My fav is the pulteq EQ bundle from plug in alliance… it makes the bass hell present and cranks up mids and highs gently… really feels like the first plugin, that works like a mixing desk EQ with really good results…
for imaging, i love the digital EQ from plugin alliance… it really brings percussion to live with the stereo image… great one!
hi there for my live set i always send the 2 kicks through there separate out so that they don’t go through the compressor it makes them more clear and punchy they can have there own EQ on the mixer…. also that way they don’t crush the thin sounds it allows me to have them bigger and pop out of the mix…it also allows me to apply more compression on the main out and do a low cut on all the other sounds to get more clarity hope that helps…
I’m into house and tech house. I need my kicks to be deep and fat. And I don’t like using two tracks for the kick.
When I make new kicks, I usually proceed like this:
variations:
add one-shot LFO (e.g. exponential) on volume, pitch, etc. to make the sound sharper.
use the low tom as bassdrum.
advice:
as someone already said, polished and mastered kicks will often sound better. frankly, stop comparing too much and enjoy the unique AR sound.
What role does volume play in all this? Are the machines I perceive as having an easier time dialing in a kick simply louder and thus sound “better” to me?
(in my experience)
Easy kicks - TR-8, Jomox Mbase 11, Volca Beats, Machinedrum
Kicks that need significant tweaking and processing - Vermona DRM, Rytm
I know the Rytm is capable of the kick style I’m after. I guess I’m just spoiled by other machines I’ve had in the past and am tempted to repurchase them unfortunately. I don’t think it’s all about comparing Rytm kicks to processed samples. Some machines are just a little harder to dial in than others. I’m talking smooth round juicy 808 style kicks. I can get the Rytm plenty loud and aggressive very quickly if I want a distorted kick, but I don’t.
Funny thing is, I know I’ve heard good kicks on my Rytm before. I might switch back to my non-OverBridge setup, try different comp settings, and other tips mentioned above. When I find something I like this time I will be sure to save save save.Thanks!
oh… you recorded via overbridge?
well, thats maybe the dealbreaker. I also tested overbridge for recording… its a cool controlling tool, but to me the sound is far better when recording it with my RME and separate outs… this is especially for subbasses… ( i really love the BT Subs, which are the kind of Miami Bass TR-8 style… mixed with a little filtered Rimsound on Top)…
JoMoX: Yeah… they have less sub, but pretty present mids… still i am not really a fan of this sound anymore… well, but thats personal taste… still also great tools
volume: thats key… its all about leveling… dialing away some of the heavy subs with a high cut gives you a lot more room to turn up the volume of the mix in total (also for bass synths)
I haven’t been recording with overbridge specifically because I find the kicks lose something in the translation. Most noticeable is the overdrive sounds much grittier. Non-overbridge, I find the overdrive in low amounts just gives some presence and punch to sounds. I might actually start doing more overbridge, but I’d literally have to go back and tweak most of my kits to make it work.
Most of the kicks I’ve made on the RYTM are strictly synth only no layering. I’ve managed some really nice and membraney type kicks with the BT. In about a year I’ve made around 40 (maybe more) kits of my own and only just recently started layering up samples. Those ones can be tricky since you almost need to re-design your kick several times … basically I try and get the sample only to sound great … then slowly bring in the synth part but it’s REALLY important that you tune them. Kicks can be hard to tune by ear so sometimes I use a frequency analyzer in reaper to tune the two to each-other (and to the song).
I have a pretty nice formula that I use every time - I passed it on to a friend recently and he was pretty stoked on it:
Thats basically it. The recipe works the same on all the kick engines and really makes them punch. It also works on the BT and there’s a real magic sweet spot that makes BT sound actually more like a real kick than any of the kick engines.
I so love discussion about synthesis. Thank you man, I’ll take some time to analyse LEM’s kit again ^^
this seems like a weird thought to me. its just a drum machine. (btw i love mine) but i still have to do things to it to get it to fit in a mix. like with every other drum machine… or synth. or any instrument. nothing comes out perfect to start. but maybe i reading this wrong?
This is awesome! Thank you!
Sure, of course tweaking is needed to get anything fit into any mix. For me that stops at EQ and compression. I don’t see the point of having a 1k€+ sound source just to run it through a series of plugins. I feel that heavy processing will remove the character of the sound, ending up with something I’m not very satisfied with and I could have done way faster anyway, probably even better. The outboard gear I have usually makes it possible for me to use a single EQ plugin on anything I record, or none at all, like the Moog LP. This is what I miss from the AR’s kick.
that’s exactly why I have and use outboard gear … and makes me pay much more money, compared to plug-ins.
Embracing the AR as a whole, I often use the mix of a synth engine and a sample. IMO this is, what the AR is supposed to do anyway. The kick synth can be really punchy at the low end - you can see the speakers go to pumping mode. What I often do, is spicing up the kick with one of my favorite unprocessed kick samples from real kits.
But I do not try often to get a specific sound … only a sound, which is sitting in the mix propperly and sounds good to my ears. This said … it’s very much about personal taste 
I have to say that my relationship with Rytm’s BD is much better after the new machines came out. Before that, I also couldn’t get the sound I wanted: something rounder, not so sharp, but still present with a bunch of mid frequencies. I always used the BT channel for that, which sounds absolutely huge, but now I’m a fan of the Silky Machine. Somewhat short decay and also using the high pass filter technique to boost some of the low end while reducing a little the very deep low end. And for the destroyer sub, with no high content at all, BT.
yeah and psytrance-vibe kicks all day by pinging the filter with the impulse machine 
make sure to use the individual output for the kick… dont just run it thru the stereo output with everything else
its actually a pretty big deal
Using the exponential LFO shape on ONE mode controlling the distortion/level in the Amp page can be a great way of having more control over the transient on Kicks. Generally I find I can get any kick to fit by making sure the balance between the transient and the body works with the mix.
Most of Kick machines have some treble overtones…
If you don’t want them, use Silk machine.
So easy to dial some big boom bang !
Hi,
Looking for that killer kick is a lifelong journey.
That being said, I think that the AR does deliver, here are my little tricks so far:
Spending 15€ on the AR 808 soundset is a great investment. You get 2 kicks that are really go to tools to start from.
You also dont need any BD engine or samples if you just ping the filter. Try cutoff at 23 and high resonance, and your subwoofer starts sucking in the family pets. Shape the sound with the filter env or a one shot lfo at the Filter.
Always use some distortion, but also add a bit of overdrive with the lfo at one shot exponential decay, and your kicks will cut it in any mix.
The highpass filter is great for removing excessive low end… A Bad kick can be one where there is too much bass.
If you use bd samples, try cutting them extremely short, just to add a bit of spice to the transient. Let any AR bd machine then do the heavy lifting.
In the end, putting a mastering compressor on the whole mix, just 2db of compression, almost always increases transparency. I use Tokio Dawn Kotelnikov (SP?) for this, the internal compressor is used at 30% at most.
The AR is great.
K
The impulse machine, self-oscillating filter with a quick env can yield very nice kicks as an alternative
layer the BT (for me the real BOOOM!!) with one of BD-engines to personal taste
use the LFO on pitch
use the filter and amp-envelope
HP and peak-filter
overdrive just a bit
be aware of the onboard-compressor, it`s a beast at certain settings
torture your neighbours, tell them it is a scientific approach on low frequencies