making kicks

[Stomper]

ive been experimenting and trying out things for long time now, but havent got to a point where i have a 'go to' way to make a kick.

when i use a dedicated kick module if i never get the bend right where im satisfied with the body timbre and amount of low end. also i hate the click sound. never sound good.
i tried to make a kick from 3 layers, which gives me better low end, but i cant get the body of the kick to sound good. i cant get a rounded house/techno body for the kick. when i get a good punch with the body the kick sound too sharp and tech/trance kick.

any tips?

[AK]

I think maybe ( I'm guessing here ) is that you're making kicks in isolation. meaning, they're without context and NOT in a mix. In my book, it's how they work in the mix, not how they sound in isolation. I have sampled hundreds of 'perfect' kicks off heaps of stuff only to think, 'hey, these are sh!t'. In isolation, they might not be anything like they are in the mix.

My input on this, is that it's all about context.

[lem]

Just to build on AK's point,

I used to spend ages on 'fat' kicks, normally starting tracks with it.

Now its the last thing i put in when doing drums.

[tsankip]

Same here, not worried too much with the kick these days. I used to spend hours trying to find the right kick where as now I just knock it out and get the job done and move on.

[Phase Ghost]

When I make kicks, I usually make them way too snappy and with too much high end. Then, when I use them in a track, filter to taste. Every tune has a different requirement, so the filtering can make one kick work in a number of situations.

[Stomper]

I think maybe ( I'm guessing here ) is that you're making kicks in isolation.

lol
yeah i make them in isolation. thats because i build everything around them, when i try to build other drums first it doesnt go well for me. so i build in isolation than trying to tweak it after i have the rhythm built.

hmm i think it might be a good idea to just start a fresh kick after i have the other drums built.
just play around

[lem]

When I make kicks, I usually make them way too snappy and with too much high end. Then, when I use them in a track, filter to taste.

I get that all the time. After eqing a lot of the click out of the kick, I listen to it in isolation and it almost only bass frequencies. But in the context of the tune its really open.

I think maybe ( I'm guessing here ) is that you're making kicks in isolation.

lol
yeah i make them in isolation. thats because i build everything around them, when i try to build other drums first it doesnt go well for me. so i build in isolation than trying to tweak it after i have the rhythm built.

hmm i think it might be a good idea to just start a fresh kick after i have the other drums built.
just play around

Stomper, I wouldn't spend a lot of time working on sounds in isolation.
If you are going to change the kick later on, I would just use a sample. Don't waste time on a kick that you are then going to change.
For me, a kick is such a small part of a tune. I have probably spent most of my life working on kickdrums only to feel like it doesn't really matter anymore! If only I could turn back time.......

[steevio]

the most important thing with a kick for me is its tuning.

it just has to harmonise with the track somehow if it has any other than the shortest of decay.

i spend approximately 30 seconds on a kick. i just use a very roughly appropriate kick to start with, then i work on the rest of the tune, and last of all i concentrate on the kick, tuning it to the right frequency, get the decay length right for the groove, get the attack/punch sorted with the appropriate amount of harmonics/ pulse so that the kick has some presence in the track.

it shouldnt be a ballache really