Investingating how best kick samples are made by pro producers

• Click: the initial transient that helps the kick cut through the mix • Thumb: the middle layer where the real character comes from • Tail: the long sustained part carrying the sub bass

Sub sits below 100 Hz, thumb sits between 100 Hz to 3 kHz, and click sits above 2-3 kHz

Use Izotope imager or a splitter plugin by duplicating the kick three times to separate each frequency layer

Phase-reverse the original kick and layer it with the splitter; if you hear nothing, the frequencies are split perfectly

Most techno kicks are either 1/8 or slightly longer than 1/8 note in a four-to-the-floor pattern

Thumbs are as loud or louder than the sub tails, creating an aggressive presence in the mix

• Sub tails show a smooth heel-like shape with smooth up-down motion • Top layer clicks are bright, loud, and distorted with harder hitting characteristics

• Tails centered around F to G note range with dominant sub bass • Kicks are the loudest element in the mix overall

House kicks are much shorter, mostly slightly longer than 1/16 notes, with smoother overall shapes

• Thumbs are shorter and often slightly quieter than in techno • Clicks are much quieter and even shorter than techno counterparts • Tails are triangular shaped, much shorter and cleaner than techno's heel shape

House music has a much fuller bass compared to techno, requiring more space for the sub bass, so kicks must be smaller

• Tails tuned between D to A notes, similar to techno frequency range • Kicks sometimes sit behind the bass but this depends on the individual track