We all want great low end - deep, fat, solid and punchy. But it can be one of the hardest things to get right - especially knowing how much of it is needed. Too much bass can sound boomy, flabby, muddy or dull.
And as a result, it’s easy to be scared of bass. It’s easier to be cautious and avoid all those possible problems, right ? Well, maybe. Except if the low end isn’t working in your master, you risk the opposite problem - everything can sound weak, thin and harsh.
In this week’s episode we talk about ways to avoid all these problems, including:
- The one thing you shouldn’t do - and why
- The deceptively simple thing you should always do
- Will a sub-woofer help, or hinder ?
- How EQ for better bass can sometimes make things worse - because phase
- Dynamic EQ versus multiband compression
- How distortion might help
- Ah, duck it
Links
Home Mastering Masterclass
TMS #2 - The Three M’s of Mastering
TMS #8 - You need this
Acoustic treatment in a home studio
Home Mastering Compression
Great show, guys! I loved the tip about "crawling around the walls" to find where the sub is loudest to find where to place it! Well, actually, the entire show was a very worthwhile listen. Thanks for covering all the bases! (Basses???)
At about 14:45 you say "A kick drum is a great example: you can get a huge amount of subsonic content […], which can be great or could be disastrous".
Different context, but I wish live engineers could understand this! I've been to countless live concerts where the sound was completely ruined by a big fat boomy kick drum. Sure, when it's played by itself, it's cool to feel that thump in your chest that you'll never get in your room, but in the mix it overpowers everything else, turning the whole in an indistinct rumble.
I guess it doesn't help that most live engineers have the habit of EQing and compressing each mic and instrument soloed, usually starting from the kick…
It's especially bad with metal music with extended double-kick parts. Opeth are a regular victim, I've been at several of their live shows and their sound was always terrible because of this.