Drums can be one of the most difficult elements in a track to mix. If you don't get them right, you'll likely end up with an amateur-sounding mix. At the heart of your drums is your kick, which is, beyond the snare, arguably the most important element to get right.

Whether you're working on pop, electronic, rock, or hip-hop, it's the thump of the kick that sets the pace and drives the song forward.

However, if your kick drum isn't EQ’d properly, it can easily get buried in the mix or overpower every other element. That’s why we need to know how to use EQ to shape the sounds of our kick drums and make sure they sit in the mix properly.

In this post, we'll go over the basics of kick drum EQ, including what frequencies to focus on and some tried-and-true techniques to get that kick sounding just right.

The Frequency Range of a Kick Drum

Before we get too deep, I think it's important to note that, yes, not every kick drum will require the same basic treatment, as not all kick drums are the same. A lo-fi kick sampled from an 808 is going to sound vastly different than a monster 28" Ludwig kick recorded in a live setting.

So, with that in mind, everything I write will be generalized, and you'll have to determine whether or not it's relevant to the specific kick drum you're working with!

Most kick drums have a pretty wide frequency range, and that’s what makes them so versatile.

You get a deep thump in the sub-range, which is what you feel in your chest, all the way up to the top-end click, which is ultra-present on rock and metal records, as it helps them cut through walls of guitars.

But with great power comes great responsibility! Too much in any one frequency range can throw off the balance and make your mix sound chaotic. So, let’s break it down by the different parts of the frequency spectrum and see where to focus.

Low-End (20Hz to 80Hz)

The sub-bass frequencies sit around 20Hz to 80Hz, and these are what give the kick drum a deep, ground-shaking thump. This is the frequency range that gives you the physical “oomph” you feel in your chest when a kick hits.

So, you might be thinking, "Awesome, I'll just boost the subs 10dB so I can get my kicks rattling in the trunk!"

Not so fast, bucko!

Whether or not to boost here is completely mix- and kick-dependent. A folk mix might not call for a bunch of low-end in the kick, and depending on the kick you're working with, you might not even have any usable information down there. Boosting, in that case, might just destroy your headroom.

For live kicks, I usually like to use a high-pass filter around 30Hz or so, just enough to clean up any unnecessary sub-bass that doesn’t add much to the kick’s punch and boost slightly at the fundamental (which usually sits from around 50 to 80Hz).

Low-Mid Range (80Hz to 200Hz)

Next up, we have the low-mids. This is where the body of your kick lives. If you want your kick to feel full and present, this is the area to focus on. However, you don't want to overdo it, especially if your bass is living here.

Having too much in this range, especially around 100Hz to 150Hz, can make your kick sound muddy and undefined.

Subtractive EQ is usually going to be your best friend here. I like to cut a few dB around this range to clean up the sound without losing that essential fullness. Just be careful not to scoop out too much, or your kick might end up feeling weak.

Of course, this also depends on your mix. Some kicks have fundamentals around 100-110Hz (think of those old Motown records), so you'll need to consider the kick you're working with before touching anything!

Midrange (200Hz to 500Hz)

The midrange is the sweet spot for your kick drum's body and character. Between 200Hz and 500Hz, you get tons of warmth and definition. Unfortunately, it's this same range that usually gets in the way of other mid-range instruments, like guitars and keyboards.

If my kick sounds boxy or hollow in the content of my mix, I'll usually cut a few dB here. This is especially true in a rock mix when I have tons of guitars.

Speaking of rock, however, there are exceptions. Let’s not forget about the legendary John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, whose kick drum sound is a prime example of how midrange can be useful.

You can hear tons of 200Hz to 300Hz in his kick, which is what gives it such a distinct body.

High-Mid Range (500Hz to 3kHz)

Here’s where things start to get interesting. This is where the attack and click of the kick drum live.

I usually like to focus my efforts between 1-2kHz and attenuate the 500Hz-1kHz range if my kick is feeling boxy or hollow.

If my kick is ever feeling soft or muffled, I'll boost around 1.5kHz to bring out the sound of the beater. For metal music, you can try boosting around 2-3kHz to get that clicky sound.

High-End (Above 5kHz)

Finally, we reach the high-end of the kick drum, above 5kHz. I like to leave things open between 5kHz and 10kHz for a natural-sounding kick drum, though you can always attenuate slightly in this range if it's getting in the way of other instruments.

Once we get above 10kHz, we start to get into the territory that doesn't contribute much to the thump or punch of the kick. You can get a bit of air here, but if it's starting to clutter up your top-end, you can place a low-pass filter here, so you're not fighting with cymbals, vocals, or any other elements that want to live up here.

My 2-Step Kick Drum EQ Approach

The most important thing with any mix is to mix with a plan and with intention. That's why I typically like to check off the boxes with a step-by-step approach, so I can see that I'm making progress as I go.

This mindset usually equates to a 2-step kick drum EQ approach, which goes something like this:

Understanding the Role of the Kick Drum

The first thing I always ask myself when EQing a kick drum is: What’s the role of this kick in the mix? In other words, I need to figure out whether the kick is meant to be a punchy, driving force or a more subtle element that’s just holding the groove together.

This is a huge difference and will determine how I approach EQing it. Let me give you two extreme examples.

Let’s say I’m mixing an EDM track.

In this scenario, the kick drum should be the centerpiece of the track. It needs to hit hard, and it needs to have a massive low-end presence.

On the flip side, if I’m mixing a stripped-down acoustic track, the kick drum might only serve as a subtle rhythm element, providing just enough thump to give the track some groove.

From here, I need to figure out how the kick works with other low-end instruments, like the bass. This is key because, in most mixes, the bass and the kick are the two main sources of low-end energy. If the bass and kick don’t work together, you’ll end up with a muddy, undefined low-end.

Here’s where range allocation comes into play.

If you think of the low-end like a small piece of real estate, both the kick and bass are fighting for their space. I often use a frequency analyzer to get a visual sense of how the kick and bass are sharing that space.

Let’s say I have a heavy bassline, and I notice that both the kick and the bass are overlapping around 60Hz to 80Hz. In that case, I’ll need to carve out some space for each element. Maybe I’ll use a low-pass filter on the bass to pull back some of the sub-bass or give the kick a little boost around 50Hz to make it stand out more.

Once I have a clear idea of how much space each element needs, I can EQ them in a complementary way. For example, if the bass is taking up too much room in the sub-bass area (under 60Hz), I might cut a little bit there to let the kick shine through. Or, if the kick needs more punch in the low-mids, I might boost that frequency range a bit, while leaving the bass untouched in its low-mid zone.

The goal is to make sure the two low-end elements don’t fight for space but instead enhance each other, creating a balanced and full sound.

Shaping Your Kick Drum Sound

Once you’ve figured out where your kick drum should sit in the mix and how it works with the rest of your track, you can start shaping it. Your approach here will depend entirely on the other tracks in your mix and the genre.

Here are some general guidelines you can follow, depending on the style of music you're working with:

EDM

In EDM, we usually want clean, punchy kicks that can cut through heavy synths and basslines. It's also important to make sure the low end is tight. That means cleaning up unnecessary sub-bass (below 40Hz) and making sure the kicks have a clear, defined punch in the lows, around 60Hz to 100Hz.

I recommend using a high-pass filter on your bass elements around 30Hz or so to prevent them from competing with the kick's sub-bass, and maybe boosting the 3kHz to 5kHz range to get more 'click.'

Rock and Indie Music

For rock and indie tracks, the kick drum usually serves as part of a live-sounding drum kit. In these genres, I like to give the kick some extra body, especially in the low-mid range (around 80Hz to 200Hz). This makes the kick sound fuller and gives it that "thumpy" feel that blends well with bass and guitars.

To preserve clarity, I’ll often cut a bit in the 300Hz to 500Hz range to keep the kick from sounding boxy and to let the other instruments breathe. The goal here is a natural-sounding, punchy kick that doesn't overpower the rest of the band.

Hip-Hop and Trap

In hip-hop and trap, the kick is often more of a deep, booming presence, particularly when using 808-style kicks. I like to focus heavily on the low end, especially around 40Hz to 60Hz. Small boosts in these fundamental frequencies can do wonders if you need some extra weight. You also usually want a slight click or attack around 1kHz to 3kHz, so the kick is audible on smaller speakers.

Additional Tips

Sometimes, traditional EQ alone doesn't do the trick! Luckily, we have other tools at our disposal to dial in a good kick drum sound.

Add Low-End with Harmonic Generation

When you're working on the low end of your kick drum, one thing to keep in mind is that if your kick doesn’t have much information in the sub-bass range (around 20Hz to 40Hz), simply boosting down there won’t do much.

If there isn’t any actual content in those super-low frequencies, boosting them will just amplify noise and kill your headroom.

This is where sub-harmonic generators come in handy.

A sub-harmonic generator can artificially create low-frequency content that wasn’t originally in your kick to fill in those gaps in the sub-bass range.

I’ve been pretty fond of Waves Submarine for this lately.

To dial it in, I typically start by selecting the frequency range I want to boost (usually somewhere around 40Hz to 60Hz), depending on how deep I want the kick to feel. I then adjust the level of the sub-harmonics so they blend with the original kick.

Add Top-End Harmonics with Saturation

Saturation is one of my favorite tools for helping my kick drum punch through the mix, as it introduces harmonics that can help it stand out, even on smaller speakers.

Not to be a Waves fanboy, but Waves RBass is fantastic for this! What makes RBass so special is that it adds new harmonics around the center frequency of your kick, usually in the low-mids or high-mids. So instead of just boosting the mids and upper mids that are already there in the kick, you introduce new frequencies.

FabFilter Saturn is also a solid tool here. As a multiband saturator, you can use it to target specific parts of the frequency spectrum without affecting the whole kick.

For example, if I want to add some extra definition to the high-mids around 1kHz to 3kHz, I can dial in the saturation specifically for that range. This way, I don’t have to worry about over-saturating the sub-bass or low-mid areas.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, great kick drum EQ always starts with having the right kick drum sound for your mix. No amount of kick drum EQ will magically transform a poorly recorded or mismatched kick drum into something that sits perfectly in your track.

If you’re using a sample that just doesn’t vibe with your mix, it’s usually better to find a new sample that fits from the start, rather than trying to force it to work with EQ. You can only push a kick so far before you hit a wall. Sometimes, the sound just isn’t there to begin with.

Once you’ve got your raw kick sounding solid, you can begin dialing in the EQ with the kick drum EQ cheat sheet I’ve shared above to make it sit nicely with the rest of your mix. Always refer back to the guide to help you stay on track as you tweak!