kick drum/guitar balance

[kristian]

I havent been here all weekend because ive been tracking a demo with my band and it came time to rough mix for the drummer he wanted to listen during the week. Something strange happened. With only the set soloed the kick sounded good, in balance with everything. Then i brough in the guitar and it totally blended in with the kick. It lost its thump and a lot of its body, you got the way low end, and that was it. so i slid up the fader and the kick became clear again, its thump and body came back but it didnt seem any bassier, basically like i only boosted some of the bands. And the guitar stayed at the same level without being clouded out. Any explanations?

[nessbass]

Maybe it's because of some frequency-problems. It sounds as if there were some low frequencies in the guitar signal that conflict with the bassdrum. That's why the bassdrum gets lost when you turn up the guitar. When you turn up the bassdrum, you can hear it better, but it doesn't harm the guitar that much. The reason should be, that these low frequencies in the guitar signal are not necessary for a proper reception of the guitar, but they are vital for the kick. So try to cut these frequencies in the guitar channel (everything below 80 or 100 Hz, depends on the signal - cut as much as it needs, without letting the guitar sound thin). The result will be more 'sonic space' for the bassdrum.

[Blue Bear Sound]

...for a newbie, your advice was right on the money!!


Bruce