Production Music Live
Want to see how a finished Afro House track is put together, from the first shaker to the last riser? "Vibey" is a complete Afro House track at 120 BPM by South African producer Pierre Johnson (Ópalo Records, Modern Africa Recordings), and you can download the full Ableton project for free.
Every track is open: 10 Serum 2 presets, 20 samples and the full arrangement. Here is what is inside and what to look at first.
1. The arrangement: six sections, one groove
The project is laid out with locators, so you can jump straight to any part: Drums Full, Bass, More, Break, Drop and Outro. The tracks are grouped by color: drums, bass, instruments, leads, FX and vocal. Mute a group, play a section, and you hear what each part adds.
What to try:
- Play from the Drums Full locator and unmute one group at a time
- Compare the Break and the Drop: which groups drop out, which come back
2. Energetic plucky synths
Bright, rhythmic plucks drive the groove and cut through with instant clarity. The arp, bells and stab sit in the Instruments group. Before the drop, the arp opens up: its Serum 2 Filter, Release and Decay are automated upwards over the last bars of the break and snap back as the drop hits. The stab only enters at the drop.
Key settings:
- Arp: automate Serum 2 Filter, Release and Decay together for the build
- Reset the automation exactly on the first beat of the drop
- Save a new element, like the stab, for the drop
3. Organic percussion
Handpicked percussion with authentic Afro House swing and texture. Two tom tracks carry the rhythm, four shakers each play their own pattern, a hat loop runs on top and a cymbal marks every eighth bar. The shakers sit quietly in the mix, around −18 to −23 dB, so you feel them more than you hear them.
Key settings:
- Layer several shakers with different patterns instead of one loud loop
- Keep them low in the mix, they add movement, not volume
- Use a single cymbal hit every 8 bars to mark the phrase
4. Powerful bass layering
Deep, warm bass layers chosen to lock in with the groove. The bass is split across five Serum 2 basses plus a sustained bass for the break. Each layer has its own job: one short note per bar, a busy rhythmic part, sparse accents and a fill every eight bars. The whole Bass group runs through EQ Eight, Glue Compressor and Utility with Bass Mono at 120 Hz.
Key settings:
- Give every bass layer its own rhythm instead of stacking the same notes
- Bass Mono on the group at 120 Hz keeps the low end centered
- Solo the layers one by one to hear how they lock in with the percussion
5. Vocals
A soulful vocal phrase adds emotion and atmosphere instantly. It comes in during the break, in A# minor, together with the sustained bass and the risers, and leads straight into the drop.
Get the Vibey project for free
The download comes with the full Ableton project in two versions (Serum 2 as VST3 for Mac and Windows, Serum 2 as AU for Mac only), 10 Serum 2 presets, 20 samples and a demo of the full track. You need Ableton Live 11.1 or newer and Xfer Serum 2 (2.0.18 or newer). Royalty free in all your personal and professional projects.
Want more from Pierre Johnson?
Pierre made this track alongside his sample pack Afro House - Sounds From The Cape: the vocal phrases and risers you hear in Vibey come from it. The pack has 320+ organic drums, percussion, loops and song starters, plus two more bonus Ableton projects.
