Hello, today i'm going to throw you few tips on how to make your kick drum sound better.
One of the first tips i would advise you to try is to find that boomy frequency most of the kick drums have around 240-260hz and cut it down 8-12db.
Example on picture:
Doing this you open up a lot of space for other instruments that have a lot of presence in low mid area like synths, snares and similar. Beside, it's just way better sounding, both in mix and solo.
2nd tip i would give you would be, of course, compression. In most cases a little bit of compression on kick drum is going to make it sound better.
9 of 10 times, i would recommend going with slower attack and faster release with 1-3db of compression. Unless of course you are experimenting and creating your own sound, what is a good thing of course, there are no rules in making music. Back to the compression, this way you are going to make your kick drum sound a bit punchier and stand out more in the final mix.
Some of the compressors i would recommend would be emulation of legendary Distressor, "FG Stress" by Slate Digital, it is definitely a top compressor.
Another compressor i would recommend is TDR Kotelnikov, this one sounds so good it is hard to believe it is actually free. Try it.
Next thing i would advise you to try is using plugin like Kickstart to shorten your kick drum. It's all about punch right? You don't need rest of the wave to bother other elements in track.
Last tip of they day would be, don't be afraid to put a bit of distortion, not just kick but on any element in your track. It is a great way to add color and frequencies in your track.
Some of the good plugins for distortion i would recommend are Decapitator by Soundtoys, great great sound.
In the previous fashion, one freebie. HeadCrusher by Audio Assault, another great sounding plugin.
That would be all for now, if it gets any interest i will for sure continue to write more of these.
Till the next time. Make sure to take care of your health, and wake up before 1 pm once in your life.
Peace.