Want to design a powerful hardstyle kick in FL Studio? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make a hardstyle kick layering with tail samples. Layering clean kick tails gives you more control and helps you shape a professional-sounding hardstyle kick.
Professional kick tail FLP: Download Raw Kick Power Project and explore all crunchy secrets.
Why hardstyle kick layering?
Layering is an essential technique in electronic music production, especially in genres like hardstyle, where the kick is the backbone of the track. Instead of relying on a single processed kick, hardstyle kick layering allows you to blend multiple tail samples to create a custom, enriched kick sound.
This approach opens up countless possibilities. By mixing different kick tails, you can experiment with tone, texture, and character, giving you endless variation in your hardstyle kick design.
Hardstyle kick layering: the basics
Previously, in the Sytrus Hardstyle Kick tutorial or the Best Hardstyle Kick guide, we focused on designing a kick from a single source. This time, we’re using multiple tail samples for a more flexible and creative workflow.
Layering a hardstyle kick is not overly complex, but it requires some attention to detail. It’s about understanding how the different layers interact and how to glue them together into a cohesive, punchy kick.
Choosing the right hardstyle kick tail samples
For this tutorial, I used some older kick samples I had lying around, created with the EKS-9 drum synth. You’ll need similar clean kick tails to get started. Each sample may sound somewhat weak or empty on its own, but when layered correctly, they come together to form a powerful, full-sounding hardstyle kick.
In the video tutorial, you’ll see how each individual tail was created and hear how they sound alone and when layered.
Step-by-step: how to make a hardstyle kick layering in FL Studio
Here’s a simplified way to layer a hardstyle kick in FL Studio:
- Choose 3-4 clean kick tail samples with intact tonal content. Avoid tails that are overly distorted or muddy.
- Drag them into the Playlist and align them so they start together.
- Slightly offset each sample left or right in the Playlist to create subtle phase shifts, enhancing the texture and bite of your kick layering. Also, experiment with the “MUL” (Multiplier) knob and the Reverse Polarity switch in the Sampler to improve phase alignment.
- Route all samples to the same mixer track. This allows you to process the entire layered tail with EQ, distortion, reverb, or other effects to “glue” the layers together.
- Add a sub bass layer under the kick for that essential low-end punch. Download fully optimized sub bass samples here.
This process blends the individual layers into one cohesive hardstyle kick tail, which you can later pair with a “tok” (attack) or punch to complete the kick.
Layering kicks is always a work in progress
The example kick created in the tutorial is not a final, polished product. It lacks a proper tok and a refined sub bass. However, the purpose is to show the interaction between different kick tail layers, which is the core concept behind hardstyle kick layering.
So, use the video as a learning reference, not as a finished kick to drop straight into your tracks.
Raw Kick Power Project
Not all tails need layering, such as the Raw Kick Power Project. Besides a tok and sub bass, this tail is ready as is.
Download it now, so you can skip tails entirely and focus on building tracks.
Free hardstyle kick tail samples
Want to follow along with the same sounds? Download my Free Hardstyle Sample Pack, which includes:
✓ Layering-ready hardstyle kick tails
✓ Sub basses
✓ Toks
✓ Extra kick elements for layering
✓ Plus much more: hardstyle screeches, melodies, FX, etc.
These samples are perfect for practicing your own hardstyle kick layering techniques. Click the link to download it now and start building your own custom hardstyle kicks.
Plugins used for tail design
Here are the plugins used to create and process the individual kick tail samples:
- EKS-9 (drum synth)
- FabFilter Pro-Q
- Clip Distortion
- iZotope Trash
- iZotope Ozone
- Lexicon Hall Reverb (LexHall)
- Fruity Love Philter
- Bitcrusher
- Fruity Reeverb 2
For the final kick layering and mixing in FL Studio, these stock plugins were used:
- 3x Osc
- Fruity Waveshaper
- Fruity Parametric EQ 2
Final thoughts on hardstyle kick layering
Mastering hardstyle kick layering takes practice, but once you understand how each layer contributes to the overall sound, it becomes an incredibly powerful tool in your production arsenal.
Experiment, tweak, and trust your ears. Don’t forget to grab the Free Hardstyle Sample Pack to jumpstart your kick designs and get Raw Kick Power Project to skip building a tail altogether.