House Loop Experiment

Document 8: A 4-bar experiment with a house groove, created in Reason 13. I kept it minimal, using only a few instruments and effects to focus on achieving a house feel with a punchy piano riff rather than heavy sound design.

The loop sits at 120 BPM in B minor. I started with a classic 4-on-the-floor kick and clap pattern, with offbeat hi-hats on a single Kong instrument. The crunchy claps are sent to reverb, ducking via sidechain, triggered by the clap’s gate out.

Next, I laid down a stabby piano riff using the Processed Pianos instrument. It’s sidechained to the kick, creating a dynamic rhythm that lets the piano breathe around the drums.

Finally, I added a Monotone bassline to reinforce the low end, again using sidechain to ensure it syncs smoothly with the kick.