Crafting Decapitated’s Kick Drum: A Multi-Mic & EQ Deep Dive

Let’s face it, programmed drums have their place, especially in modern metal. But there’s an undeniable power and organic feel to a well-mixed natural kick drum that samples often struggle to replicate. When you hear the thunderous kick in a Decapitated track, you know you’re hearing the real deal, expertly shaped. We got a peek into how producer David Castillo dials in that killer kick tone, and it involves more than just a single mic and a prayer. He uses a meticulous multi-mic setup to build a formidable foundation. If you’re looking to elevate your own kick drum mixing, check out how he tackles it for Decapitated’s album Just A Cigarette. Check out the full session here.

The Power of Multiple Mics for a Natural Kick

Why bother with multiple microphones on a single kick drum? Because each mic, due to its type and placement, captures a different facet of the drum’s complex sound. An inside mic will give you attack and beater click, while an outside mic can provide the low-end “woof” and resonance. Blending these gives you ultimate control to sculpt the perfect kick tone that sits right in a dense metal mix. David Castillo leverages this by typically using at least three, and in the case of Decapitated’s dual kick setup, even more.

Processing the Core Kick: The Mono Mic Foundation

David often starts by establishing the core sound with a primary mono kick mic. All mics eventually feed into this path, but he gets this one sounding solid first.

Finding the Fundamental with “Deep Leader”

The first port of call is often what David refers to as a “Deep Leader” (likely a sub-enhancer or a very specific low-frequency EQ plugin). The goal here is to identify and emphasize the kick drum’s fundamental frequency. This can vary from project to project, but it’s usually in a similar ballpark. If you’re unsure where your kick’s fundamental lies, you can pull up a frequency analyzer, play the kick, and visually identify the strongest low-frequency peak. This ensures the kick has that essential deep punch.

Sculpting with the Waves SSL E-Channel

Next up, the classic Waves SSL E-Channel (the old E-Channel, specifically) comes into play. David uses this for fine-tuning the EQ. A key move here is to clean out some of the low-mids. These frequencies can often make a kick sound muddy or boxy, so a careful cut can really help it sit better in the mix. For more strategies on carving out space, check out our EQ hub page.

Adding Punch: The 1176 Compressor

An 1176-style compressor is a frequent addition to David’s kick chain, though its use isn’t automatic. It depends on how evenly the kick was played and how the compression affects the overall tone. When it works, it adds a desirable punch and helps control the low-end dynamics, making the kick more consistent and impactful. Sometimes, an 1176 can thin out the low-end too much, but in the example for Decapitated, it was enhancing the punch nicely. Dive deeper into how compressors shape metal tracks on our Compression hub page.

Fine-Tuning with FabFilter Pro-Q 3

If further refinement is needed, David turns to the FabFilter Pro-Q 3. This versatile EQ is used for more surgical adjustments. This might involve a bit more cleaning in the low-mids or shaping the transient to sound a little warmer. The Pro-Q 3 is excellent for those final precise tweaks.

Blending the Inner Kick Mics: Beta 52 & SM91

Most kick drum micing setups will include at least one microphone inside the kick drum, often close to the beater. David typically uses two: a Shure Beta 52 and a Shure SM91 (or something similar like a boundary microphone).

Similar Processing, Different Flavors

Each of these inside mics goes through a similar processing chain as the main mono mic: finding the fundamental, SSL EQ, potentially an 1176, and Pro-Q 3 for fine-tuning. A crucial step for these inside mics, especially the SM91 which is often placed on the pillow, is using a filter to get rid of snare bleed. The SM91, being more open, is particularly prone to picking up unwanted snare hits.

The Art of the Blend

Once each inside mic is processed, the next step is to find the right balance between them. The Beta 52 might offer more low-mid punch, while the SM91 provides more of the beater attack or “click.” Blending them allows you to customize the attack and body of the inside kick sound.

Adding Weight: The U47 Outer Kick Mic

To capture the full resonance and low-end bloom of the kick drum, an outside microphone is essential. For this, David often employs a U47 FET-style microphone.

The processing for the outside mic is focused on preserving its desirable qualities. He’ll EQ it a bit, mainly to get rid of cymbal bleed and other unwanted room noise, but the primary goal is to keep the substantial low-end and low-mids that this mic captures. This is then carefully blended in with the inside mics to add depth and power. This blending process is ongoing; he’ll mute and unmute mics, listening to how they interact and making cuts or boosts as needed.

Decapitated’s Double Trouble: Mixing Two Kick Drums

Decapitated is known for its relentless double kick drumming, which means David has two separate kick drums to mix. The same multi-mic setup (mono, two inside, one outside) is applied to the second kick drum.

Complementary, Not Clones

Here’s a key insight: you don’t want the two kick drums to sound identical. When working with two distinct drums, they will naturally sound different, even if tuned similarly. The drummer will also hit the second kick slightly differently with their other foot. David embraces these differences. While he aims for them to be in the “same league” frequency-wise, he intentionally lets them have their own character. This makes the overall kick sound more realistic and less like a perfectly uniform, triggered sample. The slight unevenness and tonal variations contribute to a more organic and powerful feel.

Taming Transients on the Second Kick with Lo-Fi

On one of the kicks in the Decapitated session, David found the transient a little too “annoying” or clicky. To address this, he often uses a Lo-Fi plugin. This isn’t about heavy distortion; instead, it’s used very subtly – typically between 0.1 and 0.5 on the distortion/saturation amount. This acts like a gentle tape saturation, controlling those sharp high-end transients and making them a bit smoother without losing the attack.

Beyond the Kick: What’s Next?

Once the kick drums are sounding powerful and balanced, David mentions that his next step in the mixing process would be to start working on the overheads, getting them into the ballpark to build the rest of the drum sound.

Want to See This in Action? Nail The Mix Has You Covered!

Hearing about these techniques is one thing, but seeing a pro like David Castillo actually dial in these kick drums, blend the mics, and make those critical EQ and compression decisions for a band like Decapitated is another level. That’s exactly what you get with Nail The Mix.

Every month, NTM gives you the original multi-tracks from a killer song (like Decapitated’s “Just A Cigarette” from the Anticult album sessions, which you can get access to right here!) and a multi-hour livestream where the original producer mixes the song from scratch, explaining every move. You’ll see exactly how these kick drum sounds are crafted and how they fit into the full mix.

If you’re ready to move beyond presets and learn the real-world techniques used on major metal albums, it’s time to Unlock Your Sound. Imagine the progress you could make by learning directly from the best in the business. See David Castillo’s full Decapitated mix session and many more by joining the Nail The Mix community today!