taming bass

[SvenAHC]

hi guys,

i am looking for an nice steady low end - controlled bass sound.
but i cant figure out how to, in this mix it is resonating all over the place. in post eq i always end up using 10 bands of eq in the range of 120 - 300hz to remove mud and inconsistency, which cuts out all the low. to compensate for that i turn the volume up and then i am back were i was in the beginning. i suspect my shitty ibanez bass is the problem ?!

chain:
- ibanez soundgear -> combining sansamp rbi for mids/highs and DI for low end -> filter eq -> Fet compressor 1176 -> SSL Compressor, post EQ , multiband compressor C4, L1 limiter

any tips?
https://soundcloud.com/svenahc/punk-demo-2-mix-12-02-2013

 

[hurdy]

Sounds like you need room treatment (Bass traps) to tackle those bass soundwaves
That or you just need to smash it with a compressor and/or limiter

 

[SvenAHC]

i didnt use a cab, i go from my sansamp direct into my audio unit. also i have 2 compressors + multiband compressor + limiter smashing my bass!

 

[hurdy]

by room treatment I mean not for recording, for listening purposes, the bass soundwaves from your speaker playback (after recording, during mixing/polishing)
You need a well treated room to get the bass perfect in the mix

EDIT: if you have that many compressors/limters then it is most likely your room

 

[SvenAHC]

yes room treatment may be a big problem, i have a huge bass trap in the corner of my room , but at this moment i am not able to fix this. Maybe it is a good idea to mix bass with headphones ?

 

[xFkx]

seeing as i love the RBI, i'd skip the DI for the lowend, and use only the sansamp signal. I believe it'll fit perfectly.

That, and the fact that when you have a good picking hand, and with the drive from the sansamp, there is no sense to add 4 more compression stages (srs)

 

[SvenAHC]

i heard a lot of good stuff about the RBI, but to be honest i find it very muddy in the low end section(note: drive almost @ max) , that's why i tried to mix the DI track with it. maybe i should give it another try with only the sansamp.

 

[xFkx]

i heard a lot of good stuff about the RBI, but to be honest i find it very muddy in the low end section(note: drive almost @ max) , that's why i tried to mix the DI track with it. maybe i should give it another try with only the sansamp.

don't push the drive that hard, 50% at max, blend at 75% though

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1322550/to_juz_rok.mp3 - this is a fender modern player j-bass, through a rbi (CLA Bass and eq in post)

 

[Sloan]

MY OPINION:
Wow, the clip sounds like you have a ton of sub lows. Doesn't sound bad to me, but personally I would highpass the bass track at maybe 30-40hz and see if that clears up the mix. All that sub information is obscuring the low punch of the kick. Also, are you sidechaining the kick to a comp on the bass track?

Overall it sounds like the bass is a little too dominant in the mix.

 

[SvenAHC]

yes i agree ive overdone the low end, also have i already highpassed it at 61 hz. kick is boosted around 50hz.

the overall sound is not the main problem, i guess i dont like the bass being more dominant at certain notes or parts. i want it super tight, maybe i am looking for a more synth like bass-sound... but for now i am already happy if my bass is rocking something like this:

i dont have the kick sidechained to the bass, ive actually never done something like that, is that a thing to get the kick over the bass when it hits ?

 

[xFkx]

the overall sound is not the main problem, i guess i dont like the bass being more dominant at certain notes or parts.[/url]

I suggest getting another instrument then, trying to fix such a clusterfuck with post production will just make you hate life

my 0.02

 

[-Noodles-]

Sidechain and multiband.

 

[Sloan]

i dont have the kick sidechained to the bass, ive actually never done something like that, is that a thing to get the kick over the bass when it hits ?

yes, it's very very helpful on busy mixes. when the kick hits, it activates a compressor on the bass, effectively ducking the bass out of the way. Most helpful if you split your tracks up. Sidechain the bass track with your low frequencies and it will give the kick's low end more breathing room.

Do a sneap search (google 'sneap search), or check out youtube for tutorials.

 

[SvenAHC]

however it still got much low end, i am pretty satisfied with my bass tone. i didnt dailed in the drive on the rbi much, which helped allot. bass is sidechained, but could use more compression i think.

 

[The StabbinCabin]

Try a transient designer before you hit it with a limiter to tame the peaks even more. I remixed some hardcore band's self recorded demo where they were clipping the interface where it sounded all farty. So I just used dominion to kill the transient entirely to the point where it almost sounded like the bass track had been reversed- but when placed into the whole mix and next to the kick, it all worked out.

 

[SirKnucklesmd]

I just listened to it for a second on some tiny home speakers that probably don't go below 80hz and there's is a ton of mud it sounds like between 150-280hz. I pretty much always have a wide scoop around 200 to clear out most of it but I don't see how this isn't something some subtractive eq and a C4 can't fix. Adjust your bands properly and set your thresh and attack low in your lo-mid region. Really like the rythm guitar tone btw.

EDIT: I'm going off of the 2nd soundcloud file you posted... apparently I missed the one in your OP