How I Start a House Track in Ableton From Scratch (Part 1)

Part 01: This week's live, we open a blank Ableton project and get to work! How to make a house record that labels and DJs will love. This will become a mini series over October and maybe beyond. Let's sit down once a week to write a house record and get it signed to a big label! And yes, chat can guide my choices! Let's cook! If you're new here, I'm Ben — I make house music, break down the workflow, and share what actually works in the studio and on the way up. This week we continue from last week's session. 🔔 Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss it. Interested in learning music production with me? MY COURSE If you want daily A&R feedback, live 121 sessions, and the full Demo Strategy system, you can find out about my unique music production course on the link 👇 The Demo Strategy https://the-demo-strategy.lpages.co/g... Discord -   / discord   Instagram -   / benremembermusic   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/4QDXi... Listen to my new single - https://trx.lnk.to/TruthAS Chapters 00:00 – Starting a New Track From Scratch Setting up the session, mindset for beginning a fresh idea, and why the “magic” starts early. 01:20 – Why Concept Comes Before Drums Explaining how early creative decisions shape the entire record — drums, shakers, vibe, and direction. 03:30 – Recent Signings & Sample Clearance Talk Chat about Fool’s Paradise, Brobot, replacing vocals, and how sample clearance differs across labels. 04:40 – Target Labels & Sound Direction (Cécille / 8bit) Breaking down the modern house sound, label aesthetics, and how referencing guides production choices. 05:30 – What Makes Modern Soulful House Tick The blend of funk, jazz, soul, disco, vinyl loops, and modern drum production. 07:00 – The Reality of Sampling: Good Days & Bad Days Why finding the right sample can take hours — and how YouTube digging often beats Splice. 09:00 – Sample Hunting Strategy on Splice Using song starters, ignoring BPM/key filters, and searching for energy, funk, and loop‑friendly hooks. 12:40 – Avoiding “Cheesy” Samples & Staying Focused How to keep your ear calibrated without reference tracks and avoid getting lost in Splice. 21:10 – Building the Core Drum Groove Kick, clap, open hat philosophy, sampling drums from intros/outros, and creating a reusable drum library. 23:40 – Crafting a Clean Kick From a Messy Sample Using filter envelopes to isolate transients without stem‑splitting. 44:50 – Looping the Sample & Finding the Hook Half‑bar vs full‑bar looping, energy vs musicality, and shaping the main idea. 52:30 – Designing a Bassline From Scratch Using MODO Bass, ear‑based key detection, dealing with cursed harmonies, and filtering for vibe. 1:02:20 – Creating Funky House “Zap” Hooks The envelope‑filter trick for disco/house stabs, plus adding Trash 2, reverb, and mono utilities. 1:09:00 – Adding Hip‑Hop Vocal Chops Finding vocal replies, pitching tricks, and building call‑and‑response textures. 1:22:00 – The Real Workflow: Many Ideas, Few Winners Why pros make 10–20 ideas to find one great record, avoiding tunnel vision, and staying creative. 1:26:00 – Final Advice: Stop Trying to Finish Everything