How Do You Make Your Kicks?

[innoverse]

I try to achieve a fat and punchy kick by layering a high frequency kick(lots of punch) with a 909(the body and bass), filtering each of them and compressing them together. How about you?

[golden beers]

i'm not going in depth.. use the search if you want more explanation.. just search for my user name and kick, if youre interested..

but basically i do one of 3 things:

for clients who want a mixdown done quick i use Drum Tools 01 - Minimal Techno, Minimal Drum Samples & Sample Packs

1 or 2 layers over theirs. always impresses, 'dude i love what you've doen with the kick!' they say. $$$

for myself, i create a kick from scratch using an analogue synth. i have 3 takes, one would be the kick and then i change the ADSR to get a snap with the same tone as the kick, and the 3rd would be a sub-base from the same synth: layer, level, drive, shape, group, gental compress to glue, eq, and off to the drum-group.

or i use a sample (wavealchemy or similar or my own) and create a transient from the first couple of cycles and then same as above.

sometimes i'll use 4 layers, sometimes 2.
sometimes 2 is the best just the body and transient of a kick, layered etc..

[jbuonacc]

usually one oscillator into the FM input of another and go from there...

[XAXAU]

1. Klick from one bassdrum, body from Subhuman VSTi or other synth you like (klick and body not overlapping / layered = louder, more punch, less distortion) then layer with a punchy kick and limit a few dB with UAD PL, 25ms release (the less, the better, takes a while to find one that fits) cause it´s so damn invisible and retains the punch without distorting.

2. Bounce and use "snap to zero crossing" and chop up the first 1/16th of the bassdrum (at every zero crossing) and normalize the whole thing to -0,1dBFS.

3. EQ if necessary to fit the mix.

4. Enjoy!

[Jetty]

Like this:

[AJ Reynolds]

turn the Vermona DRM-1 MKIII > turn some knobs > record.

once it's recorded i might process it with some EQ and compression.

[EarthmanVIII]

I sample myself when playing a KICK ASS jam and then retrieve the individual kicks ;-)

[The Architecture]

turn on 909 and 808, eq, done!

[goldphinga]

pick a good kick sample, eq to taste. Layer as you like. Keep it simple!

[tensensi]

Ran my MPC through a Sansamp yesterday. That was fun.

[Ludwig]

check this thread out for a GREAT technique:

The Bassdrum

[machineintel]

not sure why people are obsessed with layering kicks by default....a touch of eq is all i ever need, as long as the source isn't garbage to begin with. layering usually just eats up more space in the mix than is necessary.

[Primativ]

Originally Posted by machineintel

not sure why people are obsessed with layering kicks by default....a touch of eq is all i ever need, as long as the source isn't garbage to begin with. layering usually just eats up more space in the mix than is necessary.

Agree, don't get me wrong, it's good to layer a kick...sometimes. I don't see how someone can follow a set routine every time, surely it depends on the sample. Some kicks in my sample bank I would NEVER use on their own, but then others sound perfectly fine as they are. For me the key is finding the right balance between the kick, snare and the rest of the drums, once I feel I have all the sounds and the balance riht, I'll then start messing around with eq's e.t.c.

[FeelAudio(Matt)]

yeah I must admit, I don't layer too much either,

I spend a LOT of time on my kicks, tonally mostly and then a lot of control over the balance and shape and sound of the attack compared to the body....more often that not I don't do this with compressors but more saturation and distortion effects.

[innoverse]

Always shaped the sound with compressors. never thought of distortion

[roginator]

Originally Posted by The Architecture

turn on 909 and 808, eq, done!

+1 or LinnDrum , DMX or Sp12

and compressssssssss IT!!!

[sleestack]

I have to be somewhere on Route 66 to make my kicks...

[aeonlux]

top 3:

• Elektron MachineDrum SPS-1UW
• JoMoX MBase01
• Korg OASYS PCI physical model

I tend to prefer synthesis as opposed to working with samples, though nothing wrong with the latter.


cheers,
Ian

[energizer bunny]

Originally Posted by sleestack

I have to be somewhere on Route 66 to make my kicks...

What a comment, LOL.

[lowkey]

Originally Posted by AJ Reynolds

turn the Vermona DRM-1 MKIII > turn some knobs > record.

once it's recorded i might process it with some EQ and compression.

Same! except i run it directly through character, eq and compression on my MH2882 and through the tape on a Roland RE201.

[living sounds]

Usually I set up an outboard chain into the console and use whatever sample sounds good from my library. Sometimes add a live 808 kick for sub-kicks. Sometimes I use the 909s kick, usually into a compressor, from there to the console EQ and into another compressor on a bus. Since I'm all OTB this whole kick selecting, layering and lenghty processing thing has become unnecessary.

[rolandjuno6]

Lately I have been recording a bass drum from a Korg DDD-1 and another track of the DDD-1 triggering the same pattern on my Juno-6 so it is in sync with the DDD-1. And I find a sound on the Juno-6 that compliments the sound of the DDD-1's click. Then I mix them together.

[Robobaby]

Originally Posted by golden beers

for clients who want a mixdown done quick i use Drum Tools 01 - Minimal Techno, Minimal Drum Samples & Sample Packs

Ok, those demos blew me away. Theres nothing misleading about them right? (i.e. they aren't super compressed or anything). If not then I guess thats another 40 quid on my credit card. Sigh.

[Primativ]

Originally Posted by Robobaby

Ok, those demos blew me away. Theres nothing misleading about them right? (i.e. they aren't super compressed or anything). If not then I guess thats another 40 quid on my credit card. Sigh.

I also have these samples, they are excellent.

[Primativ]

What processing do people do on their drums? Compress the kick, bit of eq, but what about hats snares and percussion?

I find alot of snare samples already have reverb on them....

[msl]

I have to add my voice to the "I don't stress about it too much" camp. With all the great samples available, Goldbaby, Wave Alchemy, etc. I don't see the need to obsess and spend hours or days making the perfect kick, I'll just start with the best quality kick to begin with, and get on with writing the song...

For EDM at least, when its the right sound and you've built up the song around it and the bass, there's not much processing needed either, maybe a touch of eq and a bit of parallel compression on the whole beat and away you go.



.

[goldphinga]

Originally Posted by machineintel

layering usually just eats up more space in the mix than is necessary.

3 layers (top mid and low) each with own freq range to make one kick will take up no more space unless eq'd to take up more space.

[KRE8A]

Mastering - Hi - Mid - Lo - Limiting - EQ - Compression - Enhancer - etc.. In any sequence, for never ending sound definition.

[Ernie O]

Sonny Oxford has the trance modulation plug in.
That baby can bring out a punch to anything.

[mono-poly]

Best kicks come from self oscilating filters.