Point Blank: Special Kick Drum Tutorial

Welcome back to Point Blank’s weekly spot here on Music Tech – this week we’re sharing our latest Friday Forum Live – our weekly live stream from the Point Blank Studios in London! This week it was all about the kick drum, one of the most important elements of dance music. Watch the video and […]

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Welcome back to Point Blank’s weekly spot here on Music Tech – this week we’re sharing our latest Friday Forum Live – our weekly live stream from the Point Blank Studios in London! This week it was all about the kick drum, one of the most important elements of dance music. Watch the video and read below for more info and subscribe to our channel for more free videos: http://ow.ly/pa6vp

Eats Everything once said “Dance music is 90% about the kick drum, 10% PR” – whether you agree with him or not, there’s no denying that a good kick drum can make or break a club track. But what is the perfect kick drum? And how do you work it into your music? The key is to understand the low-end – if you want a subby kick, you can’t have a subby bassline. Similarly, if you want a subby bassline, it’s a bad idea to use an 808 kick. So make a decision about which suits your track better and you’ll thank yourself later in the mix. But what if your subby kick doesn’t translate to smaller speakers?

Or what if the sub is perfect when solo’d, but disappears in the mix as a whole? If any of these problems sound familiar, layering is your friend. Instead of trying to EQ a snap or a thump out of a subby kick, find another kick or sound that has the attack you need and layer it on top. Not only do you have the best of both worlds, you can balance the volume of each layer separately for the perfect mix. There’s nothing stopping you layering more than two sounds though – it’s common to use a hi-hat or a rimshot sample on your kick to bring it out in the mix without over-EQing or over-processing. As always in production, it’s all about balance – watch our video tutorial for more insight and techniques into the perfect kick.

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