Make Your Own Kick Drums - Punchy and Deep Kicks

Tutorial on synthesizing a kick drum from scratch using the Serum synthesizer, providing more control over the low end of tracks without searching through sample packs.

The final kick drum has a classic deep electronic sound that is punchy, with extensive control over pitch effects and attack characteristics.

• Initialize the synthesizer and set oscillator to maximum quality • Ensure the synth is in mono mode to prevent overlapping kick drums

The process is divided into three main parts: creating the main sub sound, adding body and harmonic content, and creating the attack.

Use a sine wave in analog basic shapes and drag the oscillator pitch down two octaves to create a deep foundation tone.

Play notes on the MIDI keyboard to find the optimal pitch that matches the song's key, allowing the kick drum to be perfectly tuned to the track.

• Increase hold to approximately 100 milliseconds • Lower sustain to minus infinity • Set decay to approximately 100 milliseconds

Adjust the hold and decay parameters to customize the kick drum's shape and length to match the track's requirements.

Add a second envelope that starts at a higher pitch and quickly drifts down to the target note, creating a punchy pitch effect at the beginning of the kick.

Set the envelope mode to single arrow head using Shift+Alt+Left-click or access through the matrix tab to ensure smooth pitch descent without fluctuations.

Apply the pitch envelope to the filter's cutoff to sweep away high and mid frequencies, cleaning up the kick drum sound.

Turn down the master volume and drive the filter to add harmonic content and create a fuller, thicker kick drum sound.

Add a noise oscillator set to one-shot mode and run it through the filter to create a click or attack at the beginning of the kick drum.

Choose from Serum's folder of attack kick noises to find a suitable sound, or use a click sample layered with the synth if the synthesizer lacks a noise generator.

Adjust the noise level to control the amount of attack and click, finding the right balance for the desired kick drum character.

Extend the MIDI note length to prevent the kick drum from being cut off prematurely, and fine-tune hold and decay settings to fit the track perfectly.

• Add low-end boost with EQ or filter if the kick drum needs more presence • Clean up mud around 300-400 Hz • Boost high end to enhance the click and attack

Apply overdrive or distortion effects to add grit and dirty up the kick drum, preventing it from sounding too smooth in the mix.

Use a transient processor to quickly adjust the attack of the kick drum: decrease attack to reduce impact or increase to enhance the click.

Apply heavy compression with substantial makeup gain to fatten and glue the kick drum, with longer attack times preserving the click and faster attack times adding fatness.

Design kick drums on both headphones and speakers to ensure the sound translates well across different playback systems.

Keep the kick drum in the key and tuner of the track to ensure it fits harmonically with the rest of the music.

• Presets from this tutorial are available in a sample pack being sold to support the channel • For compression techniques, check the dedicated drum compression video

Winner of the previous giveaway was chosen randomly, with recognition given to excellent tips and tricks from community comments.