Problem with kick drum

[srankoin]

Hey whats up guys ive been having trouble getting my kicks too sound distinct in the overall mix. they seem too mudded down. and i mean i eq and all that but still they dnt have that disgusting impact like i hear in pro tracks.

[Dahneboy]

sidechain

[webstarr]

Try either working different kick samples or creating space for it in the mix by your selection of other elements. If your kick and bass are both hitting at similar frequencies it's going to sounds muddy no matter how much you try and EQ it. Pick sounds that compliment and work well with each other in the first place and you negate this problem from the start.

[aeor]

Sound designing a kick is an art man .. or you could be samples that every aviciis uses

things to check:

a strong transient
proper sidechaining
kick in tune with root or scale note
fit the tail, mean not too long not too short
frequency placement in the mix

[NinjaEdit]

I like a bit of saturation. Also, highpassing with some resonance helps. Boosting the transient was good advice.

[mthrfnk]

My tips:
Ensure the sub bass and kick don't clash, if they have too due to notes ensure they clash as little as possible.
Try tuning your kick to your track.
Synthesise the low/mid range of the kick to make it perfect.
Process the low and high end of your kicks differently to avoid making the low end muddy - try using exciters/saturators/bitcrushers on the mid and top end.
Add tight reverb, cutting the low end, to provide a stereo "clack".
Use transient shapers to boost the punch of the kick, try and avoid over compressing the kick as a whole.
Layer a hat or ride on the kick beat to add sharp top end.
Sidechain EQ's on your midrange to duck at the frequency the kick hits at.
Sidechain the volume of your midrange to duck when the kick hits.
Buss compress your basses and kicks to "glue" them.
Make sure the kick fits in the mix, I try to ensure it's as prominent as possible and then tame it down from there to avoid getting those boomy kick sounds.

Oh and for gods sake make your kick mono.

[Han Zolo]

Just high pass everything to around 200 except your kick snare and bass. Keep them bottoms clean. Layer a punchy transient intop of your kick to help it cut through the mix. Don't over process. The same that you are using should already be processed. Find better samples. And what everyone else said...

[mthrfnk]

Just high pass everything to around 200 except your kick snare and bass.

OP, imo don't do this.

[blinx]

Tune to key, eq other elements in ~200hz, sidechain bass to drums.

[claudedefaren]

Just high pass everything to around 200 except your kick snare and bass.

OP, imo don't do this.

agreed

[Artie_Fufkin]

Just high pass everything to around 200 except your kick snare and bass.

OP, imo don't do this.

agreed

why not?
OP, solo your kick track(s) and put a low pass filter on your master and bring the cutoff down until you hear the low end thump and make sure you're getting the sound you want from the kick. Next, unsolo other tracks to find out why your kick doesn't sound punchy in the context of the mix.

[srankoin]

haha thanks guys for all the wonderfull replies but i was already doing that.
hhaha i figured out the problem and i dont know why i didnt figure it out 6 months sooner. ive always had my kicks as 4th nothes. i switched them to 8th and they hit hard as fuck now!!

[mthrfnk]

Just high pass everything to around 200 except your kick snare and bass.

OP, imo don't do this.

agreed

why not?
OP, solo your kick track(s) and put a low pass filter on your master and bring the cutoff down until you hear the low end thump and make sure you're getting the sound you want from the kick. Next, unsolo other tracks to find out why your kick doesn't sound punchy in the context of the mix.

High passing synths and other instruments at 200Hz verbatim seems a bit stupid... there's gonna be sounds you're cutting when you don't need to.

[Artie_Fufkin]

in his defense, he said 'around 200', not exactly 200. If you have your bass, kick and snare all thumping and booming in that range, why would you want more instruments in that range? It might already be crowded. It might not be, in which case sure you might have toms or other drums or stuff in that range but in my experience, the majority of your instruments don't need energy down there.

[claudedefaren]

Depends on what kind of instruments you have

[Artie_Fufkin]

[hasezwei]

haha thanks guys for all the wonderfull replies but i was already doing that.
hhaha i figured out the problem and i dont know why i didnt figure it out 6 months sooner. ive always had my kicks as 4th nothes. i switched them to 8th and they hit hard as fuck now!!

[NinjaEdit]

Can we hear a sample? You might be onto a new style.