R3HAB is one of the best Slap House producers in the world. His tracks are high energy and have catchy melodies, and combined with his integrity and creativity, they make him one of the best in the slap house sub-genre of EDM. 

Interested in making slap house like R3HAB? With a free FLP, a tutorial, and this article, hole yourself up with your studio and see what you can do. Let’s have a look at how R3HAB puts a song together. 

The 3 Main Steps in a R3HAB Track

You’ll need to focus on your intro, the break and build up, and then the drop. 

1. How to Make a R3HAB Intro

First set the BPM to 128. Then find a R3hab style vocal. Use a vocal from one of R3HAB’s Slap House tracks. First make the intro, so we will add a Reese bass. 

For the Bass Notes, add another layer to make the base sound full. Use a Full Reese Bass then add some ambiance stuff. By adding ambiance, you can fill up the empty spots and make the break more unique. Listen to your intro ambiance at this point, and when you’ve done that, you can listen to your full intro. 

Quick Summary

• BPM 128
• Choose Vocal
• Add bass notes
• Layer them for fuller sound
• Add Reese Bass
• Add Ambiance

2. Making The Break and the Build Up

So, for the 2nd part of the break, we will introduce some more stuff, like some pads and some leads. The leads follow the same melody as the hook of the vocal. R3HAB uses that topic often too. Use 3 layers in total. Slowly introduce the leads using a filter automation. Next up, add drums and FX. As said, this part of the break also contains the build up. The build-up is very subtle which is common in slap house. 

A Quick Summary

• Add pads
• Add leads (follow the melody of the hook)
• Use 3 layers
• Add Drums and FX

3. Getting Started with the Drop

Start with your vocals. For the 2nd part of the drop, use the same vocal but it will be pitched down 1 octave. Have a listen to your low vocals. By doing the octave change, the drop won’t get repetitive and will stay interesting. Now, it’s time to find a good slap bass. Use the same notes you made for the Reese bass in the intro. Just find a catchy rhythm, then just copy and paste it. Then add more layers to the bass. Next up, add 4 more supportive elements for the slap bass. 

• Stabs for more width
• Add bass FX to fill up the empty spots
• The Top Bass – clicky sounds add punchiness to your bass
• Add a fat sub bass
• Bass Clicks

Together, these 5 elements make up the main drop elements. You’ll hear the difference if you play it back with support elements on and off.

For the 2nd part of the drop, add the pads and leads from the  break. Then it’s time to add drums and FX. The drums consist of:

• Top Kick
• Main Kick
• Pre-shifted claps
• Hi-Hat1
• Hi-Hat2
• Drum Fill
• Ambiance
• FX

Then listen to your full drums and FX.

A Quick Summary

• Add vocals pitched down 1 Octave
• Add slap bass 
• Add Reese Bass
• Copy n Paste Catchy Rhythm
• Add 4 more supportive elements
• Add Pads
• Add Leads
• Add drums & FX

At this point, you have the three main parts of a R3HAB track. All that you need to do next is some final polishing. 

Do You Need Presets and Samples?

To make a slap House track like R3hab, it would help to have presets and samples that contain all the sounds you need. Infinity is the Slap House Sample Pack that the tutorial uses. It’s the ultimate slap house production suite It contains 360 high-quality samples such as drums, FX, synths and more. There are also 80 Serum and 70 Sylenth1 presets included. You will also find 5 Slap House FLPs in the pack. 

Getting Copyright Approval to Make Music like R3hab

R3HAB’s Slap House in EDM stands out for a number of reasons. He approaches his remixes by collaborating with the original artist and then goes on to make something new with it. So, if you want to do the same, contact the artist whose track you’d like to sample from, and make your own slap house version R3HAB-style. 

Keep in mind there might be two copyright holders:

1) the owner of the song

2) the owner of the master

To get permission, contact them and tell them:

• Who you are
• Name of the song
• Name of Artist who recorded it
• Name of the record label that released it
• How you plan to use the song

Find them on social media if need be, send in your sample clearance request, and you can relax and get started on getting your new track ready for the world. 

The Final Note

Though the tutorial makes it look so easy, making Slap House is not that hard when you have all the tools you need when you’re getting started. All that you’ll then need is passion, dedication, creativity, and time to play around. R3HAB’s style shows a lot of respect for the original artist, and when he does his remix, he adds value to it with his techniques as outlined in the three steps above. Take his advice, play with this style, and have fun!