sixteenth-note arpeggio.
• Jup-8 V — Wide pads: Two detuned VCOs, 800 ms attack, 2–3 s release, external chorus.
• CS-80 V — Expressive leads and brass: Leads with aftertouch and ribbon for vibrato and glide: soundtrack-style expressiveness.
• Matrix-12 V — Evolving pads: Complex modulations for pads that move slowly in the breaks.
• Piano V — Piano in the breakdowns: Simple chords with lots of reverb.

Song structure

Length 6–8 minutes (extended), 3:30–4 (edit).

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Deep, warm and wide: compact low end, big pads and arpeggios in stereo, lead and vocals clear in the center, long but clean reverbs. References: Ben Böhmer — Breathing, Lane 8, Tinlicker & Helsloot — Because You Move Me.

Kick

HP 30 Hz; +1.5 dB at 52 Hz; −3 dB at 300 Hz; +1 dB at 3 kHz; light clipper; mono.

Clap

HP 200 Hz; plate/hall 1.5–2.5 s; slight widening.

Hi-hat, ride, percussion

HP 500 Hz; dynamic EQ 8 kHz; panning 15–50%; 1/16 delay on perc.

Bass

HP 30 Hz; fundamental 45–90 Hz; −2 dB at 250 Hz; +1 dB at 700 Hz; LP 3 kHz; 4:1 GR 3–4 dB; mono; sidechain 4–8 dB.

Pads, arpeggios, plucks, leads

• EQ: HP 150–250 Hz; −2/−3 dB at 300–500 Hz; arpeggios +2 dB at 2–4 kHz; pad LP 8–10 kHz.
• Space: pad hall 4–6 s; arpeggios dotted 1/8 or 3/16 delay (feedback 35–50%, HP 300 Hz, LP 5 kHz); lead plate 2 s + 1/4 ping-pong.
• Stereo: pad 100%, arpeggios with auto-pan or ping-pong delay, lead in the center.
• Saturation: tape on the synth bus.
• Automation: cutoff over 16–32 bars; reverb and delay sends.

Vocals

HP 90 Hz; opto 4 dB + limiter 2 dB; de-esser; +2 dB 3 kHz; hall 3 s pre-delay 60 ms + 1/4 delay; centered.

FX

Sweeps, reverses, ambiences; filtered and wide.

Buses and groups

Drum bus, synth bus (group sidechain + tape), vocal bus, sidechained reverb bus.

Sidechain

Bass 4–8 dB, pad 6–8 dB, arpeggios 3–5 dB, reverbs 6 dB.

Master

EQ → tape → compressor 1–2 dB → limiter. Target −9/−8 LUFS integrated, true peak −1 dBTP, crest factor 8–10 dB.

Common mistakes

Pads that cover the vocals; unfiltered reverbs; too much stereo (problems in mono); unfiltered arpeggios that become shrill.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Ben Böhmer — Breathing (2019)
• Tinlicker & Helsloot — Because You Move Me (2019)
• Kölsch — Grey (2015)

Reference listening

• Kölsch — Grey (2015)
• Ben Böhmer — Breathing (2019)
• Tinlicker & Helsloot — Because You Move Me (2019)
• Yotto — The One You Left Behind (2018)