Need help EQing Kick

Kimpaj

New Metal Member
May 4, 2011
12
0
1
Stockholm. SE
Hey guys.
mixing a song right now and need some tips and trick when mixing
the kick drum, i cant seem to get that nasty punch out of it.

tried alot of different frequencies now and can't really find anything.
Any suggestions on how to work with the kick? any frequencies that's very important and so on?

thanks everyone :)
 
It really depends on the actual sound of the kick. Every kick sounds different and should be EQ'ed differently.
-Generally you want to cut out that sub area. Usually high-pass your kick like around 50Hz.
-Also cut frequencies from your kick that you plan on boosting later in your snare.
-Most likely your kick has a cardboard box sounding area. Try looking for it around 400-600Hz.
-If you want too add attack try boosting a little bit around 5kHz.
 
I want to reduce that right? so it gets deeper?

you will wanna remove some of the frequencies in that area, if your looking for low end, look at 50-70hz, i personally dont go any higher than 70hz as then you will be fighting with the bass guitar! and dont add loads! remember take away first then add if you need to.

what I do is use a multiband EQ and select one of the bands and just sweep through and see what frequencies are causing problems and then remove the bad and then if you need to add on what you think sounds good.

But do what you think is right. if it works then cool if it dont then go back and do it again and try it again, it may be time consuming but if you got a preset you wouldn't of learnt anything!

if you can, try getting hold of a book! :)

are you using samples or is it from a live performance?
 
are you using samples or is it from a live performance?

it's s20. i have been experimenting with this drum machine for a while now,
i study Music Production at school but they dont teach us much about to know withing metal or rock..

anyway, maybe i have a bad kick from beginning,

When i higher the lower frequencies then it's starting to sound like a bass(i haven't put on bass yet)

and if i cutting it a bit it's sound plastic no punch at all.

not because it has to be an amazing sounding song it's just pre production for my band but i want to achieve some skills within mixing and mastering too.

Nobody can be good at producing and shit at first. you have to struggle through it and ask people to learn, that's why im turning to this forum :)
 
ahh ok!
I do music technology at uni atm and in my last year now and i know what you mean about them not helping much in the metal/rock stuff.

take a look at this, http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...ng-series-2-soviet-russia-drums-slam-you.html
read that if you can will help you out, did for me. full credit to Ermz from the sneap forum for making it and putting a lot of time into it.

hope that helps man, just keep practicing and you will get results!:Spin:

just to add, if you want a clicky sounding kick drum then look between 1-3k for the beater sound(more clicky) to come through or i think between 5-8/9k for a more ticky sound to come through
 
Thanks you guys!! @MattTUU thanks for the link, have to look into that.

i got my kick and whole mix a bit better because of you guys, you are gold worth for spending time helping me out.
much appreciated :)

any one up to giving me some creative feedback for the mix in general? i could post a clip
 
i think it sounds good! what did you use for the guitars, was it an amp sim?
you said you hadn't done the bass guitar yet?

kick sounds ok, maybe turn it down a bit. Sounds a tiny bit robotic too like your getting the machine gun effect! use multi samples if you can makes it sound more real!
sounds very Parkway Drive too :p
 
i think it sounds good! what did you use for the guitars, was it an amp sim?
you said you hadn't done the bass guitar yet?

kick sounds ok, maybe turn it down a bit. Sounds a tiny bit robotic too like your getting the machine gun effect! use multi samples if you can makes it sound more real!
sounds very Parkway Drive too :p

Used Pod farm2 metal-shop.
no bass guitar on it yet.

What to do to the robotic sound? change velocity for each note? and what is Multi samples? that's something new to me?
 
ah sick what amp was it?

yeah do that with the velocities! on long 16th note kick parts like the velocity would be less, as you wouldn't be able to smash the kick that hard that fast for a long period of time.

multi sample are basically; you have more samples of the same sample, so it triggers a different sample every hit if that makes sense?

for example you have a kick called kick1 you would then have kick1 a, kick1 b, kick1 c etc every time its triggered it wont do the same sample twice in a row so you get different dynamics each hit.
 
Cali Diamond Plate :)

ah i see. hahaha. i have every kick on max velocity and so on for the rest of the midi tracks.

but how to make kick a, kick b, kick c? "Drum Replacement"?

I have a trigger with a logic exs24 kick that is making some fill to the kick that is turned down a lot so you don't notice it but
are you saying could do a drum replacement for the kick with a new superior drummer track and just using the kick in the kit?
 
ahh yeah randomise them a bit!

yeah i think superior drummer is all multi sampled so could use that for the kick and what ever else? i use slate so im not to sure tbh! aha.
Look at Joey's sample sets he has for sale too! they will be like what your after for the multiple sampled hit :)
www.joeysturgis.com
 
Yeah i have already looked in to his samples. maybe i'll get one :)

i'll try some of these examples you gave me and see what happens
 
to get that "airy" feel, cut a lot out at 250hz (really depends on the kick how you eq it, but this one mostly does the job with all..)
but, if its samples you are using (maybe slate?)...try a combo of 2 different kicks, one with more low end thud (kick 10) and maybe one with more crack and click (kick 15)...all you´ll have to mix is those 2 different levels of the kicks,...comes in handy if you don't feel like messing round much.
 
to get that "airy" feel, cut a lot out at 250hz (really depends on the kick how you eq it, but this one mostly does the job with all..)
but, if its samples you are using (maybe slate?)...try a combo of 2 different kicks, one with more low end thud (kick 10) and maybe one with more crack and click (kick 15)...all you´ll have to mix is those 2 different levels of the kicks,...comes in handy if you don't feel like messing round much.

Thanks for the tips man! I use Superior Drummer metal foundry though,
think it's the thomas hakke kick Q2 or what it's called?

But if cutting at 250hz what G should the EQ work with? a pretty wide or a pretty thin?
 
HP @50 Hz
-3dB @ 150 Hz
-15 dB @ 450 Hz
-6 dB @ 800 Hz
-1.5 @ 3Khz
+1.5 @ 5Khz
LP @ 10Khz

Compress it 10ms Attack time. 100 ms release time. Ratio 4:1

I know these are like a "preset" But this is a good starting point for a newbie. Just listen while boosting or cutting. Your ears are the answers.