How do I make an 808 kick?

Start with a low sine or triangle tone layer and tune the end of the pitch drop to the note you want. Lengthen the decay so the tail sustains like a bass note, keep the attack subtle, and add light saturation for harmonics that translate on small speakers. In kick-drum.net you shape the pitch drop and amp tail on the curve editor and hear the change instantly.

What is the difference between an 808 and a sub kick?

An 808 is tuned and long, so it doubles as a bass note and carries melody. A sub kick is a shorter, cleaner low-end foundation that supports the bassline without competing with it. The practical difference is tail length and how tonal the low end is. You build both from a low tone layer, just with different decay and pitch settings.

How do I make my kick hit harder?

Punch comes from the attack, not just the volume. Add or raise a transient click layer, keep the early decay tight, and use drive or saturation to add harmonics the ear reads as loudness. Tune the body so it sits in the track, then check it on small speakers where the low end disappears. The mix meter shows peak, true peak, and loudness so you stay in control.

Why does my kick sound muddy?

Mud usually comes from too much low-mid energy, overlapping tails, or an untuned low note clashing with the bass. Shorten the decay, tilt or filter some low-mid away, and tune the kick to the track. Viewing the layers in separate lanes makes it easy to see which one is adding the buildup.

How do I tune a kick to the key of my track?

Set the end note of the pitch drop to the root note of your song, or to a note that sits well with the bassline. A tuned kick stops the low end from fighting the bass and makes the groove feel locked. You can adjust the end frequency on the pitch curve and listen against your track.

How long should a kick drum be?

It depends on the style. Techno, tech house, and minimal usually want a short, tight kick so the groove stays clean. Trap and 808 styles want a long tuned tail. There is no fixed number, so set the length by ear. Auto length follows the decay so the exported sample matches the sound.

How do I layer a kick drum?

A common approach is a sub layer for low-end weight, a body layer for the main tone, a short click or transient for attack, and optional noise for texture or air. Balance the gain of each layer, align their timing and phase so they reinforce instead of cancel, and solo each one to hear its job. You can also import your own sample as one of the layers.

What sample rate and bit depth should I export a kick at?

Match your project. 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz at 24-bit is a safe standard for production and keeps headroom for further processing. Use the export settings to pick the sample rate and bit depth, and turn on normalization only if you want the sample brought up to a set ceiling.

Free online kick drum maker

kick-drum.net

A browser-based kick drum maker and kick generator for creating 808 kicks, sub kicks, tech kicks, hard kicks, and custom WAV kick samples.

Open the kick designer

Online kick generator for producers

Build a kick from layers, shape pitch and volume movement, tune the transient, check peak and loudness, save presets, and export WAV samples for a DAW or sampler.

Kick sounds you can make

808 kick

Long, low, and tuned for bassline-style parts with controlled saturation and tail length.

Sub kick

Clean low-end weight with a stable tail that supports the bassline.

Tech kick

Short, tight, and shaped for techno, tech house, and busy club grooves.

Hard kick

Aggressive attack, saturation, and loudness control for harder electronic styles.

Product screenshots

kick-drum.net pitch curve editor showing a kick waveform with editable pitch points for an 808 or sub kick — Pitch curve editor for 808 kicks, sub kicks, and tech kicks.

individual kick drum layer waveforms for low end, body, click, noise, and sample layers — Individual layer waveform view for kick drum sound design.

online kick drum waveform editor showing a custom kick drum sample in the browser — Kick waveform editor for inspecting the full one-shot.

kick drum maker layer builder with sub, body, click, noise, and sample layers — Layer builder for balancing sub, body, click, noise, and sample layers.

kick drum master bus controls for saturation, clipping, headroom, output gain, and peak ceiling — Master bus controls for saturation, clipping, output, and peak ceiling.

kick drum preset browser with factory presets, local presets, import, and export controls — Preset browser for factory kicks, local sounds, import, and export.

kick drum waveform view selector with mix overlay and lane views — Waveform views for mix, overlay, and layer-lane inspection.

Kick drum audio previews

Listen to short examples including 808 kicks, hard kicks, hardstyle kicks, offset kicks, and metallic attack kicks.

Production controls

The app supports layered kick design with sub, body, click, noise, and imported sample layers. Sample layers support common audio file formats, trim start, trim end, and playback rate, so a recorded click, vinyl transient, or existing kick can be blended with the synthesized low end.

Waveform views include final mix, overlay, and separate lane views for checking timing, phase, transients, and layer balance before the sound is exported.

Per-layer effects include filter, EQ, drive, clipper, bitcrush, ring modulation, gain, waveshaper, and reverb.

WAV export includes automatic length, selectable sample rate, selectable bit depth, optional normalization, and limiter ceiling.