Low end rant...

[Wolfeman]

So I just put a sub and amp in my beater car, a 93 Town and Country minivan(I know, very gehtto). I threw just about every cd I own in my cd player and was amazed at the lack of low end on most of the albums. In fact the only albums that sounded really fucking good were Opeth's stuff.... I guess when you are mixing a metal album you really don't pay much attention to if it's going to sound good on subs or not but come on.... A few albums have a good kick sound that really hits the sub hard, then there are some that won't even move the speaker at all..... Guess it's time to download some rap uke:

 

[KeithRT99]

try Puritania by dimmu borgir

 

[Matt Crooks]

For a long time metal labels were requiring the ME to cut all of the low bass out of CDs so that they would sound better on boom boxes and computer speakers. It has gotten better in the last few years, but it is amazing how much lack of low bass there is in a lot of metal albums.

 

[Gomez]

For a long time metal labels were requiring the ME to cut all of the low bass out of CDs so that they would sound better on boom boxes and computer speakers. It has gotten better in the last few years, but it is amazing how much lack of low bass there is in a lot of metal albums.

because they want it LOUD LOUD LOUD and FEKKIN' LOUDER!

Does my head in.

uke:

 

[xmidihcx]

i thought it was just me! i notice that all my mixes contain more bass, in the 60hz area especially, than commercial mixes, and i always thuoght it wass because: my first instrument was bass guitar so by now i have a hard time hearing bass waves after 7 years of playing it. but now i think its just cus. . i like my bass with a sprinkle of treble. . most metal cd's would sound shitty if they were too bassy. speaking of which what the hell is up with the early slayer recordings?

 

[Gomez]

Getting the low end right can be tricky. I do mainly mastering and level is a never ending argument with some bands. For some reason, most people prefer loudness over quality uke:

Me: "The whole thing sounds like it's beeing fried up now"
Band: "nevermind, make it louder"

???

 

[chadsxe]

I know 006 is going to have something to say about this......he likes to add MaxBass to his bass tracks for that very reason

 

[Gomez]

MaxxBass for me works 1 out of 10 times. It makes mixes sound a bit too weird. IMO.

 

[chadsxe]

MaxxBass for me works 1 out of 10 times. It makes mixes sound a bit too weird. IMO.

Yeah...I tried based on 006's advice but it seemed more like an effect then anything....it has it's place but for me not in ever mix...

 

[cobhc]

i use maxxbass on the bass guitar, but not on the mix, i just run some eq, and ozone on the whole mix.

 

[Gomez]

same goes for the the waves stereo image thingy. It only works for relaxation tapes.

DIY/non-DIY mastering guys: at what freq do you normally HPF?

Curious.

 

[cobhc]

60hz

 

[Gomez]

60hz

Oh yeah and I forgot... what slope?

 

[~BURNY~]

40-45Hz -6db/oct, mostly because I don't know what's going on under 40Hz.

 

[noodlesatf]

I sometimes think this is a hold over from the way albums were mixed in the 80s. When you're optimizing for playback on a tapedeck, you mix it completely differently. All the newer metal bands are huge fans of the old albums, and that is the sound they want, "but more modern, man". So, that's what they get.

 

[Gomez]

40-45Hz -6db/oct, mostly because I don't know what's going on under 40Hz.

Stuborn ground loops that would make you puke if you could play them loud enough