Layering Kicks

[nonie]

When you guys layer them, how do you get them to not sound so muddy? Even when I cut in that muddy range, it still sounds whack. Should I just be layering about 2 kicks and not 4? Or when I export the track to be mixed should I set the kicks to the same channel so they come out as 1 track.

 

[Fade]

For me I usually layer 2 or 3 kicks and I mix them down as 1. I think what it comes down to is just finding the right kicks to layer onto each other. For example, obviously if you layer two strong kicks like an 808 and 909 then it will sound muddy. Try using a strong kick and then two softer ones, but also EQ'ing each one helps as well.

 

[5th Sequence]

i have never had any success layering anything more than 2 kicks. Some guys are really good at it but i just go with whats needed. One kick should have the texture and character and the other should have the body and fullness.

Thats not how it has to be i mean thats how i do it. dont layer several "good sounding" kicks together, take the character of one and the solid bodyness or low end of another and combine. try an think ahead of what sound you are looking for and then take what you need from each kick.

As far as exporting the track to be mixed, it depends on what the person mixing is going to do. If you trust that they will make the kick sound as you have it but better than leave it tracked out. If they dont know what their doing they could easily change the sonic integrity of the kick you spent time creating, which can change the vibe of the song.

 

[nonie]

Thanks guys. I never tried that looking for that certain quality in a kick, I'll try it though. I usually just layer them until they sound good, but it eventually gets really muddy sounding and my mixing skills aren't that great yet.

 

[deStructuralize]

dont layer several "good sounding" kicks together, take the character of one and the solid bodyness or low end of another and combine. try an think ahead of what sound you are looking for and then take what you need from each kick.

That basically sums up what I was about to write, props 5th

Basically what I try to do with layering:
1. Layer based on characteristic, as described above
2. Play around with the volume of each layer, maybe mess with pan a tiny bit if I want to create a fuller effect. Even if two drums complement eachother, you don't necessarily want them to be hitting at the same velocity. Think of the big picture, like you're molding an entirely new kick or snare.
3. Equalize and use some effects

 

[DrOscillator]

what programs do you guys use to do this layering technique?

 

[5th Sequence]

i'm sure you can do it in any program, or even hardware.

I use FL.

 

[Sanova]

generally, what i do is Find a kick thats nice and bassy like i want for that track, then I find a kick that has the punch that the other kick lacks. I try and find to that sound good together, then I fine tune the pitches so that they match each other nicely, then I pitch both of those kicks from there to have perfect harmony with the bass.

 

[deStructuralize]

what programs do you guys use to do this layering technique?

1. On a computer, layer the drums on separate tracks in a sequencer or multitrack, before bouncing the result to a single track, .wav file...you can create a .wav of a single drum hit and use your controller to start banging out sequences, or, you can create a .wav of a full drum sequence and leave it at that.

Or

2. I think on most hardware, you can directly layer the sounds being triggered by a control pad. For example, in the MPC you can make a pad trigger more than one sound at once.

 

[Icemanbeats]

if you are layering it's all about EQ, making sure the kicks dont all jam in the same frequency or they might overpower each other

here's another way (although not really layering)

take 2 or 3 sections of diff drums

the kick of a kick drum (beginning)
the middle
and the tail

tune each section, chop & paste together so they flow as one drum

 

[Elementree]

I always layer about 3-4 kicks. It makes your kicks sound way more full. I agree with fade completly. If youve got a pillow stuffed kick you probly wanna layer it with a puchy kick then mix it down and then layer it with a bassy kick annd apply a final mix

 

[4108sv]

^ lol what is a punchy kick and a pillowy kick and their differences in sound?

 

[sYgMa]

Pillowy = muffled
Punchy = Hard attack

... not at all similar (actually, they are kind of opposites, I think...)

 

[Ash Holmz]

use your EARS people .......

 

[Haze47]

sounds like you using too much eq here lad, personally if i layered kicks i would as had been said, bass eq only 1 outta how ever many, remember on drums it aint about the eq it is about compression, you can get a phat phat kick sound without loads of bass eq, good example being procol harem drums, IMO people get too het up on eqing remember if it aint broke dont fix it, most peeps try to fix it when there is no need....

 

[TuTone]

expiriment with cutting the 250-400 Hz range. that takes care of a lot of muddiness for most kicks.