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STYLE DIRECTION

How to Build a Pop Kick

STARTING POINT

Build a Pop kick around a highly translatable kick with controlled low-end support and enough attack information for small speakers. Start with the ILLUSTRATIVE KX1000 STARTING VALUES below, then choose a direction only when the arrangement needs a different amount of length, density, or attack.

ILLUSTRATIVE KX1000 STARTING VALUES

Build the style foundation

Transient0.84
Body0.72
Sub0.46
Length400 ms
Punch72%
Tone1.00
Drive8%
Impact68%

METHOD

How to shape it

  1. Set the kick envelope for the tempo and groove.
  2. Balance Transient, Body, and Sub as one event.
  3. Use Length to protect the bass and next rhythmic hit.
  4. Add Punch, Tone, Drive, and Impact only for a specific audible need.
  5. Check the result in mono, at low level, and in the full arrangement.

ARRANGEMENT DIRECTIONS

Choose the version your track needs

Clean pop

A polished, open version

A polished, open version.

Transient0.82
Body0.67
Sub0.40
Length390 ms
Punch66%
Tone0.80
Drive3%
Impact64%

Large chorus

A bigger, denser version

A bigger, denser version.

Transient0.92
Body0.82
Sub0.52
Length470 ms
Punch78%
Tone1.20
Drive14%
Impact74%

Intimate modern

A shorter, softer version

A shorter, softer version.

Transient0.71
Body0.66
Sub0.36
Length340 ms
Punch54%
Tone0.30
Drive8%
Impact60%