He tried to create "oldschool Gabber" kicks, but couldn't get the sound right. He used a modern distortion plugin but the results sounded like pish.
I told him to overdrive the drums, and the problem was solved.
So, this time, let's talk about basses. The famous Hardcore Techno and Gabber kick drum.
Not the newer, more "twisted" ones. But the big ol' bass which was used in the famous productions by PCP, Industrial Strength, Rotterdam Records etc.
Critical Mass - Believe In The Future (DJ Weirdo & DJ Sim Future Remix)
A prime example of the gabber kick
Part 1
So let's go way back. Why and how was "distortion" in music created anyway?
It started when technology was advanced enough to electrically amplify sounds.
In the 19th century and before, there weren't any amps or loudspeaker rigs, of course. Music was done in concert halls or bars, on stringed instruments like the violin, cello, banjo, fiddle, and piano. Performed vocally. Or people played on the trumpet, flutes, harmonica. Maybe some even were skilled at the kazoo.
This meant that music was at it is, and could not get any louder. Concert halls tried to maximize this by having clever architecture and whole orchestras. But still. Bach or Mozart could never have played in front of 20.000 people (like modern rock bands do).
Robert Armani - Hit Hard
Robert Armani hits hard indeed.
Part 2
With the advent of advanced electronics, and particularly vacuum tubes (plus transistors), it was finally possible to amplify sound and music performances - to crank up the volume.
This was first done in Jazz and Rock'n'Roll music (Elvis literally electrified his audience). And later in rock music.
As the popularity of the music grew, so did the audience.
There was the need for bigger and louder amps, and rock musicians had the need for bigger and louder music (for songs on their records, too).
With high amplification, it's hard to maintain a clear sound. Beyond this, the rockers realized they could overload the electronics by "cranking" the levers and knobs up high enough.
To put it simply, the amplification is then too big for the system to handle while still sounding clean.
It becomes overdriven.
It's like running too much power through a computer or electronic system, and you end up frying the transistors.
Just that this time, the sound becomes "fried", not the electrics.
(At least ideally, because in reality there's always the chance you blow up your amp for good if you are not careful enough.)
This overdrive effect can be seen plainly in sound apps; when you keep boosting the volume, the sound waves hit a "ceiling" and hard clipping occurs.
With tubes and other analogue modes of distortion, it's not hard clipping but a more complex form of "saturation". Still, it's overdriven.
How to create a Gabber 909 Bassdrum - Video Tutorial
Part 3
Trivia: "Overdrive", together with ring modulation, was one of the few advanced electronic music effects that everyone was aware of in the 20th century. Even if they did not know what it was, everyone had heard it. As it is something that occurs "naturally" in cheaper transistor radios, TV sets, kid toys... walking down a street and hearing "awfully distorted" music blasting through a window, because someone listened to their radio, was a common occurrence. (And I guess it's still a common thing).
Phrenetic System - Fantasy
Belgian Hardcore on a 909
Part 4
So for a long time, overdrive was the main form of distortion that was used in music.
Only much later did different distortion become commonplace.
Let's summarize it once more:
You amplify a sound or sample until it exceeds the "maximum volume level" and becomes overdriven - either by saturation, or clipping.
Apart from dedicated overdrive fx units or pedals for musicians, there are also some improvised, makeshift, or clever solutions to do this. After all professional music gear was / is expensive.
90s Gabber producers sometimes just ran the signal through the mixing desk, and cranked it up until it became overdriven. Some Acidcore producers jammed their sound directly onto a reel to reel tape until everything went into the reds.
In theory, you could even use a regular tape deck for that (which I actually did, for fun, in the 90s).
More "digital" producers using a sampler or tracker could simply amplify the sound on their device / app until it clips.
Pilldriver - Pitch-Hiker
909 overdrive in full effect
Part 5
So that's the "secret" behind the oldschool Hardcore kicks. Overdrive.
Push your sound into the reds. And push it further and further, keep pushing, until it becomes totally distorted.
It's quite simple at that, isn't it?
Of course, actual kick production could be more complex. Producers added EQ, compressors, flangers, reverb effects... used multiple layers of sounds... etc.
But at the core it's overdriven waveforms.
And, a word of warning, not all bass sources are suitable for this.
It works *really* well with the TR-909 by Roland and its soundalikes.
But with other drum machines or samples it might sound just like mud.
Bold Bob - Bold Bass II
going into total overdrive
Hope this information was interesting and, if you are a musician, possibly useful!
You might also be interested in these topics:
Everyone Likes a Big Bass - A Look at the Lower Ends of the Frequency Spectrum
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/05/everyone-likes-big-bass-look-at-lower.html
Production Tutorial: How to create a 90s Gabber kick
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2024/08/production-tutorial-how-to-create-90s.html
The basic sounds of Hardcore and Gabber - A sonic encyclopedia
https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-basic-sounds-of-hardcore-and-gabber.html
Note: No AI was used in writing this text.
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