Simple kick and bass

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Spatialsound

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Aug 18, 2022
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Despite the massive variety of kick drums and bass synths used in trance I am somehow unable to make a combination that sounds good (or passable at least) - everything I put together, whether using samples or self-made patches - sounds very much noticeably 'off'.

This is a perfect example: at the timestamp (3:43) the only elements are a kick and bassline (and a short perc/fx rhythm), and the bass sound is fairly 'simple', yet I can't create anything on that level at all, even when I try to replicate the sounds exactly.

I know people have suggested using analogue gear in the past, but surely even with a digital setup there's a way to account for the differences and make something sound like it's taken from the time.
 
Hensmon

Hensmon

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I know how you feel. As a designer I spent 10 years in my career trying to design or replicate stuff and no matter how hard I tried or followed instruction I ended up with something I felt was sub-par. I learned that ultimately the difference between ok, good and great is an extremely thin line, so even if you feel so far away keep trying and you will get there, and then one day it will become easy. At least you recognize the value in what you are trying to create.
 
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Spatialsound

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Aug 18, 2022
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Hensmon said:
I learned that ultimately the difference between ok, good and great is an extremely thin line, so even if you feel so far away keep trying and you will get there, and then one day it will become easy.
Click to expand...
That may be true, but I've been trying for almost a decade now and I've not gotten any closer - I really have no idea how to 'get there'. Not just the 'sound' but production techniques have changed a lot since the late 90s, it's not like there's tutorials out there for this specific virtually-extinct style, so I just don't know what to do to get to that level.
 
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LostLegend

LostLegend

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Would probably need a bit more time to find an exact match for the percussion sample, but the bass is fairly easy made in Diva.
It's 2 osc's. 1 is a saw the other a square.. A bit of an envelope applied to the filter with a short decay to give that subtle pluck and that's then going through a 16th note ping pong delay.

I can't help but feel that you are overthinking this somewhat, the sounds are relatively simple to replicate, the key is in the processing to get the 'vibe' of the era.
Using saturation, distortion, filter drive etc. in small amounts on your different channels can help replicate the extra harmonics and artifacts you get from analogue gear. Even adding a vinyl crackle sample like I've done here adds a ton to the atmosphere.
It can be fun to make music that sounds like it's from this era, but maybe not to obsess with getting it to sound 100% like it was recorded in that era. That way madness lies.
 
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Spatialsound

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Aug 18, 2022
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LostLegend said:
I can't help but feel that you are overthinking this somewhat, the sounds are relatively simple to replicate, the key is in the processing to get the 'vibe' of the era.
Using saturation, distortion, filter drive etc. in small amounts on your different channels can help replicate the extra harmonics and artifacts you get from analogue gear.
Click to expand...
I've probably not worded my original post very well but the processing (and 'getting the vibe of the era') is the bit I struggle with - I can make some simple bass sounds (and replicate certain examples somewhat) but getting it to sound 'authentic' - as in like a properly-produced track as opposed to slapping some synths and drums together - is the issue.

I don't know if that's any better as an explanation, sorry, but the upshot is I basically have no idea how to make a genuine track
 
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FatBerryDSP

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Nov 14, 2026
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Late to this one, but a few things make the biggest difference when you want a kick and bass to feel like they came from the same era rather than two modern sounds stuck together:

1. Pick one owner for the sub. In most classic trance the kick owns everything below about 60 to 70 Hz and the bass sits above it. High-pass the bass around 80 to 100 Hz and let the kick carry the weight.
2. Shorten the kick tail. Older kicks were punchy and short, so the offbeat bass had room. A long, boomy modern kick fights the bass every beat.
3. Tune them. Check the kick's fundamental with a spectrum analyser and pitch it to the key of the track, or a fifth away. Detuned low end is often what reads as "off".
4. Glue them on a shared bus. Send kick and bass to the same bus with gentle saturation (tape or console style) and a slow compressor doing 1 to 2 dB. Running both through the same colour is most of the period feel.
5. Roll off the extreme top. A low-pass on that bus around 14 to 16 kHz takes away the hyper-clean digital sheen.
6. Sidechain lightly. A short duck on the bass from the kick, 2 to 4 dB, rather than a deep pump.

If it still feels off after that, bounce the pair and listen in mono at low volume. Problems with the relationship usually show up straight away there.
 
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