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We drop into episode 126 looking to craft a melodic house tune with a driving side. We launch into this episode using a MIDI chord progression. We will compose, arrange, mix and design every sounds to make this Driving melodic tune a success in about 20 minutes.
0:00 Introduction
1:37 Chord Progression Preview
1:54 Anjunadeep 14 just got out and its excellent!
2:20 Programming drums using MIDI in Logic Pro X Drum Machine Designer
3:43 Creating and designing a bass line
6:37 Adding a mid low synth layer
9:38 Programming groove percussions
14:15 Recording a lead sound
17:31 layering a simple arpeggiator
18:42 Final Thoughts
May the sounds be with you!
How to Make Driving Melodic House in Logic Pro — Tale of Us, ARTBAT & Ben Böhmer Style
This is episode 326 of the WeMakeDanceMusic live electronic series, where the entire track is built in real time inside Logic Pro — no pre-arranged shortcuts, just the full creative process from first chord to finished sketch. In this session the producer builds a driving melodic house track at 124 BPM in E major, in the spirit of Tale of Us, ARTBAT and Ben Böhmer, layering chords, drums, bass, synths and a lead into a complete arrangement. Every sound and channel gets bundled into a ready-to-use template.
What you’ll learn
- Starting a melodic house track from a MIDI chord progression in E major
- Programming drums and tuning a kick with Logic Pro’s Drum Machine Designer
- Designing a bassline and sidechaining it to the kick for punch
- Adding a mid-low electric-piano synth layer that sits under the pad
- Programming instinctive groove percussion with delay and panning for movement
- Recording a lead and layering a simple arpeggiator on top
1. Lay down the chord progression
The track begins with a MIDI chord progression in E major at 124 BPM. With the kick already loaded as a reference, the producer drafts a moody pad-style progression and trims it back so it works as the harmonic foundation. Keeping the arrangement minimal at this stage leaves room for every element that follows.
2. Program the drums and tune the kick
Drums are programmed with MIDI inside Logic Pro’s Drum Machine Designer. Rather than retuning everything, the original kick is kept at its recorded frequency — a deliberate choice to let the drums sit at their best as recorded. Minimal, standard percussion is dropped in first, and an open hat becomes a favourite detail that immediately gives the track character and a nostalgic 1990s feel.
3. Design and draw the bassline
Instead of playing the bass live, the producer draws the notes in by hand, aiming for a long, sparse John-Digweed-style feel with relatively few note hits. The bass patch is a custom-engineered sound that integrates so tightly with the groove that it almost blends into the pattern — you can barely tell it is a separate element, which is exactly the goal.
4. Add a mid-low synth layer
To fill the mid-low range left open by the pad, an electric-piano-style synth is layered in. The pad keeps the low end, so this new melodic layer covers the mid-lows without clashing. A couple of patches are auditioned — one underwatery, one brighter — before settling on something in between, with a cool effect added for colour.
5. Sidechain the bass and synth to the kick
A compressor is placed on the bass and fed a sidechain signal from the kick. The difference is immediate: the track gets noticeably more punch and the low end stops overflowing. The producer keeps the gain reduction modest — rarely more than about 5 dB depending on the sound — and trims volume slightly to tame distortion. The mid-low synth gets the same sidechain treatment so everything breathes with the kick.
6. Program groove percussion
Extra percussion is added to build movement, since static loops feel lifeless. Elements are panned left and right and treated with delay for a weird, coloured texture that pushes energy to the sides. The producer notes that mixing percussion is now instinctive after many years — it still takes time, but the goal is a groove that feels alive rather than rigidly on the grid.
7. Send a bus to reverb for instant polish
To avoid working completely dry, the producer routes a bus send to a reverb so new ideas sound finished right away — a small trick that keeps the creative momentum going. This makes layering and auditioning new parts feel more inspiring while the track takes shape.
8. Record the lead and layer an arpeggiator
A lead sound is recorded in, with the producer accepting a stray note or two as part of the live process — the real work is in the sound design and preset selection rather than perfect input. Finally, a simple arpeggiator is layered on top for extra sparkle and motion, completing a solid melodic house sketch ready to be turned into a template.
Get the project file: The full session — every separated channel, preset and sound from this episode — is available as a ready-to-use template for Logic Pro, Ableton Live and FL Studio, so you can open it in your own DAW and learn from the inside out. Download the template →
