Arts >> Music >> Recording Music

How to Compress a Kick Drum

When recording live music or creating digital music, mix master and producers often include kick drums in the tracks. Recording and music production software varies and operators must learn the specifics of their programs to understand exactly how to locate the compressor sections and how to upload and play kick drum samples. Adjusting compression makes the kick drum sound different because compression minimizes the both the peaks and the transients or low points of the kick drum's sound. Producers and mix masters adjust compression by altering the attack, release, ratio and gain reduction sections in their recording programs.

Things You'll Need

  • Music production program
  • Computer
  • Studio speakers or headphones
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Locate and import an audio sample into your music production program. Audio samples are available online or, if you are recording live music, you can use a sample of your recording. The sample should at least contain an audible kick drum. Ideally, use a sample that contains nothing else but kick drum.

    • 2

      Open the compressor section or load a compressor in your recording program. Play your kick drum sample through your recording program. Within the compressor section of the program, you should find subsections that control the threshold, the attack, the release, the ratio and the gain reduction. Adjust the "threshold" section in your program to determine when the compression will start.

    • 3

      Find the subsection that reads "attack." This will determine how quickly the compressor reacts. A decent attack setting for a kick drum is usually around 1 to 5 ms, so position your attack to that number or, if you desire, to a number that suits you by moving the knob on the screen using your mouse.

    • 4

      Find the subsection that says "release" on your program and adjust the release, which determines how long the compression is held, sand move the knob with your mouse so that it reads about 0.2s/Auto. For a kick drum, the release is usually set close to that number, though you can adjust it as you desire.

    • 5

      Find the subsections of your program labeled "ratio" and "gain reduction" and adjust the ratio by moving the knob with the mouse so that it is around 5 to 10:1; adjust the gain reduction the same way so that it is between 8 and 15 db.

    • 6

      Listen to your kick drum track and fine tune any of the adjustments that you made to the compression by moving the knobs with your mouse so that they match your particular preferences for that track. If you have musical accompaniment already recorded, play it along with the compressed quick drums and make any desired alterations.

Recording Music

Related Categories