How can I make a stong kick?

[UncleSqueezins]

I use Fl Studio 8 and I'm having a bit of trouble. I'm working on a song and the kick is too soft, but whenever I try to increase the volume or the bass on the kick, it drowns out the other sounds. So how can I make a strong kick without it drowning out everything else?

[iceblueglow]

there are diferent methots. the one i use most is compression. take the filter maximus

[Envy]

At 10/12/09 01:58 PM, iceblueglow wrote: there are diferent methots. the one i use most is compression. take the filter maximus

As well as compression try adding a layer or two depending on what your kick needs. If you need more low end, add a deep kick, if you need more punch, try adding a snare.

[wtflolnoob]

I reccomend adding a maximizer with no clip, and maybe some tape distortion.

[ZENON]

Don't increase the volume of the sample, just fuck with the eq. If adding too much bass drowns everything else out, then just play with the other lower frequencies (250 Hz and below). If you need the kick to have even more presence, then increase the mid frequencies a bit until you get a sound that you want.

Side chaining helps 2 lul :3

[Koriigahn]

Probably because the kick your using sounds dire and you need to change the sample.

[blackattackbitch]

At 10/12/09 04:59 PM, ZENON wrote: Don't increase the volume of the sample, just fuck with the eq. If adding too much bass drowns everything else out, then just play with the other lower frequencies (250 Hz and below). If you need the kick to have even more presence, then increase the mid frequencies a bit until you get a sound that you want.

Side chaining helps 2 lul :3

This. Definitely this. I just want to add on to it.

The tonal aspects of a kick influence it too. For example, in most trance songs I've heard, the artists used kicks that have significant amounts of mid-range frequencies as well as low-range frequencies.

The more mid-range that your kick has, the "harder" it sounds, at least in my experience. If a kick has substantially more bass than mid-range, than it's gonna sound kind of soft.

But yeah, as others have said, use a compressor or limiter and use an EQ. I just want to add that you should evaluate what sample you're using for your kick too. (or what your synth's settings are, if you're synthesizing a kick.)

[nathanallenpinard]

Cutting the bass drum below 60hz can help clean up the muddiness of it.

I do it with any drum with a fairly long release time. Especially taikos.

[SBB]

At 10/12/09 04:59 PM, ZENON wrote: If you need the kick to have even more presence, then increase the mid frequencies a bit until you get a sound that you want.

That tends to sound a bit hollow and awkward on deep kick samples though since you're boosting frequencies that aren't really there in the first place. I've found layering the kick with something like a click (harder transient) and then a gritty/noisy open hat sample does that job better.

[ProudAardvark]

Also make sure you don't put too much reverb on you your bass; this is another common problem that would mud up your mix like crazy.

[boney-man]

Layering, EQing, and compression is usually what I do. You have to think of everything in the mix; it takes practice to be able to get a good mixdown, but if you keep trying you'll get it.

[Kr1z]

Remove any limiter/compressor/maximizer/soundgoodiz er (if there is any) from the master channel.

[Box-Killa]

What also counts Is having a good drum sample, you can often make a drum sample sound very punchy by just adding soundgoodizer and/or boosting the midrange, but a bad drum sample will take a lot of work and filtering and adjustment, and even then it will probably clip like crazy and sound terrible. So my advise to you, make sure the drum sample is good, or at look around for some different ones other. Try and get some drum samples from a vengeance pack, they are excellent.

[Box-Killa]

unless you are going to layer of course...

[B0UNC3]

Layering usually does it for me. But it's very dependant on good base sounds and sound manipulation skills. Take it very easy with the compression and Eqing. 1 miss can trash hours of work.

And no I'm not saying I'm a god, but I do what I can to improve my sounds in ways i like.

[Envy]

At 10/13/09 06:38 PM, B0UNC3 wrote: Layering usually does it for me. But it's very dependant on good base sounds and sound manipulation skills. Take it very easy with the compression and Eqing. 1 miss can trash hours of work.

And no I'm not saying I'm a god, but I do what I can to improve my sounds in ways i like.

Holy shit is that go-...

Oh, it's just b0unc3

[SessileNomad]

this is ussualy how i make my trance/dance kicks, the ones i REALLY want to pop

i layer a kick sample or two, mabye three

send them all to either the same or separate effect channels, depends on how much work i wanna put in it

i use parametric EQ to boost some bass

multiband compressor to boost as well, although i use it for mids and treble a little as well

tridirt, even though its a distort effect, if used lightly, it can really make drums pop

pretty much it, if any particular sample has a bit too much tail on it, i try gating it so that it stops b4 the tail can come in, tightens everything up

[UncleSqueezins]

Thanks for all the help guys! :)