How much bass it too much?

[beandip79]

I've been recording for a few years just as a hobby in my home studio. Just for fun I decided to write an RNB tune which consists of some major low end using synth bass instruments through Reason.

Before the recording, I had my KRK Rockit 10s subwoofer up about halfway. After tracking and listening back through my monitors + subwoofer the bass was shaking the walls, I had to turn the bass level down.

My question is how do you know when, besides the obvious "stuff falling off the walls", your bass is just too much? Are there certain levels, EQ, etc. that I want to consider to make sure the bass recorded doesn't make a listener reach for the EQ in their car stereo when playing on a CD? Or do you basically have to use common sense: if the level that my sub is at needs to be turned down then something is wrong with the mix?

Thanks!

 

[philbagg]

I've been recording for a few years just as a hobby in my home studio. Just for fun I decided to write an RNB tune which consists of some major low end using synth bass instruments through Reason.

Before the recording, I had my KRK Rockit 10s subwoofer up about halfway. After tracking and listening back through my monitors + subwoofer the bass was shaking the walls, I had to turn the bass level down.

My question is how do you know when, besides the obvious "stuff falling off the walls", your bass is just too much? Are there certain levels, EQ, etc. that I want to consider to make sure the bass recorded doesn't make a listener reach for the EQ in their car stereo when playing on a CD? Or do you basically have to use common sense: if the level that my sub is at needs to be turned down then something is wrong with the mix?

Thanks!

(Always) use a reference track. Preferably something similar in style to what you're mixing. Listen to the bass end and try to match them (as long as you're using a reference that you feel has the right amount of bass).

 

[moresound]

That's a tough one to call. If it sounds good and it is your composition and that is the sound that your going for ....you see what I mean? as long as the end mix is not all stepped on by the bass your good. imho

 

[Massive Master]

Before the recording, I had my KRK Rockit 10s subwoofer up about halfway. After tracking and listening back through my monitors + subwoofer the bass was shaking the walls, I had to turn the bass level down.

If your system isn't properly (*reasonably* for that matter) calibrated, you're shooting in the dark anyway. "About half way" means squat.

 

[gehauser]

I've been recording for a few years just as a hobby in my home studio. Just for fun I decided to write an RNB tune which consists of some major low end using synth bass instruments through Reason.

Before the recording, I had my KRK Rockit 10s subwoofer up about halfway. After tracking and listening back through my monitors + subwoofer the bass was shaking the walls, I had to turn the bass level down.

My question is how do you know when, besides the obvious "stuff falling off the walls", your bass is just too much? Are there certain levels, EQ, etc. that I want to consider to make sure the bass recorded doesn't make a listener reach for the EQ in their car stereo when playing on a CD? Or do you basically have to use common sense: if the level that my sub is at needs to be turned down then something is wrong with the mix?

Thanks!

I have the same subwoofer (and KRK RP6 monitors) and the instructions say to balance your subwoofer volume with that of your monitors, before you start tracking and mixing. I set this once with measurement mic and Room EQ Wizard, then don't touch the balance. The balance is done with a process that goes something like this (can't recall the exact details but it's something like this):

1) set subwoofer cross-over at 80hz, then run pink noise with bandpass 35-70hz and set the subwoofer's volume knob to good listening level (say 75 db, measured with SPL meter)
2) run pink noise with bandpass 500-1000 hz and set the monitor's volume knob to the same level (say 75 db, again measured with SPL meter).
3) run pink noise at an intermediate bandpass level and see if you need to flip the subwoofer phase (using switch on the subwoofer).

Now your subwoofer should be balanced with the monitors, and you don't adjust this balance again. When I did the balance, the subwoofer had to be turned way down (about 2 of 10) and the monitors quite a ways up (7 of 10) to get the balance right. That 10s subwoofer is very powerful compared to a 6" monitor.

Subwoofers are considered by some room treatment gurus to introduce more problems than they are worth. So if you have a sub, it behooves you to undertake the fairly rigorous process necessary to get it set up right in your room, part of which is balancing its volume with that of your monitors.