In this video, you will discover a quick strategy how to make your 3x Osc kick punch harder. Creating a punchy kick in FL Studio is really easy.
Kick punch problem with the 3x Osc
Building a kick with the 3x Osc is a great idea. However, the 3x Osc has a limitation when it comes to the amount of pitch drop you can give it. To see the problem, let’s make a simple kick drum with the 3x Osc.
Build a simple kick drum with the 3x Osc
Open FL Studio, click “Add” in the menu and click “3x Osc”. Just keep all oscillators at a sine wave. Then, disable oscillator 2 & 3 by turning down their mix/volume levels. Finally, set the coarse of oscillator 1 to “0”.
Next, draw a note on the Piano Roll around G3. This way, you can hear the sound when you press the play button. Playing one of these lower fundamental notes is essential for your kick to sound right.
Lastly, open the settings on the 3x Osc and click the “Envelopes” tab. In the envelopes tab, click “Pitch”. To make the punchy part of a kick, use the pitch envelope to create a quick pitch drop. Thereby, set it something like this:
- AMT (amount): fully open it.
- Delay: fully close it.
- Attack: fully close it.
- Hold: fully close it.
- Decay: add a small amount based on taste.
- Sustain: fully close it
- Release: fully open it.
If you want to know how all these synthesizer settings work, just get the Sound Design for Beginners guide here by clicking the link.
How to make your 3x Osc kick punch harder
With the 3x Osc synthesizer, the pitch envelope cannot create a more aggressive pitch drop. This is simply the maximum amount it allows. Nevertheless, you can work around this “problem” by using the general pitch settings of the 3x Osc (or any synth for that matter).
At the top of the 3x Osc window, you will find the general pitch settings. Thereby, set the pitch “range” to a relatively high number, e.g. “48”. Then, right-click on the pitch button and click “Create automation clip”. A pitch automation clip will now appear on the Playlist.
Next, open the Playlist and put the Pattern with your kick in the same time-frame as the automation clip, so they’re aligned and play together.
Finally, use the automation clip to draw your own “extra” pitch drop for the kick. Curve the line up in beginning of the automation clip. Then, let it fall to the baseline value. This produces a pitch drop at the attack (start) of your kick. Of course, play with the automation clip until the kick sounds as you desire.
If you want to learn more about creating automation clips, watch the FL Studio Automation Tutorial here.
Harder kick punch with other synths
So, to hack around the limit of an envelope, create a pitch automation clip and draw your own pitch drop. This way, you can make your kick punch harder.
Now, a pitch envelope doesn’t always have this limitation. It just depends on the synth you’re using. For example, the Sylenth1 synthesizer allows for an extreme pitch drop with its envelopes. The limitation is very high. This automatically enables you to make a more punchy kick drum.
Get the most out of your synthesizer
Again, if you want to know the crucial basics of sound design, follow the step-by-step guide that explains in full detail how to use each setting on your synthesizer. Start now by clicking this link: Sound Design for Beginners
See you there!