Chris Adler’s Kick: The Typewriter Trick & Stereo Width Hack

Alright, let’s talk about that kick drum sound. Chris Adler’s drumming with Lamb of God isn’t just iconic; it’s a force of nature. And a huge part of that sonic assault is the distinct, punchy, and utterly relentless kick drum. Ever wondered how they carved out such a signature sound, especially in a genre packed with massive drum tones?

It wasn’t just about finding a cool sample. The quest for Adler’s unique kick involved some out-of-the-box thinking, including a surprisingly lo-fi secret weapon and a clever approach to stereo imaging that actually makes your whole mix sound bigger. We got the lowdown on the techniques used, and they’re the kind of details that separate good mixes from great ones.

Crafting the Core Attack: More Than Just a Sample

When you’re dealing with a drummer as influential as Chris Adler, settling for a generic kick sound just isn’t an option. The goal was to create something as unique and recognizable as Meshuggah’s legendary kick tone – something you hear and instantly know it’s Lamb of God.

The Search for Uniqueness

The journey started with a lot of experimentation. Think taping metal things to drums, breaking glass, and sampling the results – all in pursuit of that perfect, cutting attack. While those specific experiments didn’t make the final cut, they highlight the dedication to finding something truly special.

The “Weird Trick” – Enter the Typewriter

So, what did work? Believe it or not, an old-school typewriter. Yeah, you read that right. The producer working on the sound noticed that the sharp, metallic “ticks” he was after for the kick’s attack actually sounded a lot like an old mechanical typewriter.

The solution was brilliantly simple:

1. Download an “old school typewriter sample” from the internet.
2. Blend this typewriter sample with a carefully chosen primary kick drum sample.

This combination created that distinct, aggressive click that cuts through even the densest Lamb of God riffs. It was unique, effective, and, as the producer put it, “metal as fuck.” This wasn’t about replacing the whole kick, but about layering in that specific typewriter character for the transient.

The Physics of Punch: Why Your Mono Kick Might Be Killing Your Width

Okay, so a cool sample layer is one thing. But there’s another, more technical aspect to Adler’s kick sound that has a massive impact on the overall mix: how it interacts with your stereo field.

Speaker 101: Push, Pull, That’s All Folks

Think about what a speaker actually does. It’s a pretty simple machine – essentially a piece of paper (the cone) that can only do two things: push out and pull in. That’s it. You’ve got two of them in a stereo setup, and they’re just pushing and pulling air to create sound waves.

• Mono: In a mono signal, both your left and right speakers are forced to do the exact same thing at the exact same time. Imagine an old wagon with a solid bar for an axle. If one wheel hits a bump, the whole damn thing lurches.
• Stereo: Stereo is like a car with independent suspension. Each wheel (speaker) can react individually, leading to a smoother, wider, and more detailed experience.

The Mono “Bottleneck”

Now, consider loud, transient-heavy mono sources in your mix – like a blasting metal kick drum or a cracking snare. When these hit, they’re telling your otherwise independent stereo speakers, “Hold up! You both need to lock together right now and do this one thing perfectly in unison.”

While your speakers can do this, constantly forcing them to slam into perfect mono for these powerful transients, while the rest of your mix (guitars, overheads, synths, vocals) is trying to be wide and spacious, is asking a lot. It can subtly narrow the perceived width of your stereo elements and make the mix feel a bit more constrained.

The Solution: “Fractionally Imperfect” Stereo Kicks

So, how do you get that mono punch without boxing in your stereo image? The answer lies in making the kick drum fractionally imperfect in its mono-ness, especially during fast double kick passages.

Inspired by Reality

Think about a drummer playing two actual kick drums. Would they be tuned identically down to the last Hz? Almost impossible. There would always be slight, natural variations in pitch and even how they resonate. This subtle difference is actually a good thing! However, if you’re using a single kick drum with a double pedal, or programming kicks with identical samples, you lose this natural variation.

Faking It (Smartly) in the Sampler

The trick used for Lamb of God’s kicks was to recreate this subtle imperfection using a sampler (think Native Instruments Kontakt, Battery, or your DAW’s built-in sampler like Ableton’s Sampler or Logic’s Sampler/EXS24). The goal isn’t to make the kick sound obviously panned or like two wildly different drums, but to introduce tiny inconsistencies.

Here’s how it was done, and how you can try it:

1. Key Groups/Zones: Set up at least three distinct sample articulations or key groups in your sampler.
   • One for your main, centered single kick hits.
   • Two more for alternating left/right foot double kick hits.
2. Pitch Variation: This is crucial.
   • Let’s say your main kick sample is tuned down slightly (the video example showed -2 semitones for the center hit).
   • For the alternating double kick samples, pitch one very slightly lower and the other very slightly higher than each other, or relative to the main hit. We’re talking cents, not whole semitones, for subtle effect. The video showed one alternate being a tiny bit lower in pitch and the other a tiny bit higher.
3. Micro-Panning: Now, add a tiny amount of pan to these alternating double kick samples.
   • Pan one slightly to the left (e.g., L3-L5) and the other slightly to the right (e.g., R3-R5).
   • The key here is “tiny.” You shouldn’t hear the kick noticeably panning. You should barely see it on your stereo meters, just enough to break that perfect mono lock.

When Chris Adler unleashes those lightning-fast double kick runs, the sampler toggles between these slightly detuned and micro-panned samples. It’s not creating a wide stereo kick; it’s just enough imperfection to stop the kick from being a dead-center mono dictator during those intense moments.

The Surprising Benefit: A Wider Overall Mix

What’s wild is that this technique doesn’t make the kick itself sound stereo or panned in any distracting way. Instead, by fractionally “breaking the physics” of a perfectly mono, high-transient signal, you give your speakers a bit more breathing room.

The result? Your actual stereo elements – the wide guitars, the shimmering cymbals, the spacious reverbs – suddenly sound wider, clearer, and more defined. It’s like that independent suspension on your car finally getting to do its job properly because the road (your mix) isn’t constantly forcing it into a rigid state. The A/B comparison is often startling: switch from the “imperfect stereo” kicks back to pure mono kicks, and you’ll often hear the guitars subtly “tuck in” or lose a bit of their spaciousness.

Try This in Your Next Metal Mix

These techniques aren’t just Lamb of God trade secrets; they’re concepts you can apply to your own productions.

Layer for Character

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your kick drum’s attack. Blending unconventional sounds – like that typewriter sample – with your main kick samples can inject serious personality and help your kick cut through. Think foley, industrial sounds, or anything with a sharp transient that fits the vibe.

Embrace Imperfection for Double Kicks

If you’re programming double bass or using sample replacement, dive into your sampler’s settings.

• Set up round-robins or alternating samples for fast passages.
• Apply subtle pitch variations (a few cents up/down) and micro-panning (just a touch left/right) to these alternating hits.
• This can make your programmed kicks feel more dynamic, less like “machine gunfire,” and as we’ve seen, can benefit your whole mix.
• Making sure these nuanced kicks have their own space is vital. For more on strategically carving out frequencies, check out these EQ strategies for mixing modern metal.

Listen Holistically

When you’re experimenting with these techniques, especially the “imperfect stereo” kick, don’t just solo the kick drum. Listen to how these changes affect the entire mix. Are your guitars feeling wider? Is there more clarity overall? That’s where the real magic happens. Managing the dynamics of these layered sounds is also key; for insights on that, explore these metal compression secrets.

Want to See This in Action?

The typewriter trick for attack and the “imperfect stereo” approach for double kicks are fantastic examples of the creative problem-solving and deep technical understanding that go into crafting professional metal mixes. These aren’t just about presets; they’re about understanding why certain techniques work.

These are precisely the kinds of deep-dive techniques you can learn from the best in the business at Nail The Mix. Imagine watching the actual producer who crafted these Lamb of God sounds break down his entire process, using the original multi-tracks. Well, you can! The Lamb of God Nail The Mix session lets you be a fly on the wall as Machine mixes the track from scratch, explaining every decision, including tricks like these.

Every month, Nail The Mix gives you access to real multi-tracks from massive songs and live-streamed mixing sessions with the producers who originally shaped them. You get to see exactly how they build those killer tones and powerful mixes.

Ready to go beyond presets and truly Unlock Your Sound? Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets starts with mastering foundational yet advanced concepts like these. Dive into the Lamb of God session on Nail The Mix and hear the difference these details make.