Kick Drums That Hit Hard

The kick is the heartbeat. When it hits right, you feel it in your chest before you hear it. When it’s wrong, nothing else matters — the track limps no matter how good everything else is.

In dark electronic music, the kick needs to do two things: punch through the mix and move air. That’s why we layer.

The Basic Kick

Every track in Sonic Byte uses a layered kick:

define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.2*v, rate: 0.9
  sample :bd_boom, amp: 0.5*v, rate: 1.2, cutoff: 70
end

Why Two Layers?

• :bd_tek — Provides the punchy attack (the “click”)
• :bd_boom — Adds low-end weight (the “boom”)

Together, they create a kick that has both presence and physical impact.

Key Parameters

amp (Amplitude)

Controls volume. For kicks, we use higher values:

sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.2   # Loud, punchy
sample :bd_boom, amp: 0.5  # Supporting, not dominant

rate (Playback Speed/Pitch)

Lower rate = lower pitch = more weight:

sample :bd_tek, rate: 1.0  # Original pitch
sample :bd_tek, rate: 0.9  # Lower, heavier
sample :bd_tek, rate: 0.85 # Even lower (Void Walker)

cutoff (Filter)

Removes high frequencies for a cleaner low end:

sample :bd_boom, cutoff: 70  # Keeps only the sub

Kick Variations by Track

Standard (Tracks 1, 5, 8)

define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.2*v, rate: 0.9
  sample :bd_boom, amp: 0.5*v, rate: 1.2, cutoff: 70
end

Heavy (Tracks 2, 4)

define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.5*v, rate: 0.85
  sample :bd_zum, amp: 0.7*v, rate: 1.1
end

Uses :bd_zum for more attack, lower rate for more weight.

Deep (Track 6 - Void Walker)

define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.4*v, rate: 0.85
  sample :bd_zum, amp: 0.6*v, rate: 1.0, cutoff: 65
end

Lowest rate (0.85) for the slowest, heaviest track.

Sample Selection

Sonic Pi includes many kick samples. For dark electronic:

Punchy/Attack Samples

• :bd_tek — Tight, techno-style (our main choice)
• :bd_haus — Punchy house kick
• :bd_klub — Club-ready punch

Weight/Body Samples

• :bd_boom — Deep, boomy (good for layering)
• :bd_zum — Punchy with sub weight
• :bd_fat — Wide, heavy

Testing Combinations

# Try different combinations
sample :bd_tek, amp: 2; sample :bd_boom, amp: 0.5
sleep 1
sample :bd_tek, amp: 2; sample :bd_zum, amp: 0.5
sleep 1
sample :bd_haus, amp: 2; sample :bd_fat, amp: 0.5

The Volume Parameter

Using a volume parameter allows dynamic control:

define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.2*v
  sample :bd_boom, amp: 0.5*v
end

kick 1      # Full volume
kick 0.7    # 70% volume (intro)
kick 1.2    # 120% volume (peak)

Kick Timing Patterns

Four-on-the-Floor

4.times { kick; sleep 1 }

Kick on every beat. Classic, driving.

Syncopated

kick; sleep 0.75
kick; sleep 0.25
kick; sleep 1
kick; sleep 1
kick; sleep 1

Ghost kick at 0.75 creates groove.

Double-Time

8.times { kick; sleep 0.5 }

Kick every half beat. Aggressive, relentless.

Half-Time

kick; sleep 2
kick; sleep 0.5
kick; sleep 1.5

Sparse, heavy. Each kick has more impact.

Velocity Variation

Static velocity sounds robotic. Add variation:

in_thread do
  kick 1; sleep 1        # Beat 1: Full
  kick 0.8; sleep 1      # Beat 2: Slightly softer
  kick 0.9; sleep 1      # Beat 3: Almost full
  kick 0.85; sleep 1     # Beat 4: Medium
end

Quick Reference

# Basic layered kick
define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.2*v, rate: 0.9
  sample :bd_boom, amp: 0.5*v, rate: 1.2, cutoff: 70
end

# Heavier kick
define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.5*v, rate: 0.85
  sample :bd_zum, amp: 0.7*v, rate: 1.1
end

# Rate guide:
# 1.0 = original pitch
# 0.9 = slightly lower (standard)
# 0.85 = noticeably lower (heavy)