Hi Noodles =P
Thanks for the deep explanation. I actually tried most of the things you just mentioned. But still am not happy with it. Maybe I've become too picky about it. Anyways I can send you a version of my mix so you can listen to it get better idea of what I mean. You mind sending your email to me as a private message?
would appreciate it
Thanks
-Ramtin
Any one minds giving me a brief guideline of how to EQ a Kick drum properly ?
I mean the right frequencies that a good kick has to contain in order to produce a standard dance music.
Thanks Folks
-Ramtin
The 'right' frequencies are a means to an end and all will be present in the original sample or source sound. Anyway, of course you can eq the kick but ask yourself why you are doing it.
1. Is your choice of kick suitable for the track
2. Is your source sound actually any good.
You say you are not happy with it but you don't say why, is the transient cutting through the mix enough, does it have too much low end?
There are a number of things to try and do but you need to be more specific, your track should be working pretty well without any form of corrective EQ, if you are trying to force something to sound good, might be time to question that source sound. EQ as enhancement is far more effective then EQ as corrective. That's not set in stone though but for a kick drum, I'd question your source sounds and probably the other sounds within the mix.
As for EQ'ing a kick guideline, well the question is a bit unanswerable because there's no point taking a single source sound and trying to recommend EQ settings in isolation because it simply might not work in your mix. Each sound should have space to breathe, you could fit pretty much any sound in a mix as long as there's room for it.
A good tip for Dance stuff is to HP filter everything except the kick and bass off to a buss at at least 100hz/125hz. That will free up any low end from stuff that just isn't needed, sometimes there might not seem like there's any problem with each sound - but when all things are summed together, things can add up.
With other sounds not in the low end to cloud the picture, solo the kick and bass. Does the kick work with it?
If everything's ok there you can then start adding other things back in and see where the problem starts developing. Could be for example that the kick isn't cutting through the mix or something, in which case you can find the part which is clouding the kicks transient and apply an EQ cut in that area and see if that helps. You could also sidechain that instrument/sound and see what happens there. Panning could work as could layering in an enveloped white noise burst on top of the kick ( a very short -almost hi hat length can add enough to bring the kick right up through a thick mix )
There's literally loads of things I can think of to try but again, I have no idea what the issue is, just that you don't like your kicks.
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die..
+1Originally Posted by smokingbeagle
Compression is only a part of the picture, if the sounds are right and good to begin with and they work with each other, you can take things a lot further. Simply compressing a kick in dance stuff does not make it a good kick, esp. if you don't know how to compress or why you are compressing.
Personally, I prefer not to compress individual drum sounds and use a compressor over the drum buss, my source sounds are mostly self made and samples which have clearly been compressed already and if I synthesize them, the envelopes are designed that way too. So buss compression 'glues' the dynamics and makes the drum track feel like it works together but I'm usually done then. There might be some subtle EQ adjustments made later on but on the whole, I'd expect things to be working together right then.
It's interesting what noodles said in regard to the fundamental, but if the bass is synth made, there can be adjustments made to that to get it to work with the kick too. It's not easy to identify a fundamental in a kick because of the very nature of how they are.If it's a sampled kick, sometimes you get all manner of inharmonics - which, whilst only a few milliseconds long, can confuse the ear when it comes to identifying such things. The decay of a kick is probably more identifiable and sometimes temporarily pitching the kick up an 8ve can bring out its perceived pitch. This can help you to tweak the kicks pitch so that it sits better with the bass, then return it to its bass 8ve.
Another thing to consider is what will take the weight of the track, if all the weight is in the kick, then sit the bass above the kick and vice versa, if both the kick & the bass do not coincide, you can get away with this a lot more but you'll have to rely more on tails and envelope shaping so that one does not bleed into the other.
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die..
This is such an under-rated point, and something that guitar players especially fear.
A high pass will result in a much "cleaner" mix - and a better translating master.
Seems that a lot of people don't like removing the low end because they think that since they can't hear it, it's not there.
Good points Delphine.
A few things there which you expanded on
Another point to note is ensure that you're not OVER compressing things. This can cause fatigue and a really squashed mix, which maybe desirable - but will cause people to become tired, and maybe loose interest. So if you're going for a more open, and listenable mix ; maybe try and not take 10dB off!
Interesting points about not compressing tracks - just busses. This causes a much more open drum sound (in my experience) and will give it a much larger sound.
Don't know if this would work in dance music; but you said you choose samples carefully which will help a lot?
The fundamental can only really be used with certain kicks, but I do run things through meters and spectros all the time. So I do visually manage the track as well as audibly.
[for those who are interested, the decay of a signal is about 90% (rough guess!) at what gives us the identification of the source material. A simple impulse won't let you discern the instrument, just roughly what family it's from]
Cool ideas coming up though.
Wow, Thank you so much people. I don't know how to appreciate.
Thankfully I god the kick sorted and now I can say I'm happy with it. of course with your help and guidelines.
I bought a copy of Drumazon the Drum machine. It's got really impressive kick sounds that suits my need since I do Electro House Music. I'd already sidechiained every thing together which I was happy with, but what I did to the kick and snare and Clap was I obviously replaced the kick drum with the one from Drumazon. then I grouped it with the Clap and the snares and I compressed the bus and I really can say that, this sound is the one I'd been looking for so long. I'm glad it's worked now and it's easy to listen to as well
So if you guys got more tricks to shares, I'd appreciate to hear. It's really nice to see that my first question here in MusicRadar.com has turned out like this. Such a nice community.
Cheers
-Ramtin
a long time ago, i got some good results with a lo-fi compressor on a guitar track ..... the compression was used more as an effect .... so the pumping and breathing actually made the track sound more interesting ....
..... i guess my point is: don't be afraid to turn up the dials ... .the worst than can happen is that you'll know what doesn't work ....
( of course, excessive volume is not a good thing on drivers or ears.... so that may be one dial that requires a bit of restraint ...
)
+ many for thisThis is such an under-rated point, and something that guitar players especially fear.
A high pass will result in a much "cleaner" mix - and a better translating master.
Seems that a lot of people don't like removing the low end because they think that since they can't hear it, it's not there.
Good points Delphine.
A few things there which you expanded on
I think it was Delphine that recommended I do this to my mixes many months ago and it transformed the sound beyond belief. It's critical to a clean, punchy and spatial mix.
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