Kick drums in dubtechno

dubgil · Post by **dubgil** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 12:46 am

looking for some points on kick drums in DUBTECHNO

I may be over complicated things, but *sometimes* in dub techno songs, while the kick drum is there, you can barely hear it. I'm wondering if this is simply a matter of keeping the kick track level down. I have this feeling its more complex, when i hear it my reaction is to call it a "muffled kick"
Is it an EQ thing, with filtering and stuff or is it like I assumed previously - just turn down the level?

Cheaper · Post by **Cheaper** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:11 am

basically these kicks contain no highs and no high mids (you don't have that "click"). EQ is the answer then.

When you want something to be closer in a mixdown, just push the highs and turn down the "space" (eg. echo or reverb), and when you want to add depth, just do the opposite.

zongo · Post by **zongo** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:21 am

I usually throw away the kick's attack. As cheaper said, no click involved.

I'm too lazy to create my kicks from scratch so I always use very basic samples from classic hardware, then I start the sample after the kick's attack and tweak the attack setting on the sampler on 30 ms or more. I often use layering so I use the same attack parameter on all the kick samples.

Here's an example in a track I'm working on. It's not finished yet (far from it, right now it's only a loop with no automation) but the kick is done : http://soundcloud.com/zzzzra/la-violence-pre-version

Esemdi · Post by **Esemdi** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:36 pm

Try adding a lowpass filter (24dbs should do the trick).

Keagan · Post by **Keagan** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:13 pm

nonnono

bassline blends with the kick, appearing to be almost non-existent

this is very easy to do when you start with little attack 808 type kick drums

s.k. · Post by **s.k.** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 5:38 pm

one thing about dub is it relys heavily on recycling. if you band pass an existing track around 50Hz with a 24dB bandpass, slow envelope, low ammount.. you will get that muffled sound. im not talking about samples though, but a full track, and not necessarily a techno one you know? i have the feeling that alot of the maurizio / basic channel kicks are reso-filtered from reggae tracks, wouldnt know for sure ofcourse, but try it, and you'll see what i mean

p.s. - plus, i kinda dont see maurizio synthesizing all of his kicks back in the day... according to his words in various interviews, it was mainly about a sampler and a bunch of old vinyl, so what else could it be you know...

buonacc · Post by **buonacc** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:53 am

most of the Maurizio/Basic Channel stuff is just straight 909 sounds.

MINIMALTECHNOHOUSE · Post by **MINIMALTECHNOHOUSE** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:48 pm

compression can muffle stuff too! remember that