PsyTrance Kick Process

Designing a professional psy-trance kick is one of the biggest challenges in music production. It can take years to truly master it. The key principle is simple: Lock your kick sound during the sound design stage, not later during mixing or mastering.

"If your kick sounds good, your whole track will sound good."

The kick is the foundation of your track. If it’s weak, the entire production will suffer—no matter how good the rest is. That’s why it’s crucial to design it properly from the start.
A strong source sound will always outperform heavy processing later on.

In this quick tip, we’ll show you how we approach kick processing in our studio.

First of all, let's use a good software for designing your kick: KICK2 from Sonic Academy. We also have released 4 Bank Presets: PsyKicks. Secondly, when your kick is sounding in the way you like, you have to make a bit of audio processing. Nothing big, nothing mysterious, just a bit of compression and EQ.

Most of the time, we use 1 EQ, and 2 compressors.

Chain Process in the following order:
Digital EQ > Compressor 1 > Compressor 2

Use 1 EQ and 1 or 2 Compressors

• Digital EQ 1: inside KICK2 Software by Sonic Academy
• Compressor 1: inside KICK2 Software
• Compressor 2 (to add more punch): H-Comp by Waves

Light Processing — Why?

A light processing approach gives you:

• More flexibility in mixing
• Better control at mastering stage
• Cleaner dynamics overall

Your kick will later go through:

• Multiband compression
• Dynamic EQ
• Harmonic processing
• Limiting

So don’t overdo it here.

What to avoid when designing a Kick?

There are two critical mistakes to avoid:

❌ Clipping at this stage
❌ Using mastering plugins (limiters, clippers, etc.)

Keep your kick balanced and coherent with the rest of your track. The better your initial design, the stronger it will sound after mastering.

Compressors and EQ settings

Now comes the most important tool you have 👉 Your ears

No preset, no visual analyzer, no tutorial can replace critical listening.

This process can take time—and that’s normal.

• Adjust
• Compare
• Refine

Again and again. The difference between amateur and pro is often just patience and precision.

Bouncing before process?

Optional—but useful. Once you are satisfied with your processing:

• Bounce your kick
• This allows precise editing and clean fade-outs

"Trust your ears, not the screen."

At the end of the day, your ears are your only reliable reference.

Now open your instance of KICK2 (or any kick synth), load a preset or start from scratch—and refine your sound until it feels right.

Learn with Yahel Chabs

You've now grasped the fundamentals of psy-trance kick design. But a kick without a solid bassline is like a house without a foundation. That's why we've created a comprehensive and detailed tutorial: Psy-Trance Basslines Tutorial.

This online course guides you through every step of crafting a professional bassline that perfectly fits your track. You'll learn sound design techniques, audio processing chains, and how to achieve that signature depth and power characteristic of psy-trance production.

Next quick tips will explain the bass process. (READ HERE)

💬 What’s your current kick processing chain? Share your workflow in the comments!