You loaded the metal mix. The guitars are a wall. The bass is a chainsaw. The vocal is screaming above all of it.
The kick? Buried.
You crank the kick fader 6 dB, and it gets louder but still does not punch through. You try the EQ moves that worked on your last pop mix, and the kick goes from buried to brittle.
Metal kick mixing is a different beast. The dense guitar wall eats anything below 3 kHz.
The fast double-bass passages need consistent transient hits the original recording often does not provide.
The genre wants beater click as the primary tone, not the round body that works for pop or hip-hop. A pop kick approach loses every time.
Metal turns the standard kick recipe inside out. The click becomes the lead tone, the mids get carved away entirely, and samples do work plugins cannot.
This post runs that inverted chain, from sample choice and triggers through click-forward EQ, faster compression, saturation, and the sidechain rule that keeps it cutting in the densest bar.
TL;DR: The Workflow at a Glance
The order of moves is what makes the metal kick punch through a wall of guitars. Each step depends on the one before it.
- 1. Sample. Pick or build a kick with a sharp beater click around 3–6 kHz.
- 2. Layer. Sub kick (50–60 Hz) under a click sample under the close mic.
- 3. Trigger if needed. Replace inconsistent live hits with a sample for double-bass uniformity.
- 4. EQ. HPF at 40–50 Hz, deep cut at 250–400 Hz, big boost at 4–6 kHz click band.
- 5. Compress. Faster attack than pop (10–20 ms), 6:1 ratio, 5–7 dB GR.
- 6. Saturate. Tape or amp distortion for grit; this is a tone tool, not a polish.
- 7. Sidechain. Duck the bass 3–5 dB on every kick hit.
Why Metal Kick Drum Mixing Is Different
The kick in a metal mix has to compete with the densest guitar arrangement in popular music. Two or three layered rhythm guitars, downtuned, palm-muted, distorted.
Add fast double-bass passages where every hit needs to be audible. The kick has nowhere to hide.
The fix is to give the kick a frequency band the guitars cannot occupy. Guitars own 100 Hz to 3 kHz.
The kick owns the click band above 3 kHz and the sub band below 80 Hz. Everything in between is contested territory and gets cut.
The other genre flip is the compression target. Pop and rock kicks favor a medium attack that lets the click through and a 3 to 5 dB gain reduction.
Metal kicks want a faster attack and more aggressive gain reduction (5 to 7 dB) so every double-bass hit lands at the same level.
The general kick mixing chain still applies; the full kick mixing guide covers the workflow that this post sits on top of.
Pick or Build the Right Sample
The single biggest decision in metal kick mixing happens before any plugin loads. You pick or build a sample whose raw character already does most of the work.
Five minutes on sample selection beats an hour of plugin chains.
The target sound has three layers: a sub fundamental around 50 to 60 Hz, a sharp beater click around 3 to 6 kHz, and minimal mid-body content between them.
Genre-specific kicks (Slate Trigger, Steven Slate Drums, GetGood Drums, EZdrummer Metal expansions) ship with samples already shaped this way.
If you are working from a live recording, listen to the raw kick close mic. Does it have a clear click? If yes, layer minimally.
Does it sound dull or thuddy? Layer aggressively or sample-replace. Honest assessment at this stage saves the rest of the mix.
Phase, Triggers, and Sample Layering
Once the source is set, the next stage is alignment. Phase mistakes here cost you the click that the entire mix is built around.
Check phase between the kick in and kick out mics first. Flip the polarity on one, listen for the version with more low end and more click, and commit.
Then check phase between any layered samples and the close mic. Even a 5 ms misalignment cancels the click.
Nudge the sample backward or forward in 1 ms steps until the combined hit feels biggest.
Triggers replace inconsistent live hits with a uniform sample, especially valuable for double-bass passages where some hits are weaker than others.
Drumagog, Slate Trigger, and Drumtec Drumagog all do the same job. Set the threshold so the trigger fires on every real hit but not on bleed.
Layer three things at most: a sub sample for weight (50 to 60 Hz fundamental), a click sample for attack (3 to 6 kHz beater), and the close mic for natural texture.
Each layer mono, panned center, phase-aligned with the others. Anything beyond three layers turns into noise.
EQ for Aggressive Click and Sub Weight
Metal kick EQ is more aggressive than any other genre. The cuts are deeper, the boosts are bigger, and the bands are different.
The goal is a kick that is all click and sub with nothing in between.
High-pass at 40 to 50 Hz to clean inaudible rumble (higher than pop’s 30 Hz; you want the sub focused, not boomy).
Cut 5 to 8 dB around 300 to 500 Hz to remove all mid-body that will collide with the guitars. Cut 2 to 4 dB at 800 Hz to 1 kHz if the kick sounds papery.
Then boost. 2 to 3 dB at 50 to 80 Hz for sub weight. The big move: 4 to 6 dB at 4 to 6 kHz for the beater click.
That click is what cuts through a wall of guitars.
The general kick EQ guide sets the baselines for every other genre; the metal version pushes the click band higher and the mid cuts deeper.
Compression for Tight, Consistent Double-Bass Hits
Metal compression is faster and harder than pop or rock compression.
The job is to flatten the dynamic range so every double-bass hit lands at the same level, even when the drummer’s technique varies across a fast passage.
Use a faster attack than usual, 10 to 20 ms, so the compressor reacts quickly to each hit. Set the release to 30 to 50 ms to recover before the next hit at high tempo.
Use a 6:1 ratio and bring the threshold down until you see 5 to 7 dB of gain reduction on the loudest hits.
An 1176-style compressor (FET) is the classic metal kick choice.
Its very fast attack and inherent distortion add aggression that suits the genre. Stack a second slower VCA after the FET for additional level control if needed.
The kick compression cheat sheet holds the non-metal recipes, one row per goal, plugins included.
Saturation and Distortion for Metal Bite
Saturation on a metal kick is not a polish. It is a tone tool that adds the harmonics the genre needs to feel aggressive.
Used sparingly the kick gets weight. Used heavier it becomes the bite that gives the kick its character.
Tape saturation adds smooth low-mid harmonics. Tube saturation adds warmer, fatter harmonics.
Amp simulation (a guitar amp on the kick at a low drive setting) adds aggressive odd-order harmonics that read as distortion.
Each one has a place in metal kick mixing. The best saturation plugins for drums roundup pairs each of those flavors with the plugins that deliver it.
Apply saturation post-EQ and post-compression.
Drive it until you can hear the harmonic structure change, then back off 20 to 30 percent. The kick should feel meaner without sounding obviously distorted on a bypass test.
Sidechain the Bass for Low-End Clarity
The metal kick fights the bass guitar for the same low-end real estate. Both want 50 to 100 Hz.
Sidechain compression makes them share that band by ducking the bass briefly every time the kick hits.
Put a compressor on the bass channel and route its sidechain input from the kick. Use a fast attack of 1 to 5 ms and a fast release (50 to 100 ms for metal’s high tempo).
Set the ratio to 4:1 and target 3 to 5 dB of gain reduction on each kick hit.
The duck should be felt, not heard. If you can hear pumping on the bass, you went too far.
Metal asks more of this pairing than most genres do; the drums and bass mixing guide covers the full picture, including the EQ moves that pair with this sidechain.
Metal Kick Settings Cheat Sheet
Starting points for kick EQ and compression across the major metal subgenres. The bands and aggression levels shift with the style.
Adjust by ear after you load them.
| Sub-genre | HPF | Mid cut | Click boost | Attack | Release | Ratio | Saturation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern metal / metalcore | 50 Hz | 300–500 Hz (5–7 dB) | 4–6 kHz (+5) | 10–20 ms | 30–50 ms | 6:1 | Tape, light |
| Death / extreme | 50 Hz | 300–500 Hz (6–8 dB) | 5–7 kHz (+6) | 5–15 ms | 30–50 ms | 8:1 | Amp, heavy |
| Thrash | 40 Hz | 250–400 Hz (4–6 dB) | 4–5 kHz (+4) | 15–25 ms | 40–60 ms | 6:1 | Tube, medium |
| Doom / sludge | 30 Hz | 300–400 Hz (3–5 dB) | 3–4 kHz (+3) | 20–30 ms | 60–100 ms | 4:1 | Tape, medium |
| Djent / progressive | 50 Hz | 400–600 Hz (5–7 dB) | 5–7 kHz (+5) | 10–15 ms | 30–50 ms | 6:1 | Tape, light |
3 Common Mistakes That Bury the Kick
A buried metal kick is usually one of these three calls made wrong.
Correct the call, and the click reappears without touching the fader.
- 1. Treating metal kick like a pop kick. Pop favors 50 Hz weight and a moderate click. Metal needs the click as the primary tone, with the sub doing structural work underneath. If your click boost is at 3 kHz with 2 dB, raise it to 5 kHz with 5 dB and listen again.
- 2. Skipping the mid cut. A metal kick with full 300 to 500 Hz content turns to mud the moment the guitars hit. Cut 5 to 8 dB there. The mix only opens up when the kick gets out of the guitar’s way.
- 3. Layering too many samples. Four or five layers stop adding character and start adding noise and phase problems. Stick to three: sub, click, close mic. Each one earns its place in a specific frequency zone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Six questions, all downstream of the same demand: every hit audible at any tempo.
If a number here differs from the general kick guide, the difference is deliberate.
What EQ settings work best for a metal kick drum?
High-pass at 40 to 50 Hz. Cut 5 to 8 dB around 300 to 500 Hz to remove mid-body that collides with guitars.
Boost 2 to 3 dB at 50 to 80 Hz for sub weight. Boost 4 to 6 dB at 4 to 6 kHz for beater click.
The click band is the most important boost; that is what cuts through the wall of distorted guitars.
Should I sample-replace a live metal kick drum?
Almost always, yes. Modern metal needs every double-bass hit at the same level, and live drummers rarely deliver that consistency on fast passages.
Trigger the kick with Slate Trigger, Drumagog, or your DAW’s drum replacer.
Blend the sample at 70 to 100 percent of the close-mic level and keep both panned center.
How much compression should I use on a metal kick?
Target 5 to 7 dB of gain reduction on the loudest hits using a 6:1 ratio. Use a faster attack than pop or rock (10 to 20 ms) so the compressor reacts quickly.
Use a fast release (30 to 50 ms) so the compressor recovers before the next hit in fast double-bass passages.
An 1176-style FET compressor is the classic metal choice.
How do I make the metal kick cut through a wall of guitars?
Three moves combined. First, cut everything from 200 to 800 Hz on the kick so it does not compete with the guitars in that range.
Second, boost the 4 to 6 kHz click band aggressively. Third, sidechain the bass to the kick so the low end is shared instead of fought over.
The kick lives in the click band above the guitars and the sub band below them.
Should I sidechain the bass guitar to the metal kick?
Yes, even subtly. Both occupy 50 to 100 Hz and will mask each other without help.
Put a compressor on the bass channel and route its sidechain input from the kick.
Use a fast attack (1 to 5 ms), a fast release (50 to 100 ms), 4:1 ratio, and 3 to 5 dB of gain reduction on each kick hit.
The duck should be felt, not heard.
Do I need to use saturation or distortion on a metal kick?
Most modern metal mixes use some form of saturation on the kick. Tape saturation for warmth, tube for fatness, amp simulation for aggressive bite.
The goal is added harmonic content that makes the kick feel meaner without obviously distorting.
Apply post-EQ and post-compression. Drive it until you hear the harmonic change, then back off 20 to 30 percent.
The Bottom Line
The metal kick lives in two narrow bands and stays out of the middle. Click above 3 kHz, sub below 80 Hz, and cut everything else.
Layer for the layers you need (sub, click, close mic, no more). Compress harder than pop. Saturate as a tone tool. Sidechain the bass to clear the low end.
Strip away the genre, and what remains is the standard kit workflow.
The complete drums mixing guide holds that baseline for the kick and for everything else on the riser.