This might sound weird, but some kick drums have a different consonant on the attack - some sound like a B, some sound like D, and some have kind of a 'puh' sound to them (those are usually thinner sounding).
What are the specific qualities that govern what kind of attack the kick will have?
What controls the consonant of a kick drum?
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- KVRist
- 290 posts since 21 May, 2014 from USA
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- KVRian
- 527 posts since 4 Dec, 2019
In general the question may be strange but in sound design it's exactly the kind of questions we may ask. It's the so-called transient (the attack part of a kick) that you refer to.
This transient part can be shaped in different ways but one common way is to create a pitch fall to its subsequent bass part so I will constrict myself to putting down my thought about this method only in the following.
In the case considered the quality of the transient would depend on determinants such as the amount of pitch fall and the speed it takes place on a curve (envelope shape).
You categorize the transient in terms of consonants as in phonetics. However, note that it is not always the most helpful or most pertinent categorization. You may also think of the transient in terms of percussive instruments they sound similar to which may at times work better to describe it.
Anyways, if it sounds more like a plosive t, this may indicate that the pitch fall goes from a relatively high frequency to a still relatively high (but somewhat lower) frequency and it happens rather fast.
By contrast, a transient that sounds more like a plosive p may have a lower height to start and fall from.
A transient that sounds like what they call a voiced plosive may in addition to its corresponding unvoiced partner be layered with the bass already setting in simultaneously and kind of "too early".
But those are just a few ideas I
put down here because nobody else had answered so far. 
This transient part can be shaped in different ways but one common way is to create a pitch fall to its subsequent bass part so I will constrict myself to putting down my thought about this method only in the following.
In the case considered the quality of the transient would depend on determinants such as the amount of pitch fall and the speed it takes place on a curve (envelope shape).
You categorize the transient in terms of consonants as in phonetics. However, note that it is not always the most helpful or most pertinent categorization. You may also think of the transient in terms of percussive instruments they sound similar to which may at times work better to describe it.
Anyways, if it sounds more like a plosive t, this may indicate that the pitch fall goes from a relatively high frequency to a still relatively high (but somewhat lower) frequency and it happens rather fast.
By contrast, a transient that sounds more like a plosive p may have a lower height to start and fall from.
A transient that sounds like what they call a voiced plosive may in addition to its corresponding unvoiced partner be layered with the bass already setting in simultaneously and kind of "too early".
But those are just a few ideas I
put down here because nobody else had answered so far. C'mon, there must be something that you do in your life besides sleeping or working? And then for the first time he was really thinking and what did he reply: I watch TV!
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 290 posts since 21 May, 2014 from USA
Thank you, I appreciate your response. Perhaps it would have been helpful if I included audio examples. I believe you are right in that the pitch envelope plays a large role (maybe the largest). My next guess is that the EQ and the shape of the waveform may be involved. I will play around with these things, maybe analyze some kick samples and see what I can figure out. Thanks again!