5 Minutes To A Better Mix: Kick Drum Low End - TheRecordingRevolution.com

Part 9 of 31 - In this video I show you how to add more fatness and low end to your kick drum in the mix using a simple signal generator plugin. Watch and learn!
Download my free eBook "The #1 Rule Of Home Recording" for more tips therecordingrev...

[@Drew.DrivesYT]

My drummer and I recently recorded a whole bunch of drum covers to him playing along to his select favourite metal tracks, and boy do these tutorials come in handy! I've only been mixing for about a year, and there's a lot of stuff here I would have never thought to do. Thanks Graham, you're a true gentleman in this field.

[@barnabiofskies]

Thank you! Best, most ingenious tip I've got for mixing kick. Been struggling with this lack of low end forever. Just what I needed.

[@ShallieDragon]

I recommend tuning the sine wave you produce so that it matches the key of the song. An on-pitch kick always sounds better than one that is out of tune.

[@suryamoorthy4924]

NEVER BEFORE I CARED MUCH FOR PLUG INS - OR DIGITAL --- THIS IS AN UNBELIEVABLE REASON TO EXPLORE -- WOW -- THANK YOU - UR GREAT.

[@snorpthus]

Thank you so much! Just for all of you Presonus Studio One people out there: 1. Create a bus track and put "tone generator" and "gate" on it. 2. Open up gate. Just above the big word gate, you'll see a button called Sidechain. Click it. Then make sure to un-click "duck" that appears at the bottom right. Match your gate settings to this video. Now go back to your kick channel, and click "+" in sends, scroll down to "sidechains" and find the channel your tone generator is on. Wahlah!

[@SmileysRevenge100]

Good video. I did something very similar to that. I suspended a mic inside a 5 gallon water jug and placed it near the kick. Put a low pass filter on the track and then keyed it in. It gives the kick lots of low end and it sound very natural!

[@SeattleGuitarJam]

Slick technique! Outstanding series of tuts, Graham! You and Joe Gilder are my new best friends!

[@AZTHYSELF]

Thats crazy,thanks for all the tips Graham.Dont let the haters stop you.

[@Angelblive]

Great tip, I'm loving this serious Graham!

[@Zenthex]

you always have such creative techniques you use when you're mixing. i never would've thought of this, i probably would have just layered in with a synthesized kick.

[@AdamVanryne]

Nice tutorial, I was taught this technique/trick about 25 years ago, then it was all done in the analogue domain (outboard kit) or triggered off samplers (Akai S1000)! Wow, how things have changed ;) Now I often use the SPL Vitalizer plugin on gutless kick drums as it has a great bass end tweak, quick and easy to use too, apart from that it's an amazingly useful plugin for so many applications.

[@faybiens]

Drum and bass people use a lot this technique on drums. I think that the drum should be high pass filtered above the added frequency to avoid any rumbling Nice to show us that technique, very nice tutorials you have here!

[@PeterJaquesMusic]

You're a great teacher, Graham. This is a cool technique! I'm gonna go play with it now on some tunes I'm mixing for my band. Thanks so much for posting these videos.

[@Odiin666]

this "5 minutes to a better mix" is great! thank you very much!!!

[@ArnoldVeeman]

simple but very effective. I use this technique with Reason 6 with a CV signal from the kick drum to the CV input from a Thor synth, works flawlessly, thank you!

[@artdawggy]

Awesome tip. I had heard of this years ago but completely forgot about it.

[@BergansBeats]

Maybe instead of choosing 60hz you could look at the key of the track and choose a sub note frequency that's in tune with the bass notes.

[@xLoxLoLex]

that's exactly what i thought

[@youngthugsta12]

thanx bro.. u reminded me of a mixing technique i had learnt a long time ago and almost forgotten (y)

[@luispower1979]

Yeah!!! I did it... On Nuendo is a little bit trickier, but i managed to do it... I'm really so glad!!!

[@horneben55]

This is great tip. Maybe put a compressor after the gate with a fast'ish attack time to let the initial click cut through and swell the thud of the sine wave in. Well thats what I would try for what its worth, great tutorial!

[@marcobucci]

much thanks for this Graham!

[@antoni7515]

Good stuff graham as always, thanks for the tip.

[@kiikat_]

You're wonderful Graham!

[@steveshambaugh]

Great tip that does work great. However, I must say that contrary to the position taken about using the "stock" plugins, I was unable to do that when I did this. For some reason, the stock gate plug that comes with Cubase 6 makes a really scratchy sound during transition from on to off. I ended up using the Waves C1 plug and it works just like described. Side note, I really enjoy all of your tips. Many other people that try and offer help are so general that it's of no real help. Thanks!

[@recordingrevolution]

@2cthetruth Yes, I've used Studio One a little bit here and there. We record into it live at church every week. If I get some time to dive in deeper I might do some tutorials on it! Just always been a Pro Tools user.

[@SoundArtsOnline]

Thanks Graham. Another brilliant video!

[@ericcivey]

Great video! Thanks for the tip....incredible difference!

[@Gamatosini]

Its the same thing but you sould change the freq generator settings. Just find the area that your snare "punch" is and copy that freq range on your plugin :)

[@aenima3174]

Thanks @tommyvpr for putting up the Studio One method of doing this! I was lost there for a minute... :)

[@recordingrevolution]

@eaMusIk2008 This is more of a studio mix technique, if your kick drum doesn't have enough low end. Just boosting won't help if there is not enough low end physically in the recording. But live, you do what you have to do.

[@itsbenji01]

this instantly helped my mix. Thankyou so much.

[@ricardoayala2023]

Excellent tip. Will try it right now.

[@danakerman]

Didn't you watch the vid? He answered that question. The sound only comes through when the the kick plays. It's the kick that opens the gate, letting the signal generator sound through. Since the gate is shut completely when the kick is silent, it doesn't matter that the signal generator is generating a tone, because it won't be heard.

[@recordingrevolution]

@Patchworkofficial I just use an audio interface with multiple mic pres. Recording each mic through its own preamp onto its own track.

[@chriswattsuk]

Not come across this concept before. Nice.

[@webstercat]

Hey Bro! Great videos, much appreciated, well presented! Good practical advice that I find easy to understand and put into action.

[@brunodilhof]

That's absolutely perfect tip.

[@MatrixxSoundlab]

This was an EXCELLENT tip!

[@SMCZ]

That is outstanding, thanks so much for posting this!

[@TieDiesel]

Hell yea! Best tip ever! Thx so much!

[@saeroner]

I'm going to attempt this in Ableton tonight -- we'll see. Thanks

[@nothousebroke]

Totaly amazing ideas I get from you. Thos is so cool thanks

[@DEKASTRO]

Bless man..keep up the great work..Peace

[@BdrummerK]

Thank you for this this was actually very helpful, I however use fl studio so I can try this using its side chain methods but overall great tutorial

[@decburns92]

this is my favorite tip ever

[@radsy5821]

Commenting from the future: Reaper's "Tone Gate" is great for this.

[@JakeSharpProfoundStudio]

Thanks Graham! Good stuff

[@snapascrew]

that's an effing awesome kick drum sound

[@humbleprogress1226]

This is really cool man! Thanks!! And the youtubers for giving insighful info. I also was wondering what would be the difference with just boosting on the eq

[@zuckfrog6380]

Wow.. loving the kick hack!

[@2cthetruth]

Thanks for the reply, God Bless

[@lambmaster27]

This is some good stuff

[@Drummer1981]

So good! Thank you!

[@HarmonicInventions]

Awesome trick! Thanks!

[@AlkanetEXE]

It doesn't have to be 60hz. You should be able to set the sine wave to the fundamental frequency of whatever key your song is in and it will have the same effect.

[@chungchang2492]

thanks for sharing, it's quick and effective.

[@KernRamsdell]

Thanks once more! Great trick!

[@dimakushnir7506]

If I get this right there are two ways of doing this signal generator kick trick. One way is through aux-bus like you showed us and the other way is by simply creating another blank track next to a kick track and then add signal generator to it, add gate plugin then navigate the gate’s side-chain route to kick drum track. I’m curious if it’s the same thing or I can be in trouble when using another track. I hope it make sense what I’m curious about...))

[@himlu]

WTF?!?!?!?! this is awesome

[@eradubbo]

nice tutorial man, but you probably wanna find out which frequeny your kick drum is at, so the low sine wave matches with your kick

[@tune2u]

Very impressive

[@kbyer]

Brilliant!

[@vetodnb]

Make sure the sub sits within the harmonics of the kick. cheers

[@MrMichelrousselle]

A big thank you

[@Musicmonk84]

GENIUS!

[@zidjanarie]

Daaang this is sweet....I just had an eargasm :)

[@NickNick-ul4zq]

How to do the same in Logic Pro. > Create a new software instrument track and choose any instrument; > Now record one really long note that covers the kick drum's interval (track's output sound at this point doesn't matter at all). Don't try to record several short notes or match a rhythm of your kick drum. Since we will be using noise gate, the sound will kick in right with the kick drum so don't waste your time trying to match the rhythm. > Now add plugin Utility > Test Oscillator to this track. Initial sound of the track will disappear right away after applying this. Be sure that the wave is set to sine and frequency is around 50 Hz. Leave the output level as it is for now. You'll adjust both parameters later after applying the second plugin anyway; > Add plugin Dynamics > Noise Gate. Add side chain (upper right corner of the plugin window) by choosing your Kick track. Set plugin's Threshold ~ -17db / Reduction -100db / Attack 20ms / Hold 160ms / Release 75 ms; > Now if you'll press play, the sine should come in every time when there's a kick. Adjust Threshold if not (that would mean that the mix volume is really low). > Now tweak those parameters while listening to the whole mix to get the best results. Every situation will require a bit different approach but this should get you started. Enjoy!

[@shantanusudame6196]

Awesome!!!

[@mendellee]

outstanding.

[@DavygoldSchmitz]

great tip

[@dannyrosado2554]

Genius!

[@marcuseldermac]

How did you add the "Trigger" insert to the Kick drum track? I have ProTools 10 and don't know how to make it trigger gate!

[@2cthetruth]

May God bless you Graham! I see you have Presonus Studio One on your Mac! This is the DAW that I use and love it. What are your thoughts on it and are you going to do any future videos with it? Is Pro Tools more functional? Thank you for the videos.

[@kylefroland2931]

Two questions. How would you then get rid of the constant hum from the signal generator when the gate is closed? Is that just fine tuning the threshold of the gate? and Why do you have a "+" next to all your drum tracks; phase/polarity related?

[@jwatt002003]

Wow nice!

[@Gregoses]

Even cheap mikes can record 60Hz and even lower bass just fine, so i would just boost the lows a little.

[@djjpaul20]

could you use an 808 sample with a low volume and put a gate on that so that it would open only when the kick drum hits? is that pretty much the same technique?

[@themastroiannis]

brilliant!! thanks a ton!

[@exinexi]

and of course this could be taken further, I'd probably delay it (I like the bass coming just a few ms later plus it gives headroom) and maybe play with eq, compression or attack/sustain (play with gate settings) or whatever transient shaper. The free reagate plugin can also send a midi note to another sample of your choice and has sidechain so you can feed it directly from your original kick track.

[@Hexspa]

Haven't tested it but since you mention delay… You might want to use a sample-resolution delay to get your signal in phase with your kick (assuming you're leaving in the original low frequencies. Tell me if I'm crazy- I've heard it before.

[@crppypnkrck]

AWESOME

[@PatchBoshell]

Graham- you're a legend- you've videos are really helpful ;) Quick question- what do you use to record all the drums into separate audio tracks? Cheers :)

[@jd0808jd]

Ingenious! awyeeee

[@XianMingKong]

Genius

[@LGPeak]

Graham, you da man! I just subscribed today, can you use this technique in GarageBand?

[@rickota20]

did you do this with snare and plates?? i figure you certain do the toms like that!!

[@K_H_0621]

Beast.

[@brandonmerrithew317]

That's crazy!

[@bugeyedmudafuka2]

if dr are any synths in fruity loops u cud use one of those to generate the sound.

[@ShadowPilot]

Dang.. that's pretty clever.

[@seen320]

Hi, i find this a really great method, so i tried to do it. I´m using cubase le5. I got myself a tone generator and did things like you did in the video but when I wanted to chose the kick drum as the key for the gate i didn´t have the option. I can´t select ANY key. How do I do that? i don´t have the same gate plugin as you have. I would be verry thankful for a tip :)

[@dafunkerman6463]

i use FL studio and i don't have anything that would be similar to a signal generator would there be any vsts or something of that sort where i can find one?

[@mikeanthony5581]

This is really interesting, Just can not figure out in Studio One. Help.

[@deathpoetquotin]

Wouldn't it better better to throw the send on pre fader?

[@drumstudio2000]

I must be doing something wrong, because when I press play my SIGNAL levels dont move and I cant make signal channel to work. Ive followed all your steps, twice...Ive noticed that you have a channel selected named DRUMGROUP. Has it something to do? I think is something with the bus, but I cant figure it out...Im a noobie, please help. really thanks!!!

[@hayden5846]

Does this work with midi notes? I have a midi drum beat going that could use a bit more oomph in the bass. I gave it a shot, but as soon as I applied the noise gate, I never heard the tone again. It might be that the midi notes can't send a signal to tell the gate to open...

[@snapascrew]

@snapascrew nvm, had my range setting on the expander/gate screwed up!

[@snapascrew]

hey, im doing this with white noise on a snare drum and doing it all the same but for some reason i get a whitenoise bleed in the background even when the snare is not hitting it... i do have a gate on the original snare track as well... any thoughts?

[@mg1mg]

That's a cool way of getting some low frequency boost. I don't understand how it's different to just boosting 60hz in an EQ inserted on the kick track though. Can someone explain this?

[@matthewward5813]

There isn't any freq. information in the kick drum audio that is low enough to hear at the 60 hz. Boosting a freq. where there is not any info is kind of like muliplying by the number zero no matter how "boosted" of a number you use the answer will always be zero...

[@clickbaitcabaret8208]

If I ever tried to play a drum kit I'm sure I'd get a stick in my eye in no time. So there's no live drummers up in here. I'm sure that's the case with 99.99% of the nubs watching this video too. That's why there's about 80 million drum plugins out there ranging from free to an F 15 fighter jet would be cheaper & probably easier to work with. So with that observation out of the way, this is what I do for fat ass kick drums. First off, the only two percussion plugins I use are Microtonic Sonic charge drum Synth & or reaper's samplomatic 5000, which I load with one shot drum samples then map them on the piano roll. (I do the same thing with Microtonic, just with the plugins, interface. Microtonic is stupid easy to use by the way.) Once I finish the drum part I simply duplicate the track, plug track #2 into a synth bass patch & Presto! Instant fat ass kick. Between all the synths I own I must have about 80000000000000000000000 bass presets, (I really like synths.) so narrowing it down can be a bitch. Other than that, it's as easy as grandma falling & breaking her hip. So that's about all you'll ever need for fat ass kicks.

[@TrackItRight]

I've been trying to get this trick to work in DP with DP's ring modulator but it just isn't working.