Sonic Academy KICK 3

Description

Great Mixes Start With a Great Kick

You can mix around a weak kick, or you can just build a great one. Sonic Academy KICK 3 is the tool for the second option: a purpose-built kick drum synthesiser that gives you complete control over the two things that matter — the click that cuts through, and the sub that shakes the room.

Design, Don’t Dig

Sample packs give you other people’s kicks. KICK 3 gives you your own. Start with the click: browse the included library or load your own sample for the attack. Then synthesise the sub body underneath, drawing the pitch envelope by hand until the punch, boom and decay feel exactly right. Tune it to your track’s key and the kick locks into the mix instead of floating on top of it.

The Full Channel Strip, Built In

Once the kick is designed, finish it without leaving the plugin: drive and harmonics for character, EQ to clean up, compression to glue, limiting to maximise. It’s a complete kick channel in one window — which means faster sessions and kicks that sound finished, not “to be fixed in the mix.”

Presets That Teach

KICK 3 ships with a deep preset library across house, techno, trap, DnB, hardstyle and more. But these aren’t just presets — they’re lessons. Open any preset, look at its pitch envelope and click choice, and you’ll start understanding what makes kicks work. Then tweak three things and it’s yours.

62% Off the Standard

The kick designer trusted on countless records, now 62% off. VST3, AU and AAX for macOS and Windows.

Your license key and download links arrive by email after checkout.

Specifications

• Dedicated kick-drum synthesiser plugin
• Click layer: built-in library + own-sample import
• SUB / AMP / PITCH envelopes, 5 nodes each, key tracking
• Integrated sub harmonics, clipper, 3-band EQ, phase inverter, limiter
• Extensive editable preset library
• VST3 / AU / AAX (Mac 64-bit); VST3 / AAX (Windows 64-bit)

FAQ

I’ve never designed a kick — is this overkill?

No — start from a preset and adjust. You’ll be designing original kicks within an hour.

How is KICK 3 different from using samples?

Total control: pitch, decay, click character and tuning are all adjustable per track instead of fixed in a WAV file.

Does it work for acoustic-style kicks?

It’s designed for electronic kicks and 808s, where synthesis shines brightest.