Using High and Low pass filters

[rgraves]

Hi everyone,

Can someone help me with using a high or low pass filter?
I have some tracks I am mixing (unprofessionally of course) and trying to get the bass guitar and distorted guitar right. When trying a low pass filter at which frequencies should I play around with??
Also, does anyone ever do like a second filter of some kind, so that frequencies only between 20hz and 250hz get through for example...I was wondering because sometimes the bass I record seems to go down to as low as 10 to 15hz.

Lastly, when doing a high pass on guitar and low on bass, do you make the filters cut at a exactly the same frequency? or let them cross over to some extent?

Thanks for any help

 

[LIMiT]

trying to get the bass guitar and distorted guitar right

For electric guitars, start at 100Hz with a -12db rolloff. While playing back with everything, start moving the rolloff higher until you can just hear the gutiar tone being affected..then back it off a tad.

sometimes the bass I record seems to go down to as low as 10 to 15hz

I'll assume you're using some sort of RTanalyzer to find this out? (humans can only hear 20Hz to 20Khz)
..in most rock music, there is no useful info below 40Hz, and between 40Hz-50Hzish it is more 'felt' than heard.


So, depending on how you approached your 'low-end' management (where you want your bass freqs ..ie do you want your kick drum to dominate 80Hz and below and your bass guitar above?..etc), many different EQ desicions can be made.

Personally, I like my kick to be focused, ..so when EQing my bass guitar tracks, I'll temporarilty HP at 300Hz (getting rid of most of the lows), and really condcentrate on getting the best string pluck/tone I can with the mid/mid-highs,..as soon as it sounds clear and defined,..I'll start rolling the low-end back in, and listening to when it starts stepping on my kick drum track. As soon as it does, I back it off a bit.

-LIMiT

 

[RAK]

Also, does anyone ever do like a second filter of some kind, so that frequencies only between 20hz and 250hz get through for example...

That is also a common type of filter, known as a "bandpass" filter.

 

[MessianicDreams]

you should beware of letting LOADS of LF information into you mix. this tends to make the mix slightly muddy and can potentially cause you to add certain frequencies (in an attempt to clean up the mix) which don't need to be added. you should also consider what is going to be faithfully reproduced in the average home stereo system.