Mastering the Perfect Kick Drum Setup: A Step-By-Step Guide

Increasing the attack time causes Element 2.0 to take longer to reach its maximum volume level when you trigger a MIDI note. Using a really long attack time, you’ll hear the bass sound gradually ramp up over time like a riser. There’s a limited amount of space available within the low-end of your mix, and at the moment, the bass is dominating that frequency range. All you have to do is increase the attack (A) value within Element 2.0’s VCA section until the kick is clearly punchy and audible during playback.

Sub Basses

Other useful plugins are “Supercharger” by Native Instruments and Slate Digital’s “VBC Rack” to mention a few. Another useful tip when it comes to EQing kicks is to carve out space for your bassline. Balancing kick and bass channels is always a challenge for producers as both elements occupy a lot of sub space.

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If a kick triggers a broadband sidechain compressor that you’ve applied to a bass track, all of the frequency content between 20-20,000 Hz will be attenuated. What’s crucial here is that you also make sure to cut off all your mid bass layers below 100hz to let your kick and bassline play freely. A/B listen on low volume and you will easily hear the difference it does additional harmonics. To the untrained ear, a kick drum can, to all intents and purposes, sound like any other kick drum. However, as with almost all aspects of electronic music, the deeper you dig into a topic, the more there is to learn. Spend a bit of time analysing kick drums across different genres, artists, and decades and you’ll soon realise that the sound of a kick drum can vary wildly, and be deployed in all sorts of ways.

To give the kick a ‘gritty’ or ‘dirty’ texture, you can add subtle filter movements and distortion – but remember, less is more! With careful adjustments, you can tailor the kick to the desired character of your track. EQing can seem like a bit of a mystical art form at times, but there are a few simple rules you can follow to help your kicks stand out. You’ll also hear this style of kick in techno music, which is very closely related to house. For example, techno tracks such as Asquith’s Enter the Core will often have a loud, bass heavy, long tail that actually fulfills the role of a bassline in the track.

When used intelligently, this switch-off can add a unique rhythmic texture to your production. Now that you’ve polished the basics, let’s delve into some advanced techniques. This technique emulates the natural behavior of instruments (like toms) where the tension of the skin causes a slight pitch drop when struck. Compression, as we touched upon,  is a critical tool to add punch to your kick.

These kicks are usually played in quick succession and have a very short tail and low sustain. In the same breath, certain types of kicks work better in specific genres than others. It’s highly beneficial to understand the different kicks available to you in sound production and how to shape them appropriately. That big fat kick drum you know and love is out of place in today’s metal. In modern metal, the kick feels more like a bullet, with a sudden, high-midrange, clicky impact.

Even if you make gentler styles of music, adding distortion and saturation will be incredibly beneficial. Effects are one of the primary tools available to music producers when altering the characteristics of a kick drum. Here are a few examples of how effects can be utilised in your drum design workflow. These are not hard-pressed rules and I highly encourage you to experiment with different AnsTam.com EQ settings and presets to see if you come with your own unique set of mixing techniques. Removing these low-end frequencies makes it much easier to mix these kicks when played in quick successions, and will allow them to cut through complex parts of your arrangements.

They’re designed for quick responsiveness and consistent sound 一 allowing drummers and producers to craft that distinct punch. However, if you’re uncertain about its dynamics or how to properly leverage its potential, the resulting imbalance can muddy your mix or leave it sounding amateurish. We’re talking about a classic sound here, the sort of kick you’d hear in 1970s rock and funk tunes. I come back to the Alan Parsons Project’s “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” and Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” as references here. Receiving this kind of mess is not at all uncommon in the mixing game—so you have to find holistic ways to make your 808 kicks shine. Here, parallel harmonic distortion can help, and you have a couple of options.

Additionally use a sidechain plugin to duck your bass line to the kick to make sure once again your kick stays in front as the leader. The sidechain separates the bass from the kick ducking the volume level whenever the kick hits to make more space for it. Adjust the ducking level in relation to how much space you want to create to make sure the kick stays prominent and in front. By blending a heavily distorted signal with your original kick sound, you can add harmonics that enhance the character of the kick.