Kick tips

[Imba]

Hello artists!

I have been asking and reading from some top names in psy/goa scene kick related questions. Combining their tips and some my experience, here are my 'tips'

 

1. Make sure your kick channel is switched to Mono.

 

2. Tune your kick to 'perfect fifth' of the key of track (perfect fifth is +7 semitones of the key)... this way kick wont match much notes in track and will stand out

3. Try to cut/soften 300-400Hz in your kick with EQ, that frequency range makes kick muddy and if you cut, you get extra headroom, so kick can go few decibels up

4. My kicks are 1/8, half of it or first 1/16 is maximized, second half with tail/fade out - so you will have subby low end. Kick will fade out just in time when the first note of the bass will fade in, nice and smooth sidechain

5. If your kick is in A note for example (A = 55Hz) boost that frequency for few decibels and make a low cut 5-10Hz under the note frequency. You will have nice shaped, fat and round low end.

6. Use the envelope to soften your attack, that annoying plastic and sharp sound in your kick that just doesnt fit nicely. Bazzism have pretty nice envelope. Cutting right place combining with EQ that muddy range around 300-400Hz won't be dominant any more.

This way you should have nice smooth kick, which will stand out of the rest of track. Some of technics use Tristan himself... but ofcourse, use ears!

Hopefuly this will help to some of you

[johnb820]

Nice tips Imba!

 

I never really thought much about the tune of the kick seeing as how in my brain kicks were always enharmonic, but I guess that's not entirely true.

 

To add to this, I have heard that you generally want your kick and your bass line to sit in their own frequency range separate from each other as much as possible otherwise they end up bleeding together and there is not good clarity. For instance, you might want your kick to come down to about 60Hz and place an emphasis there with a lengthy decay, while your bass line dances above/below on the off beats. Does that sound like a reasonable thing to do?

 

Also, what are your thoughts on clicks? Are they really necessary?

 

I admit bass parts are extremely difficult to get right, but then perhaps that is why there are countless different styles.

[GoaPal]

thx for sharing mate, will need it one day... hopefully ^^

[Imba]

Nice tips Imba!

 

I never really thought much about the tune of the kick seeing as how in my brain kicks were always enharmonic, but I guess that's not entirely true.

 

To add to this, I have heard that you generally want your kick and your bass line to sit in their own frequency range separate from each other as much as possible otherwise they end up bleeding together and there is not good clarity. For instance, you might want your kick to come down to about 60Hz and place an emphasis there with a lengthy decay, while your bass line dances above/below on the off beats. Does that sound like a reasonable thing to do?

 

Also, what are your thoughts on clicks? Are they really necessary?

 

I admit bass parts are extremely difficult to get right, but then perhaps that is why there are countless different styles.

 

 

Normaly i let my kicks go lower than bass, this way they are stronger and cleaner, bass wont make them muddy in low end. Even with sidechain, i like kicks go lower than bassline.

 

I emphase the note of the kick, well the sub note, first note of the kick example if is D = 36.7Hz, if its A = 55Hz and so on.

 

About clicks for the kick, yeah i use them and they are very important when all the sounds and melodies hit, without click kick gets muddy, no power, cant go trought = losing energy and people will fill it and they wont like it.

I like to have 2 kick samples in one, one is normal kick anotther is click/attack, this way i can control it better. On click i cut everything bellow 3khz and let it go to the end at 20khz, sometimes even boost that very end.

 

Now it might be harsh when there are no melodies, kick-bass parts and what you can do is to make automation to go lower, or just remove it. When melodies and sounds strikes you put it back. Such thing you can even notice in old tracks like Dimension 5 - Temple of Chaos, when melodies strike you can notice some click on kick have been added

 

How to make click/attack cleaner? Simply find the frequency where it peaks with some analyzer EQ and boost that frequency. Now if you make group channels you will make side chain on melodies, fx, pads on that frequency so when kick hits it goes down. Put narrow Q and just 4-5 dB, it's enough.

 

I also like clicks on bassline, it give drive. Well you need to make great preset and phase ofc. I highshelf bass from 2-3khz on. Then on lead/fx group i cut above 10khz with 6/12db envolope. Too much above 10hz with distorted acidic/psy/goa sounds can be annoying, this way you make headroom for attacks to come in and percussion become cleaner.

 

 

Anything more you want to know?

[johnb820]

 

Anything more you want to know?

 

Oh I don't know. The secret of the universe perhaps? Or maybe why the chicken crossed the road, or which come first, the leggings or the over the knee socks?

 

In all seriousness, that all makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

[Richpa]

Klaki On Acid has a really cool kick, I loved it.

[Imba]

Look on kick as element which have to be placed in stereo image and frequency range, each element should have it's 'place'.

 

By switching to mono you put your kick in his stereo field - exactly on middle, being mono it will be exactly same always and everywhere, with stereo sometimes it could hit a bit left and sometimes bit right = losing power.

 

Kick with bassline is MAIN structure of track, psy/goa is 'bass music' so there is accent on it. Question now is how you make kick more present and clean? If you do it like written in first post it will be already good enough, then you need to sidechain your bass with LFO tool normaly = everytime kick hits, basslines goes down = bassline wont 'eat' your kick.

Then there come leads and fx... if you have groups like i already said, cut the bass frequencies (!!!) i do normaly do hipass/lowcut on 250Hz = there is no mud that can make leads or fx and there is no fight with kick and bass = no phasing issues. Also as said high frequencies... they can be annoying and very hard for ears, specialy on big soundsystems, after all trance music is for dancefloor (not for home and youtube only!), and if it doesnt sound well and pleasent to crowd on dancefloor then its pointless keep that in mind, music is made for parties. So i saying again cut your high freqs, not killing them totaly but lower them as much as needed.

 

What can you do is to make different stereo spreading or not spreading to different types of elements in track. Normaly background/lower fx i put one way, melodies different. This way you make even more space for kick in stereo image (directly in middle) and sounds dancing and waving around it. This is one of the tricks too.

 

Production is all about balance and placing right element on right position. Boosting bass freqs on kick for 15-20dB is pointless, or clicks if you already have a lot of high freq sounds there = you will make it even worse. Something need to be boosted, some to be cuted or lowered... but never go too drastic, couple of decibels here or there will help a lot. Smooth balancing!


Just know that production is actualy 70% of time you are spending on track, ofcourse if you want to make it right. Maybe in 1 week you will finish your track, but know that it will take you 3-4 more weeks (sometimes even months) to mix it properly.

Big help would be if you have gigs regulary, so you can 'test' it on big soundsysem, see/hear which parts are problematic, which parts or elements dont catch crowd, then go back and fix again and so on until everyone is happy. This is the way how most of artist do it, dancefloor/soundsystem will show you when is ready.

 

And this way is how 'Sevilla In Trance' is done. First version/mix in september, last version april next year, countless gigs and mixing/fixing after each one.

 

Good melody with bad sound = bad melody. Good fat kick with too loud click = bad kick, and so on.

 

Patience and wish are all you need, and trust me result will make everyone happy. And that way you will leave your 'signature' - when people just after couple of seconds can say: Ok, this is Ruby Plexus sound! - you succeded, you are advancing