What do you guys use as far as kick drum samples and/or drum synthesizers? I've got a ton of sample packs as well as Credland Audio's "Big Kick" plugin, and have tried all kinds of post processing (compression etc) and yet I'm still struggling to find a few basic punchy kicks I can really rely on for my house & techno tracks. I'd love any suggestions you're willing to share. Thanks!

 

Download some basic Roland TR-909 samples and that's 90% of your needs.You can try the Roland TR-909 plugin on top of that,maybe....But I don't like it much personnally.The Roland TR-909 is the most used drum machine in techno,house,acid,hardcore genres.
Then you may like the Roland TR-808 samples if you're in RnB,hiphop genres.
In a whole,all Roland drum machnes are awesome and are the most ever used drum machines [TR-606,TR-626,TR-707,TR-727,TR-505(nice snare) ,CR-78(oldskool this one!)]

You can also download the various ArtyTorrent sample packs,they are awesome because there are tons of samples in various genres,it's useful(but not always top quality samples anyway)
You will find them by spending some times by searching on internet.

 

I really love S-Layer.
Do what @Blue says, then use this to create your own Sample Maps to load your samples into S-Layer all at once.
Use crazy heavy saturation/distortion with Guitar Rig (or what-have-you) on a Return Channel but in EXTREMELY subtle amounts.

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2020

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=layering+kick+drums

 

Just an (resampled) thought. Simmons really do, 'sounds (synesthesia) tasty, beefy, warm, punchy'. Reaktor, pd, max, vcv, audulus.... can produce ("random function generator") 'unexpected non-generic' results, which one or multilayered samples 'drum hit' can't.

Here's a little (my refurbishing and frankenstein-ing naturally unfinished never-ending reaktor vip, "0.44Mb ("sample library size") gift"), generally never discovered and/or prolly forgotten reaktor gem from (good ol' NI) ancient days - which can (or cannot, and that's perfectly fine) foster an 'idea' of kick.. snare, hat, fart.... as an "living, breathing, moving.... analog and/or digital synthesis oscillator, envelope, filtered, glued together.... (tech, house, minimal..) thingy", rather than legos library/es printed result/s of the same, individually.



Happy (kicking) tweaking. 'It is limited' but beware, it - not in a good way - can bite (speaker/s).

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2020

I am looking for a DSI Tempest drum machine,and yesterday I watched the best turorial ever for making kicks.
It's a tutorial for the Tempest but you may try to reproduce these techniques on a synth plugin with lots of modulations,like Omnisphere,Falcon,Surge,Massive,etc...

 

RACK KICK

 

It takes time and practice (isn't that, not exactly the (personal enjoyment of/from learning, of/from doing, of/from...) point?), but afterwards, from start to finish, it is "your sound". Something that 'came from nothing'. Idea and practice, manifested into speaker cone moving.... Well; in a fast paced living where healthy microwave diner is more convenient, one, gourman one, can't be bothered with shopping, cooking... all that time consuming stuff, for few minutes of chewing and swallowing. Bam, bam, bam, boom, boom, boom, boom....

 

Last edited: Mar 4, 2020

Download a respected trap drum kit find the kicks folder and layer a 808 kick under your own kick drum sample..

 

I made my own for the synth sound. I basically just recorded myself saying "pew pew pew" like that fake goofy gun shot sound effect. I changed the pitch and tone to really lower the boom in the pew. Also tamed the puckered p at the start, really raise the lower end, also smoked like 5 cigerattes in a row just before recording.

Now when people listen to my music, they've really just listened to me go pew pew pew for 3 minutes. Double satisfaction on my part.

 

The OP asked how to make a techno,house kick.So nothing trap and 808s.

 

There is a technique you can use with Waldorf Attack, using three instances (one for the sub, one for the body and one for the click). It gives you the possibility to "sculpt" your sound and control it. Or simply use Kick 2 by Sonic Academy. TR-909 Samples work fine too.

 

I really do love to make my own kicks. Good clicks + good sub + good envelope design + good compression + good processing. Kick 2 makes this process quite a bit quicker.