# Kick drum EQ guide The two points of interest are the fundamental and the beater attack.[^1] Consider using a subharmonic synthesizer at 30-40Hz to beef up the kick.[^2] Darrell Thorp uses the Voice of God to beef up a kick.[^3] This is essentially just a non-linear resonant high-pass filter, which I do with [[Volcano 3]]. Cutting 200Hz can help the fundamental shine through.[^4] Cut the mid-range to get rid of that hollow, basketball sound. The kick doesn't need to take up this range, which will be more important for other instruments.[^1] There's typically ugly frequencies between 250-400Hz,[^5] even up to 500Hz.[^6] Don't be afraid to aggressively cut here. Cut somewhere around 360-800Hz for rock. Rick Beato cuts 360 on a Neve—I can use [[Lindell 80]].[^7] Carve out a few dB at 80-100Hz to make space for [[Mixing bass]].[^2] Boost the fundamental, which is often around 80Hz, maybe even the sub below that octave too.[^1] Keep the low-mids, which is important for translation on small speakers.[^1] The knock sound is usually around 1kHz, give or take a few hundred Hz.[^8] The beater attack is in the highs, somewhere around 2k-8kHz[^1], depending on style (heavy styles use a higher freq attack).[^7] [[Use a parallel high band to add intelligibility]]. [How To EQ Any Kick Drum (A beginners hearing guide) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?utm_source=pocket_saves&v=FhalxghloPw) [^1]: [Mixing & Mastering for Singer-Songwriters | Freeman Recordings](https://www.freemanrecordings.io/products/mixing-fundamentals-eq/categories/2149508596/posts/2154723650) [^2]: [THIS changed my mixing - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS3xUIa2S9s) [^3]: [Darrell Thorp Kick Drum Processing | Simple Moves for Huge Kicks - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R0M86q-PKQ) [^4]: [Mixing & Mastering for Singer-Songwriters | Freeman Recordings](https://www.freemanrecordings.io/products/mixing-fundamentals-eq/categories/2150190361/posts/2157275743) [^5]: [Mixing Basics: Drums - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro - YouTube](https://youtu.be/x3a4_spQCkc) [^6]: [Mixing Kick and Bass (for a full yet tight low end mix) - YouTube](https://youtu.be/j0wMg3ZgItM) [^7]: [How The Pros Use EQ - How To EQ All Instruments and Your Mixes - YouTube](https://youtu.be/EAGC2fUAU1M) [^8]: [Putting The Punch Back Into Your Kicks FREE MULTITRACKS - with Marc Daniel Nelson - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg7FeVzGluw)