How to arrange a tech house track (bar-by-bar)
Turn the 8-bar loop into a track DJs can mix.
The maths
Most tech house sits around 124–128 BPM. At 126 BPM, one bar is about 1.9 seconds:
- 16 bars ≈ 30 s
- 32 bars ≈ 61 s
- 224 bars ≈ 7 min 7 s
Work in blocks of 8, 16 and 32 bars. DJs count phrases and mix on those boundaries.
Template
| Bars | Section | What's playing |
|---|---|---|
| 1–16 | Intro A | Kick, hats, perc. Nothing tonal. |
| 17–32 | Intro B | Add clap and top loop. |
| 33–64 | Groove 1 | Full bass. Small change every 8 bars. |
| 65–96 | Groove 2 | Bring in the hook. |
| 97–128 | Breakdown | Kick out. Hook gets space. |
| 129–160 | Drop | Everything in. |
| 161–192 | Groove 3 | Hook out, new variation. |
| 193–224 | Outro | Strip back to drums. |
A starting point, not a rule. Too long? Cut a whole 32-bar block.
Intro and outro
Keep the first and last 16–32 bars drums only. No bass, no chords, so nothing clashes in the mix.
Move without adding
- Mute hats or clap for 2 bars before a change.
- Automate a filter over 16–32 bars.
- Change one bass note at the end of each 8-bar phrase.
- Drop in a fill every 8 or 16 bars.
Breakdown and drop
Pull the kick, let the hook breathe, build for the last 4–8 bars. The drop needs kick and bass locked. See the kick and bass guide.
Map a reference
Drop in a track you rate, put a locator where each part enters or leaves, and copy the block lengths. More in the reference tracks guide.
FAQ
What BPM is tech house?
Mostly 124–128 BPM.
How long should a DJ intro be?
16–32 bars of mostly drums.