How do low end?

[bryan_kilco]

Hey all.

So I've slowly been getting more even mixes, according to the analyzer I've been using. But I notice my mixes still sound a bit thin and lacking some low end compared to some of your mixes here. I'm not sure how to compensate for this, as I normally have a buildup of low and high frequencies and end up bumping some mids to make up for the scooped area. I just don't know what else I could possibly do. I HP just about everything, kick at around 60Hz I think, bass at like 30-50Hz I think....then a tiny, tiny HP over the master....which when I take that off it's not making the difference I'm searching for.

 

[AndrewB]

I usually don't HP the kick at all. If it starts getting too boomy, then I might use a low shelf at maybe 40Hz.

The "thinness" is usually due to the kick and/or bass. Maybe the bass doesn't have enough low/low-mid frequencies in it. I'd suggest boosting somewhere around 100-150Hz. Maybe the bass itself simply isn't loud enough in the mix?

 

[guitarguru777]

Low shelf is your friend

 

[hurdy]

Decide which will be the lowest sounding instrument (ie Kick or Bass Guitar??)
For example, use an EQ boost on say 50-60Hz on the kick and cut 50-60Hz for the bass guitar
Then boost the bass guitar around say 70-80Hz and cut 70-80 Hz from the kick
Sometimes I might do this to other frequencies also (like adding 100Hz to bass for warmth, subtract from kick)
This way the boost (and cuts) get a good spread of the low frequency spectrum, also bass gtr & kick will gel better as the frequencies will blend together (less collision, masking)
Smash the bass guitar with a compressor or two, make sure its not all over the fuken place

 

[bryan_kilco]

Yep, bass is smashed pretty hard already. I didn't boost any bass frequencies though, only HP'ed the "low" DI at about 40 Hz and LP'ed at about 400 Hz, while the "grit" track is HP'ed at about 400 Hz. I guess I'll play with boosting the bass and cutting kick like you guys said. Thanks. It just seems I'd have to boost a lot in order to achieve what I'm after.

 

[Arsenu,]

I usually don't HP the kick at all. If it starts getting too boomy, then I might use a low shelf at maybe 40Hz.

The "thinness" is usually due to the kick and/or bass. Maybe the bass doesn't have enough low/low-mid frequencies in it. I'd suggest boosting somewhere around 100-150Hz. Maybe the bass itself simply isn't loud enough in the mix?

at the mastering stage, a boost at around 125Hz does MAGIC!
(learned that when analyzing This Godless Endeavor which IMO is one of the best sounding albums ever)


don't know how well it works during mixing (might be the same) so i suppose boosting the bass at around 125 could do the trick

 

[AEL89]

Decide which will be the lowest sounding instrument (ie Kick or Bass Guitar??)
For example, use an EQ boost on say 50-60Hz on the kick and cut 50-60Hz for the bass guitar
Then boost the bass guitar around say 70-80Hz and cut 70-80 Hz from the kick
Sometimes I might do this to other frequencies also (like adding 100Hz to bass for warmth, subtract from kick)
This way the boost (and cuts) get a good spread of the low frequency spectrum, also bass gtr & kick will gel better as the frequencies will blend together (less collision, masking)
Smash the bass guitar with a compressor or two, make sure its not all over the fuken place

This is what I do

 

[Clark Kent]

A fact some might not know is that many compressors and limiters (f.ex. SSL Comp, L2) that are amazing in a dynamic sense can suck out lows. So what you need to do is add low end after using a compressor. I'm mainly talking about doing this in the mastering phase. Chris Lord-Alge mentioned he uses a Pultec after compressing to get the low end back. So Waves Puigtec would be the closest thing to what he does. 60-80hz boost with Puigtec = magic.

 

[Charles J]

1. HP kick more at like 30 and under
2. Bass HP varies
3. 2BUSS HP very low as well
4. GTR's, BASS GTR and KICK make up 90% of the entirety of your low-end. Get all this gel'ing and you're straight.

And as someone else mentioned, a lot of compressors/limiters do suck out very important ranges of low-end, depending on how you have your eq/comps staged.

Try flip-flopping them and see what sounds better.

Sometimes EQ'ing INTO the comp sounds better, sometimes the opposite is true.

Personally, I just do whatever and flip flop plugs to see what sounds better. I don't have a stead-fast rule of EQ'ing before comp or the opposite..... it all depends!

EDIT: the things that get the HIGHEST HP in my mixes are OH's, ROOM and VOX...