So do you guys layer your kicks?

jbomba

New Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Just wondering if many people layer there kicks. Ive been told it is a no no. Also got a question about limiting ive got my kick and snare on seperate channels then sent to a bus. Should i be limiting my kick and snare on the seperate channels and on the bus or just limit the kick and snare on the bus as a collective. Im working on my mixing at the moment. I used to just get everything as close to 0db as possible but ive been told to have my drums peaking at - 7db sub bass -13db and midbass at -14db. And just mix with my speakers cranked up. I was never told about the headroom needed for mastering.
 
Just wondering if many people layer there kicks. Ive been told it is a no no. Also got a question about limiting ive got my kick and snare on seperate channels then sent to a bus. Should i be limiting my kick and snare on the seperate channels and on the bus or just limit the kick and snare on the bus as a collective. Im working on my mixing at the moment. I used to just get everything as close to 0db as possible but ive been told to have my drums peaking at - 7db sub bass -13db and midbass at -14db. And just mix with my speakers cranked up. I was never told about the headroom needed for mastering.

yes there are strict rules to producing drum and bass /endsarcasm

whoever told you that sounds like they think they know it all!! i wouldnt personally take any more advice from this person as layering kicks is an essential part for production for a variety of dnb producers. BUT it depends what sound your going for, and what samples you have, some kick drum samples are good enough to go.

layering kicks can be an essential part of producing big neurofunk beats and dancefloor drums. i would hazard a guess people like noisia, camo krooked, nu tone, subfocus, loads of artists layer kick and snares to get they desired drums, its a normal part of production for alot of producers but you need to pitch the drums correctly together and remove contrasting frequencies. If i was to layer 2 kicks im likely to high pass one of them so as to remove the bass frequncies of one and keep them on another thus using the best part of 2 different kick drums.
 
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Yeahh the only thing that is a 'no no', as you call it, is layering several low end kicks on top of each other, because layering the low end can cause phasing issues.
So if you layer three kicks, then pick one for the low end and filter out the low end on the other two kicks to prevent the phasing issues.
 
kicks are about the only thing i ever layer. usually easier to layer in a good solid thud at the exact frequency i want instead of fighting the eq with whatever breakbeat im using.
 
Not only kicks but also snare layering can really improve your sounds. What i usually do is i find a nice sounding snare, cut the frequenties i dont need, layer it with a snare from the 808 pack to get that thump thing going on and for some extra sounds i like to clone the nice sounding snare and high passing it.

Or instead of layering with it's clone, try layering it with a crash cymbal, highpassed and shortned ofcourse!
 
My advice is simple, do as you please as long as u feel it sounds good!!!

And to answer your question yes i layer kicks, snares, hats, bass, pads, synths, EVERYTHING needs a layer.........BUT it all depends on the tune.
And its all about keeping the layers simple and effective to what you want to achieve.

Fuck rules! REBEL!

'I don't go by anybody's rules, not even my own!' lol

Steer away from what other people say and explore and figure out new techniques....tis the way forward!

Personally for me that's why i love music production because it is completely LIMITLESS.
 
I like layering my kicks, usually use 2 kicks that occupy slightly different frequency ranges or sound a bit different to make one bad ass kick!
combine a punchy and a soft for example
 
You can layer anything as long as you EQ it.
I layer basses but not the actual sub part.

Make sure the kick you're using to add punch to your overall kick is in mono.
 
You can layer anything as long as you EQ it.
I layer basses but not the actual sub part.

Make sure the kick you're using to add punch to your overall kick is in mono.

Why do you need to put one in mono?

The few beats ive made so far i layered two drum hits in stereo and they sounded fine?
 
My advice is simple, do as you please as long as u feel it sounds good!!!

And to answer your question yes i layer kicks, snares, hats, bass, pads, synths, EVERYTHING needs a layer.........BUT it all depends on the tune.
And its all about keeping the layers simple and effective to what you want to achieve.

Fuck rules! REBEL!

'I don't go by anybody's rules, not even my own!' lol

Steer away from what other people say and explore and figure out new techniques....tis the way forward!

Personally for me that's why i love music production because it is completely LIMITLESS.

:word: - its like this and like that y' know

i layer everything and eq to taste, means i sometimes layer subby kicks aswell - aslong as it doesnt sound shit, everythings allowed!
 
Sometimes. I use alot of breaks tho so i tend to just end up using one kick. All my hits and breaks are in mono if i make dnb. dubstep ill have some percussion in stereo.
 
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My advice is simple, do as you please as long as u feel it sounds good!!!

And to answer your question yes i layer kicks, snares, hats, bass, pads, synths, EVERYTHING needs a layer.........BUT it all depends on the tune.
And its all about keeping the layers simple and effective to what you want to achieve.

Fuck rules! REBEL!

'I don't go by anybody's rules, not even my own!' lol

Steer away from what other people say and explore and figure out new techniques....tis the way forward!

Personally for me that's why i love music production because it is completely LIMITLESS.





That's a very Inspiring statement, and very well said,,,
couldn't agree more,:|

---------- Post added at 21:59 ---------- Previous post was at 21:54 ----------

I found recently by duplicating tracks it adds a lot of beef to tracks, like working in stereo, adds sonics, layering kicks is a good thing imo, but maybe 2 at most,
was experimenting today,

(but with different kicks!)
 
i havent bothered layering kicks in ages, i just use what sounds good and get on with it. To me production isn't about obsessing about the science behind music, fiddling with frequencies until you find some kind of 'sonic perfection', its about finding a flow and going with it. U don't see a drummer playing 5 different kick drums at once do you.
Just do what YOU think sounds good and if u wanna explore different techniques go for it, but never limit yourself to what others do, as has been said.
 
i havent bothered layering kicks in ages, i just use what sounds good and get on with it. To me production isn't about obsessing about the science behind music, fiddling with frequencies until you find some kind of 'sonic perfection', its about finding a flow and going with it. U don't see a drummer playing 5 different kick drums at once do you.
Just do what YOU think sounds good and if u wanna explore different techniques go for it, but never limit yourself to what others do, as has been said.

Agreed, theres way too much emphasis placed on the do's and don'ts. When it comes to eq and limiting, they should be applied to remove a problem but only if the problem exists.

The reason why mono for bass sounds is down to vinyl. With the introduction of stereo recording, nobody knew how best to utilize the technology and most ended up putting the backing track on one channel and the vocal on the other. This became a problem when cutting to vinyl as the one side of the groove wall was nearly completely cut away, so to even the load all low end is mono'ed. Also, bass frequncies below a point are difficult, if not impossible to identify which direction the sound is coming from; hence why there is only (usually) one sub in a home cinema setup. A good technique if you have a stereo kick sound is to simply mono each channel and adjust the volume accordingly.

For me it depends how you got to this point, are you (a) considering layering because you feel the kicks are weak or (b) because you have 2 sounds that sound awesome together? If its a, then it may be more of a mix issue whereas if it were b then I would be approaching it as sample creation and really trying everything I could think of. Hope that helps!

Peace
 
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