so whats ur preferred method for finding that right kick?

[blue frog beats]

Would love to hear some of your methods, whats ur favorite way of finding that right kick drum?

[cacti]

i search 'kick' in the finder window, and scroll through with the preview on listening to each one til i hear one i like.


thats one way..

or i just have favorite kicks. like the 909

[outershpongolia]

this is always my go-to-kick..



notice the wrist grab.

[liveISlife]

Browsing the kicks in Stylus RMX kit mode is always going to bring the results you need. That thing is amazing. Auwsum samples all the way around in that thing.

[ze2be]

Would love to hear some of your methods, whats ur favorite way of finding that right kick drum?

Good source sound with maximum range of frequencies. Then shape it like you want with an EQ.

1. Create a brutal synth kick that's all over the frequency range. This is the perfect start position to shape a kick drum with EQ. The more frequencies the original sample has, the more shapes can be molded out of it. Kind of like high resolution source material!

2. Layer it with a sampled acoustic kick, and tweak that one with EQ and envelopes to taste.

3. Squeeze them with a compressor, if needed.


edit:typos

[andrewbrewer]

i have some pretty boring tips:
- always make the decision while listening to the rest of the music, so you can hear how the kick sounds in the mix.
- be equipped with some tool (abe drum racks are great for this) that will let you try out different kicks on the fly.
- when using effects/eq/etc., always A/B compare wet and dry. sometimes effects can seem like they help when in fact they don't.
- finally do not dismiss the classics, sometimes all that is needed is a clean 808 or 909 kick and the job is done

[ze2be]

i have some pretty boring tips:
- always make the decision while listening to the rest of the music, so you can hear how the kick sounds in the mix.
- be equipped with some tool (abe drum racks are great for this) that will let you try out different kicks on the fly.
- when using effects/eq/etc., always A/B compare wet and dry. sometimes effects can seem like they help when in fact they don't.
- finally do not dismiss the classics, sometimes all that is needed is a clean 808 or 909 kick and the job is done

indeed. And just to add: you can use my method quickly too. When ever you EQ a nice kick, save the EQ preset! after a while you have a few presets to flick through. Quicker then searching for a kick samples, IMHO

[mholloway]

the 'new york' / parallel compression trick changed my life. i set it up with a send/return in live and send my kickdrum tracks about %50 to it. kicks that once lacked that extra edge and punch now sound great. it's a trick I couldn't live without for the music I'm doing.

-M

[The Carpet Cleaner]

Got a set of favorite kick/drum kits. I layers them, change pitch, tone, ADRS, EQ (not always), then parrallel process.
And finaly I A/B with other tracks/kicks.

[Hermanus]

sorry

[logic_user99]

I go into Live, type in...

808

...and win comes out!

[nowtime]

the 'new york' / parallel compression trick changed my life. i set it up with a send/return in live and send my kickdrum tracks about %50 to it. kicks that once lacked that extra edge and punch now sound great. it's a trick I couldn't live without for the music I'm doing.

-M

@everyone: great suggestions! love hearing about this shit.
@mholloway: it seems like your creepy doll picture/signature has changed your life, too? pulllllleeeze already!

[cacti]

the 'new york' / parallel compression trick changed my life. i set it up with a send/return in live and send my kickdrum tracks about %50 to it. kicks that once lacked that extra edge and punch now sound great. it's a trick I couldn't live without for the music I'm doing.

-M

can you explain a bit more please?

[smaucher]

the 'new york' / parallel compression trick changed my life. i set it up with a send/return in live and send my kickdrum tracks about %50 to it. kicks that once lacked that extra edge and punch now sound great. it's a trick I couldn't live without for the music I'm doing.

-M

can you explain a bit more please?

+1

[outershpongolia]

the 'new york' / parallel compression trick changed my life. i set it up with a send/return in live and send my kickdrum tracks about %50 to it. kicks that once lacked that extra edge and punch now sound great. it's a trick I couldn't live without for the music I'm doing.

-M

can you explain a bit more please?

+1

parallel compression ? (btw that's exactly how I set it up)

You compress the signal, and mix it back in with the original signal.. so basically the idea is that you still get the dynamics of the regular signal, with the added punch and chunkiness of the compressed signal.. It's a perfect setup for me becasue I can map out the send amount for my channels so I can control how much of the compressed signal is coming thru on top of the normal one..

I used 'signal' too many times in one sentence.

If anyone has anything to add go ahead, I may have worded it a little strange but it should get the point across.