First of all, I need to put things clearly: This is my method, I mean, THERE'S NOT ONE ONLY WAY TO DO KICKDRUMS, but I'll show you mine, hoping it could help you doing yours!
My kicks are made with a simple combination of Microtonic, Fabfilter ProQ and Izotope Trash 2, in this note I'll show you EXACTLY how I create my kickdrums. I'm only explaining the process when I have my Microtonic settings...well...set up haha, to learn how to use Microtonic you can read the User Manual or search Youtube tutorials, they'll be better explained. So, let's start!
First, when I have my microtonic tweaked and ready, I put in the INSERTS section of the channel a Fabfilter ProQ Equalizer. That will be really useful when shaping the kickdrum, because next to it I add an Izotope Trash 2 Distortion VST. The next step is the funniest part of the proccess...Just tweak and try different EQ configurations to get the exact sound that you want!
Tips on how to do the Pre-Eq to shape your kickdrum:
1 - Low freqs zone is highly important, just think "What are we doing?" A kickdrum, ¿true? And...¿What is definitive of a kickdrum? The answer is Low Freqs. So, in this Pre-Eq we can reach a increase level of nearly 30 dB in a zone between 60-90 hz (aprox) with a high Q factor, grafically seen as a peak. This low freqs increase makes that "kickbass" effect of the full kickdrum and it's the most fundamental step of shaping our kick.
2 - ¿What is definitive of a kickdrum appart of the distortion? That characteristic "TOK-like" sound, the typical "punch" sound in hardcore and even hardstyle. Okay, to achieve that sound we will use high Q factor rates, in the zone between 400-600 hz , but with less increase levels than in the low freqs, for example, sometimes we only need to increase 6 dB to achieve the desired sound. Take really seriously this zone of the spectrum, because if we increase the levels too much we can completely destroy our kickdrum's sound, so be really careful.
3 -Cutting below 20 Hz helps us to allow space in the mix (you must know that we don't hear below 20 Hz), remember that imediatly next to the EQ the signal will enter a distortion VST (in my case, Izotope Trash 2), and we would be distorting the signals below 20 Hz, we actually don't want to distort them nor use them, so cut them off.
4 - Please remember that these are only orientative guides,from here in advance you can experiment all you want, taking care to problematic frequencies (the higher ones, wich can destroy the mix or be the cause to audition problems).
Once I have my kickdrum souding as I want, it's time to export it! So, I export the kick with the whole tail. Then, I resample it to a new channel (FL Users Edison is great for you). Okay, now I have my kickdrum imported back to a new track in my project, so, what I am going to do is DUPLICATE it. Yeah, you heard right, but don't worry, now it's time to take that duplicated one and CUT THE TAIL until you leave only the punch part (you know, that TOK sound-like). Next, MUTE that duplicated one. Loop the original one, and slowly rise the volume of the duplicated one (the punch part), until you hear the kick is punchy enough. Note that this second step is not appliable to all kinds of kicks, some of them will be punchier enough in the first step.
The last step is really simple: Export those two layers together, and EQ them (you can EQ a bit between steps, but not I do not recommend you doing this too much). Now you can import it to your new track project and unleash hell with it!!!
I really hope this could help you, if you show me your support I'll continue doing this "tutorials" to show you how I do my music! Don't be afraid to ask me if you have any doubt!
P.D. : Please, remember when setting up Microtonic (or whatever drum machine you use) to adjust the tone (pitch) of the kickdrum to your track's fundamental notes and chords, if not it will sound terrible
Ah! And please, avoid hating on me or provoking stupid fights, I'm here just to share my experience with you guys, I hope this help at least one of you all
S.O.T.U.I. (Attack the Music)
https://soundcloud.com/sotuiofficial
https://www.facebook.com/SotuiOfficial
https://twitter.com/sotuiofficial
My kicks are made with a simple combination of Microtonic, Fabfilter ProQ and Izotope Trash 2, in this note I'll show you EXACTLY how I create my kickdrums. I'm only explaining the process when I have my Microtonic settings...well...set up haha, to learn how to use Microtonic you can read the User Manual or search Youtube tutorials, they'll be better explained. So, let's start!
First, when I have my microtonic tweaked and ready, I put in the INSERTS section of the channel a Fabfilter ProQ Equalizer. That will be really useful when shaping the kickdrum, because next to it I add an Izotope Trash 2 Distortion VST. The next step is the funniest part of the proccess...Just tweak and try different EQ configurations to get the exact sound that you want!
Tips on how to do the Pre-Eq to shape your kickdrum:
1 - Low freqs zone is highly important, just think "What are we doing?" A kickdrum, ¿true? And...¿What is definitive of a kickdrum? The answer is Low Freqs. So, in this Pre-Eq we can reach a increase level of nearly 30 dB in a zone between 60-90 hz (aprox) with a high Q factor, grafically seen as a peak. This low freqs increase makes that "kickbass" effect of the full kickdrum and it's the most fundamental step of shaping our kick.
2 - ¿What is definitive of a kickdrum appart of the distortion? That characteristic "TOK-like" sound, the typical "punch" sound in hardcore and even hardstyle. Okay, to achieve that sound we will use high Q factor rates, in the zone between 400-600 hz , but with less increase levels than in the low freqs, for example, sometimes we only need to increase 6 dB to achieve the desired sound. Take really seriously this zone of the spectrum, because if we increase the levels too much we can completely destroy our kickdrum's sound, so be really careful.
3 -Cutting below 20 Hz helps us to allow space in the mix (you must know that we don't hear below 20 Hz), remember that imediatly next to the EQ the signal will enter a distortion VST (in my case, Izotope Trash 2), and we would be distorting the signals below 20 Hz, we actually don't want to distort them nor use them, so cut them off.
4 - Please remember that these are only orientative guides,from here in advance you can experiment all you want, taking care to problematic frequencies (the higher ones, wich can destroy the mix or be the cause to audition problems).
Once I have my kickdrum souding as I want, it's time to export it! So, I export the kick with the whole tail. Then, I resample it to a new channel (FL Users Edison is great for you). Okay, now I have my kickdrum imported back to a new track in my project, so, what I am going to do is DUPLICATE it. Yeah, you heard right, but don't worry, now it's time to take that duplicated one and CUT THE TAIL until you leave only the punch part (you know, that TOK sound-like). Next, MUTE that duplicated one. Loop the original one, and slowly rise the volume of the duplicated one (the punch part), until you hear the kick is punchy enough. Note that this second step is not appliable to all kinds of kicks, some of them will be punchier enough in the first step.
The last step is really simple: Export those two layers together, and EQ them (you can EQ a bit between steps, but not I do not recommend you doing this too much). Now you can import it to your new track project and unleash hell with it!!!
I really hope this could help you, if you show me your support I'll continue doing this "tutorials" to show you how I do my music! Don't be afraid to ask me if you have any doubt!
P.D. : Please, remember when setting up Microtonic (or whatever drum machine you use) to adjust the tone (pitch) of the kickdrum to your track's fundamental notes and chords, if not it will sound terrible
Ah! And please, avoid hating on me or provoking stupid fights, I'm here just to share my experience with you guys, I hope this help at least one of you all
S.O.T.U.I. (Attack the Music)
https://soundcloud.com/sotuiofficial
https://www.facebook.com/SotuiOfficial
https://twitter.com/sotuiofficial
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