Getting the right balance of kick drum bottom and smack is tough. Especially in a dense mix where there is a lot fighting for the listener’s attention. And unfortunately it’s not always a volume thing.
It Takes Two To Cut Through
Taking advantage of a classic parallel processing technique, today’s tip gives you complete control of your kick drum sound on two faders, allowing you to dial in just the right amount of kick drum click or smack. I’m always amazed at how simple and effective the cut through kick is each time I do it.
Do Not Create Another Song Until You Read This Guide
(Price: $17 Free Today)
Discover the 6 Steps for Creating a Radio-Worthy Song From Scratch
My name is Graham Cochrane and I'm the founder of The Recording Revolution, one of the world's most loved audio recording and mixing blogs with over 200,000 readers each month. 
Hey Graham!
Once again great tip! I know a popular technique to mic a kick is on both sides of the drum(batter and resonant) however if you don’t have the opportunity to do that (which I don’t) this is a great way to compensate for it! Thanks again!
Jimmy
Hey Graham, I just watched the first 10 videos… really great stuff!
At first I thought it was over simple but then you explained you were going from the basics up… and even some of the basic stuff was actually informational, not new, but really a good reminder!
So thanks for those videos! They are well done and really focused on one aspect of the mix rather than giving too much broad information. Keep’em coming!
Quick question: are all the drum tracks live drums? It seems that a few of the songs have programmed drums. Am I wrong? It might be the quality of the sound since YouTube probably squashes the audio!!
Glad you’re enjoying the vids! It’s all live drums. I do trigger a few samples along the way so some songs might have them in the track.
Hey Graham, many thanks for sharing what must have taken you many hours to compile, the tutorials, advice and great vibe you provide is truly a girt to the rest of us. I know my mixes have improved greatly thanks to your efforts, and I am eager to purchase your other offerings to stretch my learning curve. I can’t get enough, bless you my friend….Movin & Groovin…..Gary……
One more thing, pardon my spelling…that was gift, not girt….Gary
Graham,
Thanks for all the videos. On your first installment of 31 tips in 31 days you had a tip about distorting a kick drum aux track to get a more full kick drum sound. I was wondering how (if possible) you could integrate these two tips. Could I just mix the two? Obviously, it would be to my taste and dependent on the needs of the song. But, just wanted your thoughts.
Thanks.
Thanks for GREAT info
kinda filling in the cracks for veterens and buildin a Solid foundation for new-bies.These vids will really make a dent in Production quality.
Thanks a million
Hey Graham – Thank you for doing this series, it is helpful to learn some of your little tips and tricks. This kick drum parallel compression trick is def something I will be using in the future.
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I found this during my search for something concerning this.
Great tip! I really find every video of this series extremely useful! As you compress the beater kick track, the spill also increases in volume. Is it a good idea to gate the track? Or is that just not necessary?
Yeah, a gate might come in handy.