How To Layer Techno Kick Drums Like The PROS

FREE Guide - Learn how to finish at least one great-sounding song per month: pickyourself.com/framework
In this video, you'll discover how to get pro-level kick drums by layering your kicks the right way. My name is Philip from Pick Yourself, and I've created this channel to help electronic music producers like you make meaningful progress with their music. If you're passionate about Techno, EDM, House, or any other genre of electronic music production, you're in the right place. Today, I'll be sharing my unique approach to layering kick drums that has helped me and many other music producers develop powerful, professional kicks in minutes.
One of the biggest misconceptions I've come across is that you need tons of layers to create a strong kick drum. However, too many layers can often lead to an incoherent and weak kick. In this tutorial, I'll show you that less is more by focusing on just two essential layers: the "Punch Layer" and the "Character Layer." By combining these layers correctly, you'll create a kick drum that cuts through your mix and gives your track the energy it deserves.
Another common mistake in electronic music production is the belief that heavy processing is needed on individual layers. I'll explain why this approach can actually harm the phase relationship and integrity of the signal, and demonstrate the right way to process your kick drums. Whether you're working in Ableton Live, FL Studio, or any other DAW, these techniques will elevate your mixing and mastering skills, ultimately making you a more confident music producer.
Lastly, the foundation of this powerful approach to kick drum layering relies on an "all killer, no filler" secret weapon sound library. This means you start with high-quality samples that allow you to focus on the most important aspects of layering, rather than trying to fix subpar sounds.
So, get ready to dive into the world of kick drums and layer sounds like a pro! And remember, this channel is here to support you on your journey as an electronic music producer. Let's create amazing music together.
1-on-1 Coaching: pickyourself.com/coaching
Online course: pickyourself.com/prolific-pro...
Mixing & Mastering: copilco-productions.com

[@pickyourselfofficial]

FREE Guide - Finish at least one great-sounding song per month: pickyourself.com/framework

[@ermmzmusic]

Always enjoy your videos thank you for taking the time sharing information.

[@barrieabbott7946]

great fun to play with thanx...

[@alexsami3648]

Excellent instruction. Thank-you for this channel. Very well done, laid out and smooth.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Thanks for the great feedback, I highly appreciate it 💯🙌🏻

[@mattster303]

Really appreciate what you are doing, its very helpful indeed and has given me direction and hope with my production. Very professional and great music. Thanks

[@jenb4166]

thanks for the quick and clear explanation! Definitely going to try this out

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Great! Have fun experimenting with this, Jen :)

[@gonzo7440]

Saw one vide where was saying that u shouldnt never layer kick drums. So many videos and different options how to make music but i think i will trust you on this one based on ur experience. Would never argue with someone with more experience. Very good video and simple thx!

[@Boaugustin]

very good video, thank you !

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Thanks, I really appreciate it! Glad it was helpful :)

[@VibeSynthetic]

good stuff buddy! learnt alot from this!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Hey, great you checked it out mate 💯🖤

[@Mixdreamer]

Great video thank you

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Thanks for the feedback, it means a lot!

[@EricCoplen]

Another great kick video! Thank you! I like the more simplified approach vs. the creating Frankenstein's monster approach. I would really love to see you make a video where you just create an entire drum kit + bassline and get them to groove. Let us be a fly on the wall and see your process from sound selection to processing. Low end is the most unforgiving aspect of music production, especially bass heavy electronic dance genres.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Great idea, I put it on my content list immediately!

[@GeorgyAlekseev]

Thank you so much for not talking between bypassed and processed signal, so many videos suffer from this and make it harder to hear the difference

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Haha, well I can’t promise it will never happen but I try my best

[@Schallkoma_Rockenberg]

tolles video. sehr informativ. danke dafür :)

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Sehr gerne! 💯🙌🏻

[@Schallkoma_Rockenberg]

@@pickyourselfofficial hast du evetuell ein tutorial online zum thema kick und bass welches erklärt wieviel kick und wieviel bass zu viel im track sind. besonders im techno, dance, house bereich ? also wieviel es im lowend wummern sollte und ab wann es zu viel wird ?

[@marcosrotllan]

Using the ssl for the final touch looks wise. I found this video searching about how to layer drum sounds for some experiments with some drumboxes, but i love the simplicity and effectiveness of your technique. Long life to techno

[@pickyourselfofficial]

I’m glad you found this, thanks for the great feedback! Yeah, I’m a big believer in the “less but better” approach when it comes to producing, mixing, and mastering.

[@jamiecorke3195]

Ive got Kclip3 and never used the other modes but that crisp setting worked a treat.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Yep, it’s by far my favorite (if used carefully). If you push it too hard on let’s say a mixbus it stars to smear the whole low-end. But just a bit of transient shaving is what it excels at.

[@komsfon]

Danke!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Gern geschehen :)

[@andrerydz4597]

Ich finde es immer besser ein sauberes Signal zu haben.

[@a3igner]

8:59 what do you mean here? so if the phase flipped sample is stronger then discard the sample? when is it advisable to drop the sample and choose another one?

[@bluespectralmonkey]

secret weap😅n is taking form. i'm making a song rn using my voice saying "does this sound weird to you?" and i've used that sample to make every sound in the track. making the kick has been a learning process for sure. i've got two kicks now , and they both alternate and merge . thanks for the tips.

[@soulofwaves]

Doesn't make too much sense for me applying a clipper first and the channel strip at the end, you're saving headroom that you're then adding it again after the processing with the channel strip, is there any reason for doing it this way?

[@papepcool]

This technique will eventually lead to homogeneous sounding work. It's more crucial to me that the kick is in tune with the Song at hand and plays off the baseline or bass sound. By layering Acoustic and Electronic sounds together, for me it has a deeper richer quality. By focusing on differing frequencies in each and compressing the overall output and utilizing the philosophy of "less is more" in how many sounds that are layered.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Less is more is right up my alley ;) I also sometimes like to use electronic sounds as the punch layer (often tuned to the root note of the song) and acoustic layers as the character layer.

[@Birdkokane]

Wow, I'm really starting to see that music production is a profession in its own right. Sometimes, it's a real challenge to bring together all the different tutorials and create a best practice approach. It's not just about owning a DAW; there's sound design, mixing, the do's and don'ts of signal processing, music theory, and the need for an artistic touch. I'm glad this is just a hobby for me because creating something that's truly balanced and 'ready for the world' seems like a daunting task. By the way, thanks for the tutorial! I recently bought some sample packs with kick builder elements, but I'm struggling to make a cohesive kick drum. I'm hoping your approach will work better. Also, I'm not really into channel strips. I understand that they're a serial chain for signal processing, usually involving a compressor and EQ, right?

[@dennisvanopstal7360]

And than some effects when desired like saturation, distortion, overdrive, soft clipper, reverb, delay, stereo effect/mono maker . Depending on your genre.

[@deanox3119]

I hear the difrent between a deep blended kick like Mininmal to the electro end sound of a kick that stands out more, Grate combo Phil. I've just invested in Kick 2 plugin gives you 3 lyer of a kick drum which you can adjusted different parts of the each level start middle and end. thanks again for sharing

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Kick 2 is great, I also like Punchbox. Very similar approaches.

[@jamiecorke3195]

You can over lay the wave forms in kick 2 when using the sample section. That way I was able to line up the phase of samples perfectly 😊

[@jamiecorke3195]

It was a bit hidden it's the little corresponding light to click on at the top of the plug in.

[@deanox3119]

@@pickyourselfofficial Ok have to look that one up👍

[@pickyourselfofficial]

@@jamiecorke3195 that’s a dope feature that so many other tools lack

[@mafrikus]

Echt ein super Tutorial! Hast du vllt ein Tip für ein Sample Pack mit guten Kicks? mit bspw der "Charakter Kick"?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Das freut mich total zu hören. Danke! Ich arbeite gerade an den ersten Sample Packs. Bis dahin empfehle ich dir, mal den Onlinekurs zu checken: pickyourself.com/prolific-producer

[@victorszamardage8941]

Can we also use older ssl versions to do same what you did? Thanks for the video

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Absolutely! Slightly different flavors but that’s all.

[@dennisvanopstal7360]

I only layer kickdrums for their different elements. One for the punch and one for the tail for example.

[@davidklein7615]

Super Channel! Super Content! Hab Ich erst vor kurzem entdeckt und bin ganz hin und weg - Verglichen mit anderen KZbinrn ist Pick Yourself eine geheime Goldgrube! Nun eine Frage - Gibt es ein Samplepack das Du empfehlen würdest für gute Kicks - Als Ausgangsmaterial.. Ich habe so viele Samplepacks aber der Großteil ist einfach Mist. Das macht es schwierig seine eigenen Samples zu selekten. Vielen Dank - Keep it up!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Tausend Dank für das wunderbare Feedback, freut mich sehr zu hören dass du hier ne Menge mitnehmen kannst! Also für standard 909 Ausgangsmaterial finde ich Samples From Mars super (samplesfrommars.com/products/tr-909-samples). Die kannst du schön weiterbearbeiten. Ansonsten: Von Pick Yourself wird es 2024 ebenfalls Sample Packs geben, sind gerade in der Mache ;-)

[@davidklein7615]

​ @pickyourselfofficial Ich bewege mich eher wenig in diese Richtung. Progressive / Melodictechno wäre für mich interessant. Von Eulberg bis Superfu 🤷‍♂

[@Mixdreamer]

If the phase inverted sounds different, does that mean there is something off in the phase? I guess I didn't follow your explanation on how to use phase utility method to check if there is phase cancellation. Thanks in advance!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

If the low end sounds significantly weaker and less powerful when NOT flipping the phase, it might be a phase issue and it’s better to flip it. If it sounds pretty similar or significantly better, just keep it as is. I hope that clarifies it!

[@eyebash1]

Hello! How do you judge and discern what a super strong sample is exactly. Is it mainly what you hear? Or does it also have to do with what you see in the frequency spectrum?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Great question! I go mainly with critical listening. If a sample has a certain "plasticity" or "3D"-ness (without reverb or delays), that's often a good sign. The frequency spectrum can help but it's definitely not as important.

[@eyebash1]

@@pickyourselfofficial Noted. Thank you!

[@djllego]

Would this layering method work with Melodic Techno?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

100%, try it out and let me know how it goes!

[@Chrislovelle]

Do you make sample packs ?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

First packs are in the making right now.

[@kafkakos3618]

I’m a little confused over the phase part. I understand how two kicks can cancel each other out and create a phased sound but I don’t understand what the utility plug-in does to mitigate this phasing?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Great question! Flipping the phase 180 degrees with the utility plugin lets you test whether it is more phase-aligned with that shift or not. It’s very rare that two kicks cancel out almost completely (in this case you would immediately hear it and flip the phase to mitigate the effect). It’s much more common that the phase relationship is somewhere in between „not a problem“ and „great“. I recommend testing to flip the phase just to see if you can get that extra bit of alignment.

[@kafkakos3618]

@@pickyourselfofficial great tip. Cheers and keep up the good work.

[@Kredomax]

Please, get rid of your esses... it's killing me! Are you really talking about how to get good sound on this channel? ;-)

[@pickyourselfofficial]

I'll take the feedback seriously ;-)

[@LifeLess1999]

Really like the fact you aren't using stock plugins. Though they are good they are no where near as good as third party plugins. They really can add the slight character needed for that polished feel!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

I like both, it depends which exact plugin. The Ableton glue comp for example is super good. I also like the built-in creative effects (echo, hybrid reverb, grain delay, etc). But when it comes to some advanced mixing stuff, there are definitely other tools that help.