Questions about French house.

[TheSyrethClan]

So, yesterday I was browsing around in hope to find a genre I'd love to make and the others could love too, when I found "Butterscotch Sundae" from Silva Hound, and then I shouted up "THIS! I'm so gonna learn how to make something like this."

The only problem is.... how? Are there any basics I need to know, something I should put in it, something I should NOT put in it, what are the instruments that are usually used in it? I already know a thing or two in FL studio, but not much about the genre, about how a song like that is made.
If someone could teach me, or make a tutorial from start-to-end, that'd be like the. best. possible. thing!

[the4thImpulse]

Welcome to MLR!

How much experience do you have making music? If you don't have any than you must first know a song does not simply get made in a few hours let alone days. Any big name electronic producer likely has been going at it for years before they get their first label deal. There is too much to learn about electronic music than one tutorial can teach you.

Its just the honest truth, sorry.

Have you tried youtube or even google? I am certin you will find a french house tutorial there. Doing the research yourself WILL make you a better producer much more quickly than having everyone else do it for you.

[Ed Viper]

Have you tried youtube or even google? I am certin you will find a french house tutorial there. Doing the research yourself WILL make you a better producer much more quickly than having everyone else do it for you.

Best advice ever right there. I don't know much about making French House, so I don't think I can really help you there, but I have been interested in the genre lately. Perhaps I'll end up doing research into it anyway.

[Freewave]

I'm kind of amazed that French House is making a comeback as it's really an old house style. Obviously a huge part of this is to Silva Hound being one of the most obvious people doing that sound and doing it well (Daks would also be another who does many similar type tracks). The key to a degree is simplicity, in using short samples with repetition, stop and go action, often disco are the go-to samples to use, and using filters to give sweeping eq sweeps. Ultimately french house is one of the funkiest styles.

Here's a guide i made awhile ago on the subject and some key tracks and history. Feel free to delve into it or other genres (from the rym box set) and get a better idea of how each sounds, where they came from. People may see that as an old style to be adopted now but in the day when it came out it was THE most exciting style of house to be coming out and obviously owes a huge part of it to how popular Daft Punk became from the beginning.

Went ahead and assembled an easy to hear playlist
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL647640D39D0D9987

[TheSyrethClan]

...a song does not simply get made in a few hours let alone days. Any big name electronic producer likely has been going at it for years before they get their first label deal. There is too much to learn about electronic music than one tutorial can teach you.

The key to a degree is simplicity...

That's why I've choosen that one, I wanted to start with something easier. Despite that I guess I bit much more than I can chew. Now something inside tells me to quit before even starting it...

[Freewave]

Well French House is one of the simplest forms of house so you might as well start there but just take your time, see how its made, how it sounds, and try your best to replicate with a few rough track of your own. Do not go for immediate results as you won't get them likely. You'll need to figure out your DAW first and foremost.

[soup2504]

French house is indeed a somewhat easy genre. The hardest part of it is sampling an actual song, and getting it so the drums that are already in the song don't collide with yours. The most common BPM for French Houes (And House in general) is 128 bpm, so keep that in mind. You might also want to change the pitch for some of the songs.

And if you have Sylenth 1, here's something that works really well with French House.


Be sure to keep the drum beats different-ish throughout the song, adding more and more every now and then. Listen to a lot of French House, also, as that will somehow help (And yes, it helped me a bit)

I'm really bad at advice. So yeah. Um. Yeah.

Edit, I guess.

I myself tend to do my own structure(As far as I know). I keep the first bit of the song basically the same thing, while adding a few simple drum beats in, and doing a few EQ sweeps during buildups, and then much closer to the end of the song, I add lots and lots of drums and other yummy stuff. Oh, and it's always nice to "glitch" a few sequences in the song. Here are a few examples, hopefully that helps?

http://soundcloud.com/soup2504/harmony
http://soundcloud.com/soup2504/mahogany

[the4thImpulse]

That's why I've choosen that one, I wanted to start with something easier. Despite that I guess I bit much more than I can chew. Now something inside tells me to quit before even starting it...

I don't mean to discouage you, I just wan't you to understand this world your steping into. Like what the others have said french house is a great genre to start with (I started with it too) and we are here to help you.

[Artimeus]

Ah, I see someone linked Sim Gretina's old-but-good tutorial.

French House is definitely a genre I'm looking to expand into. In fact, I'm working on a song right now with Bolts and Rainbow as the sampled song.

My piece of advice? Once you've mastered the basics of your DAW of choice and all associated synths and plugins thereof (this is a step many people skip over; you can't make music without knowing how to use your software/hardware! If workflow is smooth, frustration is minimized), listen to a BUNCH of French House tracks. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Sim Gretina, and not just his pony music. So I take notes. I listen to a song, and write down where various parts of the song begin and end. Just listening to structure can be so helpful sometimes; let's you know where to place things when you're arranging.

Additionally, if you're using Ableton or FLS, I recommend you check out http://howtomakeelectronicmusic.com/. Very helpful, from the basics all the way to advanced mastering techniques.

[TheSyrethClan]

Thank you very much for the help. ^^
Also the4thImpulse you didn't discourage me, actually I think I discouraged myself (again). And I know the first steps will be the hardest (just like in rendering), but once I got them it'll sure run easier.