How to replace kickdrum in a rendered song?

[bencuri]

I guess this is possible nowdays but how to do it? I want to make the kickdrum stronger in a finished song (have no access to the project), but due to other instruments in its range I cannot just take its range and EQ it. Spectral editing runs into the same problem.

Any solutions to overdub with a new kick? Even by removing the old one and adding afterwards?

[mjolnir]

mildly overdub a new kick (or just drag a kick sample onto the timeline on a new track) and limit the summed results and be prepared to have to EQ and limit again.
but don't try to overcompress it. also, dynamic eq might be possible instead of limiting and some of the eq.
check the volumes of each kick section as the tune goes along.
it's tedious work but it can be done.

[bencuri]

Yeah, but this is what I don't know how to do. The song was recorded with human drummer, that kind of drumming is not as precise as a software kick track so if I interpret the tempo correctly, even then the generated overdub and the original might not overlap.

Elsewhere they suggested something that is, as I understand: extract the kick, convert to midi, and based on that modify the kick then overdub with that.

[mjolnir]

it could take a LOT of work but you could still drag a sampled kick onto the arranger timeline and replicate it for each area.
if the kick drum is not on beat, then just skip it for that particular beat [OR] use time correction of your DAW (if it has that).

In REAPER, for example, you could do time correction with stretch markers, but if the drummer is out of tempo and everything else is IN TIME, then the stretch markers won't fully work for that section.

It's beginning to seem like you won't be able to fix it because the timing errors are already there, baked in.
But you could still place on a secondary track, a more dominant noticeable kick according to your own timing standards.
I don't think it's going to work out, though. You need a better drummer.

What you're trying to do, fix the drums, requires the STEMS (multitracks). But even then, the amount of work would be STAGGARING.
Sorry for my initial hasty answer. It's all kinda messy in my opinion, unless you gotta a good drumming session, maybe played to a click track.

[donkey tugger]

Elsewhere they suggested something that is, as I understand: extract the kick, convert to midi, and based on that modify the kick then overdub with that.

That would probably be the best way.

Extract the stems so you've got the drum track on its own (plenty of free ways to do this now)

Use a trigger plug-in to output the midi and/or audio of the new kick. I've only ever used XLN trigger briefly, but it did a great job of replicating the kick midi. There's a fully functional free trial for 7 or 10 days (can't remember..)

[crimsonwarlock]

Use an EQ to isolate the kick as good as possible (at this point, don't care about other sounds). You don't want the full sound of the kick, just the transient. Then use a gate, adjusting the threshold to eliminate residual sounds that might occur around the kick (but will be lower level if you EQ right). Render the result out as a separate audio track. Convert this track to MIDI (if your DAW has that option), or use a drum-replace plugin, and use this to trigger the replacement kick.

[bencuri]

Thanks, this audio to Midi conversion is what I will try to do. That seems to be the most straightforward for my purposes.

[crimsonwarlock]

Just make sure you don't quantize the MIDI when you get it

[bencuri]

Ok!

[bmanic]

Fuse Audio Labs Drums SSX could help you.

https://fuseaudiolabs.de/#/pages/product?id=300867907

It's a bit tricky to use and to get it working optimally but it's maybe possible. Especially if you combine it with AI Stem separation (built into some DAWs like FL Studio, Logic etc). This may allow you to extract the kick drum and simply control it's volume.