How to Use BigKick – Kick Drum Synthesiser (Tutorial)

Even with a large collection of drums, sometimes finding the right kick seems like an on-going impossible task!

Well after 4 months of using BigKick from Plugin Boutique I can quite comfortably say that this Drum Synthesizer removes that stress almost entirely.

BigKick gives you complete flexibility over the low end and attack of your kick which is especially helpful if you going for a Travis Scott type sound.

Any form of Hip Hop puts a strong reliance on the kick drum to be the heart of the track, without a heavy kick these days you can’t really label anything urban.

“As powerful a kick drum instrument as you’re likely to find” – Music Tech Magazine
“…the range of sounds it can produce is superb … for anyone involved in dance music it is a must …” – Sound On Sound review August 2014.

Some of the benefits of using BigKick are:

• Achieve great bottom-end: design a drum that fits perfectly with your bass
• A quick and frustration-free solution: cut out hours of hunting through samples
• Get more out of your existing kick drum sample collection
• Start from scratch or use presets from D-Product, the Freemasons, Kris O’Neil and many more

And some of the cutting edge features include:

• Combines synthesis for flexibility and samples for extra character
• Drag-and-drop: instant sample import and export to your DAW or Desktop. Drag finished samples straight out of the plugin to your host’s sampler. Or drag sounds straight from your track onto the Load Sample button to layer them with the synthesised kick drum!
• Flexible: Replicates most electronic kick drum sounds – with creative options to help you create the sounds of the future
• Big Library: Factory library includes >300 attack types and 110 presets
• Tuned kick drums. Set the pitch to match your bass-line, or play the pitch of the kick drum with your MIDI keyboard.
• Use your own samples: Easily integrates with your existing sample libraries
• Easy-to-use: Easier to use than any previous kick drum design tool. No complex envelopes to set – just sensible knobs for instant results
• Auto-play: click auto-play for an instant kick-drum metronome. Get started jamming without programming a single midi note
• Bonus samples: 100 free kick drums from the Loopmasters library come with the demo – yours to keep whether or not you buy the plugin!
• Creative options: Overdrive, three unique waveforms and a hard clipper
• Two kick drum body models: Original (covering a range of styles) and tough (which gets a harder edged more electronic sound – great for trance and other clean, tight and hard genres)
• Safety first: A high pass filter helps you avoid nasty surprises in the sub-bass
• Preset management: Great new preset handling features, including folder creation, renaming, easier preset browsing, preset-pack creation tools and much more
• Fine-tuning: Built in EQ to make your presets sit right in the mix quickly and a punch control to tuck the drum into your mix, or have it leap out and smack you in the face

All I can really say about this plugin is that it’s really changed the way I approach drum synthesis!

Click here to Download BigKick from Plugin Boutique.

Certified Ableton Trainer Rob Jones shows in the tutorial below exactly how to use the plugin to sculpt your own kick drums.

BigKick can even replicate both modern and vintage kick sounds, the only way I can end this is by saying it’s f**king awesome.

Check out the How to Use BigKick Kick Drum Synthesiser tutorial below:

Download BigKick from Plugin Boutique.