How can I make my kicks to come out in low quality speakers?

G

guardadomusic

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When I'm done a beat, I put it in my phone to hear how it sounds with crappy speakers. I can never get my kicks to come thru properly like in professional songs. They're pretty much inaudible.
How can I fix this problem? I use fl studio
 
You probably don't have enough high end in them. Because sound is a waveform, certain speakers are physically incapable of producing frequencies below a certain level because they can't vibrate appropriately. Earbuds are a classic example. In order for your kicks to be heard in earbuds, they need to have frequency information in the 200Hz and up range.

Try layering your kicks with another kick with more high frequency information.
 
That does help with the kicks (I usually use 808s), but they aren't sounding clear enough even with the layer. It still sounds too quiet (sounds fine on normal speakers tho).
 
Im having alote of trouble too with my fl studio drums,but I dont think alote of people use fl on here cause im not getting the right help,if you find some good info let me know
 
Why not try making your kicks on small crappy speakers. If it sounds good on small speakers it'll sound great on normal speakers! :D
 
Most kicks are inaudible in small speakers. Sometimes people are too harsh when judging their own music. As hard as Lil Jon songs knock in a club, you hear not so much as a thud through a cellphone. This is because freqs that "knock" fall well below the range of small rinky dink speakers like you find on a phone or small radio.

You should be more concerned wiuth making low freqs sound good in low freq settings(clubs, cars with systems, ect)and concern yourself with a good overall mix for clarity on less bass heavy systems. People don't need their ringtones to knock. so why compromise the sound in the club to give then an audible "pop" when their girl calls and they answer before the song plays a full 3 seconds?
 
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Most kicks are inaudible in small speakers. Sometimes people are too harsh when judging their own music. As hard as Lil Jon songs knock in a club, you hear not so much as a thud through a cellphone. This is because freqs that "knock" fall well below the range of small rinky dink speakers like you find on a phone or small radio.

You should be more concerned wiuth making low freqs sound good in low freq settings(clubs, cars with systems, ect)and concern yourself with a good overall mix for clarity on less bass heavy systems. People don't need their ringtones to knock. so why compromise the sound in the club to give then an audible "pop" when their girl calls and they answer before the song plays a full 3 seconds?

It's not just limited to ringtones. I would still want my songs to have clear kicks whether I'm playing them on low quality monitor speakers, cell phone speakers, ipod speakers etc.
Other songs I have that I play on my cellphone speakers have a kick that isn't really strong or supposed to be bassy but the sound still comes through clear enough.

Why not try making your kicks on small crappy speakers. If it sounds good on small speakers it'll sound great on normal speakers! :D

lol, chances are they would come out wayy to loud, bassy, and distorted.

Im having alote of trouble too with my fl studio drums,but I dont think alote of people use fl on here cause im not getting the right help,if you find some good info let me know

I put in fl studio just in case, but I doubt that it makes a difference.
 
Doesn't matter if you're using FL Studio or not. That's not the issue. You need midrange on the kick - that's what's going to come through. Subtle layers of distortion, layering drums, eq, or harmonic exciters are your weapons of choice to do battle with.

The suggestion about using crappy speakers is actually a good one. I do most of my mixing on NS-10s - they don't really reproduce low frequencies well. I know if I can get a big presence from the kick on the NS-10s, they will translate well.
 
Doesn't matter if you're using FL Studio or not. That's not the issue. You need midrange on the kick - that's what's going to come through. Subtle layers of distortion, layering drums, eq, or harmonic exciters are your weapons of choice to do battle with.

The suggestion about using crappy speakers is actually a good one. I do most of my mixing on NS-10s - they don't really reproduce low frequencies well. I know if I can get a big presence from the kick on the NS-10s, they will translate well.

Thanks, I tested it out and seems to work well..going to do the same to other tracks...Again, much thanks.
 
I never hear my basslines and bass drums through the labtop speakers... should I be able to hear them....I never put a limiter on my beats when I make them...I always do a bit of premixing when making my beats..
more like putting elements at certain levels and some panning to make room so everything can be heard and make sure all the elements have some balance so the overall beat sound good.....
 
When I'm mixing I predominantly use my monitors but then use a various range of play back systems to keep checking my mix sounds good on all of them. However if you are using 'crappy speakers' compare other professional tracks in the same genre with yours and make necessary adjustments to your track to make the mix sound similar.
 
Using a fast limiter on your kick may help for crappy speakers. It usually adds some high-mids content while preventing from uncontrolled distorsion.
 
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You really want you music to sound right for all systems, aiming for any specific reproduction type
will end in significant compromise. I suggest using an eq and a little side chaining of the bass line
with the kick drum.
 
these are some great tips, they've been helping me out a lot
 
I'll say again, you'd be foolish to compromise low end where it counts for a secondary that doesnt care. Audiophiles don't buy "crappy speakers" people who don't care do. Why compromise the guy who wants to hear that "knock"'s experience so a guy who can care less hears a little more "pap" out of his laptop?

That's like saying "I wanna look my best for all the fine women at the club tonight, but I wanna make sure to look a lil' shytty so all the lesbians are confident in their decision to not be interested in me". Why consider an outlet that doesn't respect you enough to pay your work any attention?

There's a fine line between mixing for an NS-10/bookshelf audience(NS-10s are what? like $700 a pair?) and mixing for folk who are listening thru a frikkin phone! There's alot more environments to consider. Most ringtones are like 96kbps mono mp3s why do you need your mix to 'compete" in that league? Shouldn't you be referencing cars, clubs, homestereos, even ipod earbuds before a frikkin' phone?

You get your mix to sound amazing in these other environments and I'll bet you'll never hear one complaint about how they sound thru a phone or laptop speakers.
 
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I'll say again, you'd be foolish to compromise low end where it counts for a secondary that doesnt care. Audiophiles don't buy "crappy speakers" people who don't care do. Why compromise the guy who wants to hear that "knock"'s experience so a guy who can care less hears a little more "pap" out of his laptop?

That's like saying "I wanna look my best for all the fine women at the club tonight, but I wanna make sure to look a lil' shytty so all the lesbians are confident in their decision to not be interested in me". Why consider an outlet that doesn't respect you enough to pay your work any attention?

There's a fine line between mixing for an NS-10/bookshelf audience(NS-10s are what? like $700 a pair?) and mixing for folk who are listening thru a frikkin phone! There's alot more environments to consider. Most ringtones are like 96kbps mono mp3s why do you need your mix to 'compete" in that league? Shouldn't you be referencing cars, clubs, homestereos, even ipod earbuds before a frikkin' phone?

You get your mix to sound amazing in these other environments and I'll bet you'll never hear one complaint about how they sound thru a phone or laptop speakers.

I don't go overboard and prioritize the crappy sound system over the decent pair of speakers, I do put a quality audio setup over the cellphone. I only tweak it to the point where it still sounds great on my own speakers.

I may as well have my music sound playable on all speakers because it's still possible to enjoy a song from an ipod speaker then having it come out a a car system. I don't carry my NS-10s or whatever with me all the time.
 
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