how are kicks processed properly to get a nice punchy sound outta them?

i hear compression is a good idea from some....and some others say not to compress..(i have read this from many top magazine articles and books written on the subject) but i can't remember what alternative the articles said to use instead of compression..................but compression seems like it is the standard for processing kick drums so i might as well learn that for now...if anyone can lend some assistance.


at what ratio do i compress my kick drums if i'm using a sample from a 909 kit....or any other drum .WAV sample that i use through logic audio platinum's exs24 sampler?

im working with version 5.5 of logic....

and all the effects i use on my tracks are built into logic....there are plenty of options as far as effects go in logic audio... but for drums i'm not certain which are the right type of effects to use.


can anyone help describe how i would get the best result??? which effects to use, what type of compression ratios? any and all information on getting a wicked KICK is needed badly.

thanks!!!!!!!

I'm going to throw my standard response in here:

First of all, you need a decent sound to begin with. You can't squeeze diamonds out of turds. Also, you have to make sure the beat sits correctly in the mix.

And as for the sound itself:
It's all in the layering. I usually use 2 beats, one with nothing but low-end and other with not much low-end at all. When you combine them and add a silent short-cut snare or hihat on top of it to give some presence you get a nice, clean, punchy kick. I only use minimal amount of compression and eq.

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i generally just use a mint sample and compress the fuck out of it

there u go, 2 different responses already

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i sometimes add a very very short reverb tail at the end sometimes to give the kick more space in the mix make it sound a bit more powerful... but only if the kick is sounding too short and weak and needs a bit of boost

otherwise, the 2 posts above are how i usually go about doing my kicks

you could steal/sample a kick drum thats on a vinyl you own or whatever, and use that. it will already be compressed too perfection (assuming you choose a good one) so your sorted.

Have a look for the pack of kicks someone posted a few days ago, 59 high quality kicks.

I'm not for the using of several kicks so kicks hava a main tonal component and it can derive in worst troubles as phase cancellations, loss of punch... Instead of it, use a percussive noisy mid/hi-freq sample, such as a snare, sharp hat or conga.

That's the workflow I use:

Try to look for new kick sounds (909 is good but the world is a bit bigger).
Try to find the adecuate kick for the bass you are gonna use. Not all kicks fit well together with the bass into the mix.
Try to enhance the "click" but preserving a dense tonal decay. The use of a compressor is specially indicated for this. A good way to improve the click and the punchy effect is to play with the pitch control (envelope) of your sampler. I use Battery as following (look at the red line, indicating the pitch variation):



For the kick track you can use a compressor (I prefer Waves' C1). I usually control the compression by bandpass sidechain:



Then, or at the same time, you should EQ enhancing the most characteristic of your kick but being careful with the mids. You should note that many sample library kicks are precompressed and preEQ, so your actions must be directed to soften or to highlight these depending on the sound you are looking for.

To add some hi-freq percussive content I mixed the kick with a tabla, resulting in the this spectrum:



And finally you can route the kick track together with other rhythm tracks to a subgroup where you can compress and EQ all the section or, as I was adviced recently, to premix only kick and bass leaving soft percussion for a lighter compression.

This is just my way.

and you can always steal the kick
use Anergy -> 59 Kicks rar file , for example.

why invent the bicycle again

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In reason i use 2-3 kicks at a time ,add at least one EQ device to each of the kicks and if i want to i add a litle reverb or diztortion to it as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.Mystery You can't squeeze diamonds out of turds.

i agree with this...use good samples and combined them to get the sound you want. i would do it the way mr. mystery suggested, but it really depends on what kinda kick you want, that determines how you approach it...