How low is too low for a kick drum?

TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Production Studio
-- How low is too low for a kick drum?

Posted by Beatflux on Mar-10-2011 20:40:

How low is too low for a kick drum?

I have this kick drum that peaks at 37 Hz in the Spectrum analyzer, is that too low?

Posted by DJ RANN on Mar-10-2011 21:28:

Quite true, but that is in true sub territory. Unless you've got a wide frequency kick sound, on a lot of speakers (such as ipod headphones or PC speakers) your listener is going to think your track is ambient.

Posted by Looney4Clooney on Mar-10-2011 21:58:

my favourite fx at the theatres are those low rumbles. those are fantastic.

Posted by Beatflux on Mar-10-2011 22:02:

Thanks guys. I've looked at a few pros tracks in the analyzer they all peaked around 50 Hz +/- 10 Hz. I thought maybe there was some kind of technical limitation.

Posted by Zombie0729 on Mar-11-2011 00:00:

Most are between 48-65hz, I wrote a long winded response to keying kick drums a few mos back, see if you can find it, should give you an idea of an appropriate range for club music.

Posted by Beatflux on Mar-11-2011 00:11:

quote:
Originally posted by Zombie0729
Most are between 48-65hz, I wrote a long winded response to keying kick drums a few mos back, see if you can find it, should give you an idea of an appropriate range for club music.

I am struggling to find it. Helpo!

Posted by Zombie0729 on Mar-11-2011 00:21:

are you in ableton by any chance?

Posted by Beatflux on Mar-11-2011 00:57:

quote:
Originally posted by Zombie0729
are you in ableton by any chance?

8.21

Posted by Zombie0729 on Mar-11-2011 04:36:

pardon my mspaint skills

so just real quick all i do is hold my mouse at the resonant peak up top and look at the bottom to see the frequency + key That's how i do it and seems to work for me. As you adjust the pitch in your kick you can also make sure it's adjusting correctly by using this method

oh also i use this chart:

http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html

Posted by Beatflux on Mar-11-2011 17:51:

quote:
Originally posted by Zombie0729
pardon my mspaint skills

so just real quick all i do is hold my mouse at the resonant peak up top and look at the bottom to see the frequency + key That's how i do it and seems to work for me. As you adjust the pitch in your kick you can also make sure it's adjusting correctly by using this method

oh also i use this chart:

http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html

That is what I do now. Spectrum sure is handy.

Posted by Atlantis-AR on Mar-16-2011 09:09:

Re: How low is too low for a kick drum?

quote:
Originally posted by Beatflux
I have this kick drum that peaks at 37 Hz in the Spectrum analyzer, is that too low?

The problem here is that most consumer speakers are unable to reproduce frequencies that low, so your kick might become almost inaudible...

Posted by Richard v W on Mar-16-2011 11:15:

I wouldn't go much lower than 50Hz, because there are many sound systems that can't go that low, even in clubs. Also you don't want your kick to be only sub, have some power around 80-100Hz so you'll hear a kick drum on sound systems without sub too.

Posted by kitphillips on Mar-16-2011 16:22:

If it sounds good then it is good. You'll know you have a problem if you run out of headroom due to the bass frequencies which you can't hear. If that happens then just filter/replace the kick.