> Step by step

1. Programming realistic ‘live’ kick drum parts

1 Here’s a typical pop/rock drum track in Superior Drummer 3, incorporating kick and snare drums, and hi-hats. Note how sparse but effective the kick part is: there’s plenty of breathing space between it and the snare. In most styles of music, the kick drum should underpin the groove and bassline, rather than dominate them – simplicity is usually key. 2 While a drummer will generally boot out their main kick drum hits at full strength (ie, high or even maximum MIDI velocity), they’ll often lead into them with lower-strength ‘ghost note’-style hits, adding a driving feel to the beat. Emulate this with lower velocity notes – not too low, though; you will still need to hear them clearly. 3 Live drum parts tend to keep the kick and snare separate, as hitting them together constantly can make a groove come across as leaden and bloated. Sticking a kick under just the last snare hit in a phrase, however, can be a useful trick for emphasis. And, of course, the exception to this semi-rule is disco, in which four-to-the-floor kicks are definitive. 4 While there’s no practical limit to the speed at which a drummer can strike the snare, thanks to the collective involvement of both hands, the kick drum is a different matter, and at high tempos, the average drummer will only be able to manage two hits in rapid succession. As a rule of thumb, if you can’t tap it out with your foot, don’t program it. 5 Most of the time, the primary role of the kick drum in pop and rock is to nail beats 1 and 3 to the floor, but you should feel free to get as syncopated as your track – and, most pertinently, bassline – permits. Indeed, if your snare part is particularly busy and off-beat, you might need to syncopate the kick just to help it keep up.