I mainly produce hip hop and R&B, but here’s why I do tune my kicks : After 7 years producing music, I started noticing that having or choosing kicks with a fundamental frequency corresponding to the root,sub-dominant or dominant note of my song’s key always resulted in a better kick/bass relationship and more punch/clarity. I also tune my snares and percs for the same reasons. It kinda locks everything in. Also, a few tips for my Ableton users out there when transposing your kick - Unwarp your kick sample if working in audio. The higher your kick, the shorter it’ll get and vice versa. This makes for a more natural sound and prevents any “degradation” associated with transposition. If you find your transposed kick to be lacking some “oomph”, there’s a nifty little corpus preset called “Kick Tight”. Simply slap it on your kick track’s chain, select the desired fundamental and set the dry wet to 5-10%. Your kick will instantly feel larger and thicker.
Hey man try using a frequency shifter for your tuning. It allows you to move the fundamental of the sound whilst retaining the character of the harmonics
I try to be subtle with it but always having in my basic theory for example, if the key of the song will be more than 3 semitones I try to tune to the closest diatonic pitch that is nice to my ears. If the track is in C Major but the kick naturally is around A or G# I lower it a semitone and if i like it is the 5th of the scale so we are good in theory
Nice! I was just tuning a kick just 3 semi tones down and while it was in tune it lost the punch and I felt I loked the original better so i looked here for some ideas and realized Im not the only one who feels this way. I do like to tune my snare somewhat though especially if it has a strong tonal hit with it. Overall trust your ears, they almost never do me wrong!
I work with my ears. I don't even know the key of my tracks. I just tune it until it sounds good. It's about the range of frequencies that it occupies. I tune my kick looking for the punch, not the key. And you guys have to notice that Deadmau5 kicks are basically transients with a very short release. Watch out for genres where the kick is longer...
Interesting! I've spent so much (wasted?) time tuning kicks and other perc... But, one thing: doesn't transposing a lot (like your -7 toward the end of the vid) reduce... fidelity/quality of the kick sound? Isn't there some audio degradation? I would have thought so, but I don't know. I just err on the side of keeping everything as clean and hi-fidelity as possible, even when I can't really hear a difference. Thanks!
Yea I was really just exaggerating the transposing up and down so you can hear it. There will be degradation but I guess if it still sounds good then it doesn't really matter.
One way to tune any kind of audio without degradation is to 'stretch' it instead. By simply playing the sample slower or faster, the frequencies will just play lower/slower or higher/faster. Of course, the audio will then be longer or slower, but with a kick, that's easily fixed by just cutting off the excess until you get to the correct rythm.
@@djnickhodgkins Absolutely no worries, to change the pitch without loosing quality in ableton, you can select the "Re-Pitch" algorithm in the Warp section. The only problem is that the length of your sample will be changes so kicks would need shortening after making them deeper. :)
I am an Italian producer by passion... what I understood is that there is no exact procedure or even following the key of the right song? You have to try and listen to the most exact one... like I always do but maybe wrong
Some kicks are pretty tonal, though. Sure, many kicks are mostly transient with some noisy thump, but even with such a kick, tuning it can help. It's like a veil of dissonance is lifted and kick and bass instantly sound more pleasing. It's not something that's really obvious before you tune the kick, but it's there.
If you dont tune your kick its like you don"t tune your piano in the low range frequency. Now what ? +If you want a detuned kick, it can be a thing. +Any drummers tune all the drums.
Deadmau5 comments were geared towards producers who tune their kick and then transpose the same kick to follow every note in basslines of the track lol
@@toptentechtipsthingsricegu8822 This comment is so accurate on almost every layer that you could think of, just beautiful :) But technically, white noise will (in practice) only be made of every pitch that can be displayed in the current sample rate.
I highly disagree with this. You should always tune your kick as it is very noticeable when it’s out of key. Especially while producing/mixing bass heavy music like techno it is necessary as your kick is the fundament of your track. I teach music production and also dj. Sometimes I get sent tracks that are nice, but the kick doesn’t sit right so I don’t use them. Compare a fully mixed track with your kick tuned and out of tune and you’ll see for yourself.
Techno kicks have slower release time, so it is noticeable. But if the kick is short, it is actually just a transient with a click. A kick in Techno is fundamental as it shapes the tone of the entire track.
Do you tune your kick?
No
Of course, does a drummer tune their drums? A professional drummer does, engineering advice from beatmakers is always questionable.
NO
NO
Tuning always alter the sound of the sample, if you want a tuned kick just a use a right tuned kick from start
I mainly produce hip hop and R&B, but here’s why I do tune my kicks : After 7 years producing music, I started noticing that having or choosing kicks with a fundamental frequency corresponding to the root,sub-dominant or dominant note of my song’s key always resulted in a better kick/bass relationship and more punch/clarity.
I also tune my snares and percs for the same reasons. It kinda locks everything in.
Also, a few tips for my Ableton users out there when transposing your kick -
Unwarp your kick sample if working in audio. The higher your kick, the shorter it’ll get and vice versa. This makes for a more natural sound and prevents any “degradation” associated with transposition.
If you find your transposed kick to be lacking some “oomph”, there’s a nifty little corpus preset called “Kick Tight”. Simply slap it on your kick track’s chain, select the desired fundamental and set the dry wet to 5-10%. Your kick will instantly feel larger and thicker.
this comment alone is inspiring, can't wait to go home from work and try this trick as I make R&B mainly as well. Thank you man!
Hey man try using a frequency shifter for your tuning. It allows you to move the fundamental of the sound whilst retaining the character of the harmonics
I try to be subtle with it but always having in my basic theory for example, if the key of the song will be more than 3 semitones I try to tune to the closest diatonic pitch that is nice to my ears. If the track is in C Major but the kick naturally is around A or G# I lower it a semitone and if i like it is the 5th of the scale so we are good in theory
YOU ARE GREAT SAM!
THANK YOU DOODE!
Nice! I was just tuning a kick just 3 semi tones down and while it was in tune it lost the punch and I felt I loked the original better so i looked here for some ideas and realized Im not the only one who feels this way. I do like to tune my snare somewhat though especially if it has a strong tonal hit with it. Overall trust your ears, they almost never do me wrong!
I work with my ears. I don't even know the key of my tracks. I just tune it until it sounds good. It's about the range of frequencies that it occupies. I tune my kick looking for the punch, not the key.
And you guys have to notice that Deadmau5 kicks are basically transients with a very short release. Watch out for genres where the kick is longer...
amazing videos :) they are super informative
very nice content thx
did 80´s producers tune kicks ?
Interesting! I've spent so much (wasted?) time tuning kicks and other perc... But, one thing: doesn't transposing a lot (like your -7 toward the end of the vid) reduce... fidelity/quality of the kick sound? Isn't there some audio degradation? I would have thought so, but I don't know. I just err on the side of keeping everything as clean and hi-fidelity as possible, even when I can't really hear a difference. Thanks!
Yea I was really just exaggerating the transposing up and down so you can hear it. There will be degradation but I guess if it still sounds good then it doesn't really matter.
One way to tune any kind of audio without degradation is to 'stretch' it instead. By simply playing the sample slower or faster, the frequencies will just play lower/slower or higher/faster. Of course, the audio will then be longer or slower, but with a kick, that's easily fixed by just cutting off the excess until you get to the correct rythm.
@@emilkey12 Sorry for noobiness... How would you stretch it?
@@djnickhodgkins Absolutely no worries, to change the pitch without loosing quality in ableton, you can select the "Re-Pitch" algorithm in the Warp section. The only problem is that the length of your sample will be changes so kicks would need shortening after making them deeper. :)
Where did you get the second kick? Is it a 909?
I am an Italian producer by passion... what I understood is that there is no exact procedure or even following the key of the right song? You have to try and listen to the most exact one... like I always do but maybe wrong
Some kicks are pretty tonal, though. Sure, many kicks are mostly transient with some noisy thump, but even with such a kick, tuning it can help. It's like a veil of dissonance is lifted and kick and bass instantly sound more pleasing.
It's not something that's really obvious before you tune the kick, but it's there.
5:55 kick and bass
6:42
7:23
If you dont tune your kick its like you don"t tune your piano in the low range frequency. Now what ?
+If you want a detuned kick, it can be a thing.
+Any drummers tune all the drums.
Reggaeton beat
Deadmau5 comments were geared towards producers who tune their kick and then transpose the same kick to follow every note in basslines of the track lol
Who does this lol? It definitely sounds like he was referring to tuning kicks in general. He said that's it's just a thump and thus no need to tune...
Every sound has a pitch, seriously? What pitch does a white noise have then?
every pitch
exactly 😉
@@toptentechtipsthingsricegu8822 This comment is so accurate on almost every layer that you could think of, just beautiful :) But technically, white noise will (in practice) only be made of every pitch that can be displayed in the current sample rate.
I highly disagree with this. You should always tune your kick as it is very noticeable when it’s out of key. Especially while producing/mixing bass heavy music like techno it is necessary as your kick is the fundament of your track. I teach music production and also dj. Sometimes I get sent tracks that are nice, but the kick doesn’t sit right so I don’t use them. Compare a fully mixed track with your kick tuned and out of tune and you’ll see for yourself.
thanks!
Techno kicks have slower release time, so it is noticeable. But if the kick is short, it is actually just a transient with a click.
A kick in Techno is fundamental as it shapes the tone of the entire track.
What about transposing the transient only and tuning the body? Just wondering, I'm a beginner ✌🏼
Bro I even tune my hi hats