Instrument Anatomy | Kick Drum
The Kick Drum
The kick drum is the foundation of electronic music. Knowing how to craft your own gives you complete creative control. This tutorial will guide you through the essential techniques for creating professional kicks using synths, samples and processing. Why waste time and money browsing sample libraries when you can build exactly what you need from the ground up.
| In this tutorial |
|---|
| 1. The four waveforms |
| 2. The frequency spectrum & harmonics |
| 3. Attack, decay, sustain, release |
| 4. Phase & modulation |
| 5. Filtering & resonance |
| 6. Stereo, width, depth & height |
Part 1.1
The Four Waveforms
Synthesising sound is the creation of a waveform. Waveforms are a pattern of vibration, or deviation, from a central ‘zero’ point over time. Ripples on the surface of a pond are a waveform, as are the wobbly lines drawn out by seismographs when recording earthquakes. There are four fundamental waveforms that form the basis of all sounds. These are; sine, saw, square and triangle.
Sine
The sine wave is nature's original waveform, characterised by rounded, smooth edges. It's often shortened to "sin" in synth interfaces.
Saw
The sawtooth, or "saw" wave has more 'presence' than a sine wave. It works well when layered with another saw wave of a similar frequency.
Square
The square wave is a popular choice for bassline synthesis. It often has a resonant low pass filter applied to create a classic garage sound.
Triangle
Similar in tone to a sine wave, but with more artifice, the triangle wave is often layered with other waveforms to build interesting timbres.