Many know my advocate on parallel processing pretty much everything since it allows you to add without altering the original source. Parallel processing on EDM drums usually makes absolutely no sense however sometimes the kick needs a little help to get that solid four-on-the-floor groove going and an attack that helps the ear easily find it in an already dense production.
- RBass plugin is used to help out solidify the low-end so it won’t sound as thin by creating some denser harmonics.
- Waves SSL EV2 is used to clean up harscheness in the midrange which clouded a lot of the rest of the music and vocals. I added a little bit of low-end boom to extend the kick’s length for a nicer roundness.
- Parallel Compression: This is a trick I haven’t talked about to you guys yet but can come in very handy for pretty much any thing that needs air or a better attack tone. Instead of using a dbx I’m using a modern compression (c1) and compressing the kick extremely hard so that pretty much a top kick sound is left. I add a ton of high end using the V-EQ (Neve) and notch out low-mids. This results in a very bright thin kick sounds (all attack like a top kick). I blend this in with the original kick to get a defined overall kick sound helping the drive off the song out better.
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Fat Kicks, Final Notes
A fat sound starts at selection: a great sample library saves more time than any plugin chain. From there, sound shaping is layering plus the sound design moves above, pitch, saturation, transient control. In music mixing, audio engineering for EDM kicks is about contrast: the kick sounds huge because everything else makes room. File that under production tips that never expire.