Creating Kicks - best way?

[gjunk]

You can make great kicks in vital it’s free. I think there is a preset that can help you get started

[Mr D]

The question asked was:

"What are the best plugins for this and why?"

The fundamental frequency of a kick depends on style, 40hz is too low for some styles, and also for many speakers, which don't put out much energy at 40hz..... 50hz is the classic frequency for a kick and a good starting point.

If you're creating the kick yourself, it doesn't make a lot of sense to use a compressor, because with something like Kick 2 or PsyLab, you have complete control over the amplitude envelope. And with PsyLab you've got 16 infinitely tweakable envelopes, so you can also envelope a waveshaper, distortion or a million other parameters.

Instead of using a sine, you can morph between more complex shapes. So, start with a saw or noise and morph into a sine for the tail of the kick. If you think about it, this is more physically accurate to how a real kick drum is created. There's only a few plugins that have envelopes that are good enough and wavetable synthesis as well. PsyLab is easily the best, but Avenger could also do it. Kick 2 doesn't have any assignable envelopes for modulation.

[Jac459]

The question asked was:

"What are the best plugins for this and why?"

The fundamental frequency of a kick depends on style, 40hz is too low for some styles, and also for many speakers, which don't put out much energy at 40hz..... 50hz is the classic frequency for a kick and a good starting point.

If you're creating the kick yourself, it doesn't make a lot of sense to use a compressor, because with something like Kick 2 or PsyLab, you have complete control over the amplitude envelope. And with PsyLab you've got 16 infinitely tweakable envelopes, so you can also envelope a waveshaper, distortion or a million other parameters.

Instead of using a sine, you can morph between more complex shapes. So, start with a saw or noise and morph into a sine for the tail of the kick. If you think about it, this is more physically accurate to how a real kick drum is created. There's only a few plugins that have envelopes that are good enough and wavetable synthesis as well. PsyLab is easily the best, but Avenger could also do it. Kick 2 doesn't have any assignable envelopes for modulation.

Agreed and you are right, I read too fast.

The compressor is useful to glue multiple layers, the click and the sine wave.

In term of synth, twin 3 is very good. Strong control of the envelope, very good visual feedback.

[Mr D]

Agreed and you are right, I read too fast.

The compressor is useful to glue multiple layers, the click and the sine wave.

In term of synth, twin 3 is very good. Strong control of the envelope, very good visual feedback.

I agree, the techniques your talking about are how the phatest kicks from the past where made.

What i think is interesting about PsyLab is it gives us the possibilities to make the next generation of kicks, for example a kick that morphs into a bass instead of using sidechaining to blend between two different sounds.

[Jac459]

Agreed and you are right, I read too fast.

The compressor is useful to glue multiple layers, the click and the sine wave.

In term of synth, twin 3 is very good. Strong control of the envelope, very good visual feedback.

I agree, the techniques your talking about are how the phatest kicks from the past where made.

What i think is interesting about PsyLab is it gives us the possibilities to make the next generation of kicks, for example a kick that morphs into a bass instead of using sidechaining to blend between two different sounds.

That approach could also be interesting in Current with the sub oscillator. It is a basic additive synthesis oscillator You can use the partials at the beginning and keep only the fundamental at the end (and then revert this way back to an actual sin).

But that's beyond this discussion.

[imrae]

I like Zebra2 for this kind of thing. Plenty of oscillators and modulators to play with, but you only see the ones you are using. I just wish it was easier to manipulate an MSEG down at the fast end of the time range. I use the plugmon Neumann skin which maybe helps a bit? But the regular variable-slope ADSRs are also good for percussion.

For kicks I quite like FM synthesis: an enveloped modulator can provide a bright click and rich knock without any overall pitch bend required.

[chk071]

The OP never got back to his own question. Enough said really.

[imrae]

Ah yes, new user creates 5 new topics and goes shopping. This is getting silly.

[chk071]

Certainly looks like one of those Sell & Buy forum access accounts...

[DMG68]

His name should have given it away…Loophole01

[jules99]

This is the way...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cxQkyza2Kk

[kmonkey]

Except it is not. I am always amazed at how people are ready to swallow such a big pile of shite and torture themselves while at the same time, countless artists released top-selling pieces with say like 909 or 808 or 707 or even R8 (put the name of some crap here) - none of which had that "perfect tuning" or even pitch tuning at all or some stupid shite.

I would understand if the last 40 years of electronic music never existed but there it is. What are these people thinking nowadays?

The main problem with these generations is they listen to idiots on YouTube such as Oscar the Underdog Idiot and likes. And they tend to go with "more talking less walking" type of work.

Thousand of "perfect EDM template" or "this is the secret of success" or "you need to do this" type of videos.

Don't bullshit me with "music and production evolved" because if anything it deteriorated not evolved.

Ask yourself if these people are so technically good and correct how come just mind-boggling none of them released anything valuable?!?!?!?!?

[Jac459]

Except it is not. I am always amazed at how people are ready to swallow such a big pile of shite and torture themselves while at the same time, countless artists released top-selling pieces with say like 909 or 808 or 707 or even R8 (put the name of some crap here) - none of which had that "perfect tuning" or even pitch tuning at all or some stupid shite.

I would understand if the last 40 years of electronic music never existed but there it is. What are these people thinking nowadays?

The main problem with these generations is they listen to idiots on YouTube such as Oscar the Underdog Idiot and likes. And they tend to go with "more talking less walking" type of work.

Thousand of "perfect EDM template" or "this is the secret of success" or "you need to do this" type of videos.

Don't bullshit me with "music and production evolved" because if anything it deteriorated not evolved.

Ask yourself if these people are so technically good and correct how come just mind-boggling none of them released anything valuable?!?!?!?!?

Chill man, I am pretty sure it is a fake.
Well, I am very sure Jules99 is joking about saying this is the way and I do think the guy who posted the video is also joking... Like how can we create the more convoluted process to have the most studid workflow to get a kick with 100% CPU usage. I find the video quite funny in a ridiculous way that I think is intended.
Must be a prank.

[Negoba]

Regardless of OP's intentions, I found some of the information in the thread helpful. Thanks to the folks who spent time detailing some of the synth creation of kicks.

Just curious, if one was to make something more like an orchestral bass drum, besides adding more release / tail, what else might you do?

[_al_]

Just curious, if one was to make something more like an orchestral bass drum, besides adding more release / tail, what else might you do?

Maybe try using white noise, instead of a sine?
That should give more pitchless thundering.
I guess you could get that initial thump by boosting the attack with an envelope, and allowing a bit more hifreq in the attack.

Never tried it, but I reckon has potential?