Big f"ck off hardcore gabba kickdrums the go boing boin

Does anyone know how to make a kick sound realy nasty like a hardcore kick drum. Where do you get you kicks from??. Do you always import them direct into your sequencer. Do you have them Rewired say thro SX or fruity loops?? Sure we all know chuck some distortion on them compress them should do what I am looking for but it seems I can spend hours doing just that and never get a kicks to sound as nasty as I want it. I also think perhaps its not realy the compression that makes the kinda kicks I am looking for. I find compression makes the kick tight, gives it a lil click or punch and shapes the body of it nicely, souds great and very techno, but not what I am after. Can you over compress a Kick???

For me I do this, normally layer up my kicks (upto 3) and have each one hitting a differant frequencies using EQ. This will be a loop in SX. Then I will make a group track and stick wav hammer/VST dynamics on it and sometimes L2 ultramaxiser, and tweak. This will then got to thro channel 1 on the mackie and is normally grouped with bass coing thro that channel (but it gets a bit crowded). This all goes into a DXB 266xl, I also find it sounds more extreame with the auto button down on the attack and decay on that. I dont use all this at once, then to switch them around too, so some kicks are going to the group and some are just coming out the same channel but not on actaully in the group. If you know what I mean.

I use Antares tube on some of the kicks indivually, sometimes quadra fuzz/ Vst distortion. Sometimes I wont got from working on the kicks for hours and it can realy frustrating. Some dodgy Canadian geeza told me to eq a lil spike in the low at about 45hz and moving it around, that can work a treat on realy bassy kicks.

I think its the sounds I am using too, perhaps a more synthesised kick drum would be better. Allot of distortion normally has me eqing out some of the top end as I get a hiss. I wold like to try inserting a guitar distortion pedal onto channel one and see what that sounds like. hehehe :twisted: . Hardware distortion can sound amazing I find. I am thinking warm and realy rounded sounding. Not too biongy. I was well into hardcore techno, the kicks they used where amazing!!!! Also very hard. Sometimes I hear those same stlye of kicks apear in techno, normally Paul Damage dj sets. :twisted: :twisted:

Does anyone have any hints or tips?? Or do i talk shite :twisted: hehehehe...

it was 63Hz you dumb twit!

try a very small amount of reverb b4 you distort it too - be subtle though.
you could also take 2 kicks chop the begining off one and timestretch it a bit, and chop the end off the other so you still get a solid hit with a longer 'boing'.
mackie gains r very handy 4 shit like this

dunno why i know this cos i HATE this kinda shiz, gues thats wot comes from having jeff amadeus in the studio innit :?

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it was 63Hz you dumb twit!

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hahahaha, well I did say move it around :lol:

Cheerz Jim

i always fine the analogue way is best for all that really
909
loads of gain on a mixer channel
direct out from that channel to another channel
mix that in too with tons of top
sample it
there you go.

Clipping is your friend here for once... if you're using software you can just ramp up the volume till the peaks are getting clipped and it gives you that extra fat hardcore feel.

I personally feel the overdriven channel mixer is lots more sweet sounding (or sweet dirt) that digital clipping (which imho sounds harsh... just a tinny little bit I can take it .. mainly because it adds punch)...

I would use Dave's tip but add the following... on the channel u r overdriving use one aux out (pre.. so if need U won't even use the original) try sending it thru aux really loud, run that thru a phat analog synth input (or filter).. bring it back in, overdrive again if needed..

run all 2 a subgroup.. if need compress it...

if u want u can even load little bit of bass with it

Now spend a few days tweaking eq/ gaing/ filter type and parameters, level ... sample the shi* out of it...


Z

yeah, using the hardware gain really makes the difference in cases like this

I like the sound of this, over driven Aux busses. Sounds like a lot of wiring around = great fun! Never thought of that. Been using Ohm boyz Predatohm, supose its nothing then compared to the real thing.

Yeah, I have wondered about digital distortion. Could be a bad idea having it on the outs on SX. I used to watch the levels coming and avoid clipping, then after seeing someone have lots of it on there I just stopped keeping everything below 0db. Not much point in that what I can distort using the gains on the desk. Maybe I could get a better sound to the mix if I avoid digital distortion from the soundcard? I do find you can realy manipulate sounds with it, brings out the eq in certain areas more. Its great stuff me thinks.

to get a phat hardcore bassdrum, I usually distort and eq the hell out of it. You can also layer the kick a few times too, but it all depends on what kind of result you're looking for.

What i usually do is start off with something that sounds like it first. Use your drumsynth(hard or soft), and have a short attack and loads of decay. Then crank the overdrive up to get it to distort nicely. Then i'll just add a few fx on it to beef it up a bit.

Always remember though, more distortion=less bass

well here's a secret
the kik drum on pounding grooves 3 (remember that)
stick a 909 through a moog filter and overdrive it
or through a moogerfooger
one or the other
but i didn't tell you that

fantastic tip!!!! thanks dave.. i think it's up to all of us to find new/exciting ways of routing kick drums and distorting them.... that way we get a unique sound... to be honest the anxious stuff we do is all about this. the partially distorted kick drum and the way the sub bass sits with it is how i view futuristic hard techno...

Fantastic advice!!

I have to say, this post has changed a lot on how I am going to work. Using the Aux as way of distorting is ****ing great. I found you can not only distort this way, you can group channels too and have them compressed....

I had, kickdrum channel 1, Roland Juno bass channel 2. Distoted the kick slighly using the gain pot. Eqed the bass, unclicked the L-R button and sent them both down Aux 5 on Pre fade. Wired Aux 5 out into channel 3 and compressed. Hey presto. 2 Channels become 1 with slight warmth added to the the kick. You can also EQ more, its like double Eqing if you use the mid sweeps (in differant areas).

Ok its prolly not much differant to using the subgroups, but it deffinatly feels better doing it this way.

As for sending kicks to moogerfoogers/synths :D , I just wish I could do that. I have read someplace that Speedy J does this on his whole mix!! Has it going thro an Analog synth and uses the filter live.

I used 2 use my Dirty, nasty Yamaha CS15 filter (thru and aux) in which would trigger the eg and do a slight bass.. bring it in with the original...

Analog filtering is :)


Z