control low end

  • Thread starter Thread starter jmorris
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jmorris

jmorris

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One of my biggest frustrations with mixing is getting the low end to sit well. I can work on a mix, sounds great on my monitors but pop it in the car/truck and muddy low end,no punch. I have experimented with compression and limiting stereo mix with mixed results. Ity seems to be hit and miss for me. Any secrets?
 
Personally...and I mean personally, so don't take it as gospel, I like to cut the 60hz a little on some of the lower end stuff, roll off the lows on the guitars a bit. Not too much though, and I don't do this as a matter of course either, but I do remember it has helped a few times. Maybe worth a try. Often from what I've seen, monitors don't tend to have as much low end as the average car stereo, so you may be overcompensating a bit.

I can't be too specific as I haven't heard any of your mixes and not really sure what sort of music you're making.
 
I start the roll off @ about 100hz on guitar and other stringed instruments other than bass, do so with vocals on occasion.
Not suffering from the Disco smile are you??
 
Not able to listen to the mp3 atthe moment as I'm at work.

It just occurred to me that it's possible that you need some acoustic treatment for your mixing area. Some of that low end you are hearing in the car may be being cancelled out when you hear it in your mixing room because of the acoustics.
 
it's the hardest part of recording in my opine. it takes practice, listening to different monitoring systems to see how it translates, and knowing your monitoring environment- whether it's treated or not.

Whenever i set up for a mix i check the first mix's low end in the car...and/or have my client's do the same in their car so they know what's up and how it's translating. my monitors are dynaudio 6's which don't have a huge amount of low end on em and my room is a living room with no treatment but some heavy curtains over the large windows.

i've gotten to the point to where i know what's going on quickly even without the car check...but it takes time to get there...and every mix is different...and i'm always working on it.

Mike
 
I listened on
1)my monitors (just decent, not "top") and treated room
2)an average system w lots of bass and higs (on another room /trying to simulate the car...:D)

Except the BD -boomy/loud - (Bass GTR seems ok),mix is pretty well balanced.
A cut ~60hz and/or a lower bass drum in the mix will help a lot (imo...)

Ciro
 
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legionserial said:
Not able to listen to the mp3 atthe moment as I'm at work.

It just occurred to me that it's possible that you need some acoustic treatment for your mixing area. Some of that low end you are hearing in the car may be being cancelled out when you hear it in your mixing room because of the acoustics.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, my mix area for sure NEEDS treatment.Totally untreated...
 
legionserial said:
Some of that low end you are hearing in the car may be being cancelled out when you hear it in your mixing room because of the acoustics.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and no amount of EQ will fix that. In fact, EQ is pointless if your untreated room prevents you from hearing what you're EQ'ing.

--Ethan
 
ok, so here is my question. And also, I have long questioned my mix environment just like you guys have said. Presently Im in my basement with crap all around me as I build new studio area. So if my mixes are bassy and muddy, my presently area must be absorbing the low freqs? As they are showing up later. Given Im surounded but stuff, and I dont have concrete wall expossed I would have thought the oposite.
 
I'm not positive but I think the fact that the bass is showing up later has more to do with how looong bass frequencies take to develop. They're still there but because of the lack of treatment, they're not controlled. You can't hear the mix accurately.

I have bass traps to the left and right of my mixing desk with spot gobo's and an acoustic cloud above me along with other bass traps and gobos around my room.

Treating my room has made a much bigger difference in my mixes than anything else (incl good monitors) I've got.
 
Try comparing your mix to a commercial CD during the process. Switch back and forth often while you are mixing. It's really amazing how your ears will adjust to what they hear. A bassy mix might start to sound good if that's all you are listening to for hours, especially if your monitoring is not revealing all it should. By constantly comparing it to a reference mix, you help your ears stay objective.
 
You could easily be in a null point. Or your monitors simply don't have any decent low end.
 
Try moving away from the monitors and listen from another room. Compare the sound of a well-balanced mix to a problem one. Listening from another room tends to filters out higher freqs and exaggerates bottom making issues more apparent. It may also help to get around room issues until they can be fixed. When you find yourself chasing your tail a change in perspective is often helpful in audio as well as life in general. At least the view is better.
 
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