When you’re EQing a kick drum, you aren’t just adjusting volume; you’re adjusting the feel of the track. By focusing on these five specific zones, you can move from a flabby, weak sound to a tight, driving rhythm.
1. The Low-End Power: Sub (0 – 50 Hz)
This is the area you feel in your chest.
- The Goal: Provide that deep, sub-frequency weight.
- The Warning: Too much energy here will eat up your “headroom,” making it impossible to get a loud master later on.
2. The Impact: Punch (80 – 200 Hz)
This is the “meat” of the kick.
- The Goal: To give the drum its physical “thump” that carries through smaller speakers.
- The Fix: If your kick feels thin or lacks energy, try a small boost in this range.
3. The Cleanup: Mud (200 – 400 Hz)
This is the most common problem area for kick drums.
- The Goal: To remove the “boxy” or “cardboard” sound.
- The Fix: Most producers use a surgical “dip” (cut) in this range to clean up the sound and make room for the bass guitar or low-mids of other instruments.
4. The Definition: Slap (2.5 – 4.5 kHz)
Want your kick to be heard on a laptop or phone speaker? This is where it happens.
- The Goal: To highlight the sound of the beater hitting the drum skin.
- The Fix: A boost here adds “slap” and definition, helping the drum cut through a dense wall of guitars or synths.
5. The Presence: Click (5 – 10 kHz)
This is the high-frequency “snap”.
- The Goal: To add extreme clarity and modern “pop” to the attack.
- The Fix: Use this sparingly for metal or electronic tracks where you need the kick to have a very sharp, surgical top-end.
Putting it Together
A great kick mix is often about balance: boosting the Punch for power, cutting the Mud for clarity, and adding a touch of Slap for definition.
