BillFitzmaurice.info

I finally got around to trying the kick drum trick so many you tube videos demonstrate on the X32. I'm sure this can also be pulled off on other mixers but it goes like this:

Set an oscillator to 50-60 HZ ( or whatever primary kick frequency you like, I used 58 Hz. )
Route it into a console input ( On the X32 you have to route the internal oscillator to an empty mix bus then take the mix bus into an input channel )

Set a noise gate on that input and key the gate form your actual kick drum microphone.
(On the X32 I also used a peak filter tuned to 60 hz on the gate trigger)

Set the decay and release on the noise gate to the duration of the kick drum tone you want to hear. This is so absolutely sweet I can hardly describe it.

Presto -- Synthesized Kick drum low frequency which you can turn up as loud as you like b/c it will never feed back. I had no idea my 4 T39's could sound so sweet!

Mix it in or use it instead of your actual kick drum mic - it is the bomb.

Is there just one oscillator to use? Sound like great fun.

Yes the X32 only has one to use.
But I'm not using it during a performance anyway, so I figured why not try this?
I was amazed at how nice it worked. It's like having a kick drum modeler. I can set the tuning and duration.

Cool!

I posted up how to do this on analogue mixers a number of times here in the forum, as long as you have direct outs.

I originally found it here (because I have one of their 6 gates in my rack):
http://www.arx.com.au/International/Six ... pnotes.htm

Look under " kick drum from hell" down the bottom.

Just for giggles, drop your frequency to 30Hz and watch the drummers jaw drop!

Mind you, it would be terribly handy to be able to simply patch it rather than have to route it with cables, tone generators, gates etc, as you can with the X32 (or any other digital desk that has the sam facility)...

I just realized my phone has an oscillator in the Audio Tool program. Look-out Floor Tom!
(Might be interesting if the phone rings, though

musicfromouterspace.com has a small function generator kit (square, triangle and sine wave outputs) pretty inexpensive. I might build one and try it out on my rig....

dswpro wrote:I just realized my phone has an oscillator in the Audio Tool program. Look-out Floor Tom!
(Might be interesting if the phone rings, though

You could probably pick up a few old android phones capable of doing it for cheap.

dswpro wrote:I just realized my phone has an oscillator in the Audio Tool program. Look-out Floor Tom!
(Might be interesting if the phone rings, though

In fact, get some cheap 7" tablets, play the tones and use them as a meter display.