Compression 120Hz and under ???

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PDP

There once was a note
When I master I check between my monitors, computer speakers, and headphones. I can get everything to translate fine except the BASS!

When I bring up enough bass on my monitors, it sounds to boomy on the cheap speakers, when I bring it down, it sounds bass light on the monitors.

Commercial CDs dont do this, they translate almost exactly.

Right now, in my mastering multi-band Eq I'm bringing down 8-9db peaks at 8 to 1 ratio from 120hz and under.

Any ideas? to much comp, not enough, different freq.
Frustrating :confused:

P.S. you can hear the song(All about U) by clicking on my link below. I think it sounds bass light.
 
8-1 ratio means for every 8db over you bring it back 1 right?

That means that you still have roughly 7-8db bass peaks.

Perhaps you need to turn of the compressor and take a look at volume automating your bass tracks?

What instruments are you dealing with; Where is the problem specifically? Bass guitar? Kick?
 
Good news :)

Without having heard it, i'd go through and automate the volume of the bass until your happy. Then use compression IF you feel it's necessary.

One step further back even would be to re record with a smoother playing style in terms of volume.
Maybe that's not appropriate; Your call!

Hope that helps.
 
Try running the compressor with a HPF at around 100Hz...that way the bass will not mess with it...that way you can tailor the mix and then lay the bass in without messing it up.

I'm mixing a track tonight myself, and I've got the bass shaking down the house! :D
Well, not really, but I'm working a very similar situation...having that huge low-end and airy/sparkling high-end quality, like good commercial CDs do, while still keeping everything else balanced and articulate.
I'm trying out about 3-4 different ways of getting there...(I'm mixing from my DAW, but OTB through my console and outboard gear).

I will say that if you monitors are shitting the bed with a lot of bass, that's always going to be a problem in helping you get it right. I don't have a problem with my Mackie 824 monitors...they do the low end pretty well.
 
miroslav said:
Try running the compressor with a HPF at around 100Hz...that way the bass will not mess with it...that way you can tailor the mix and then lay the bass in without messing it up.

I'm mixing a track tonight myself, and I've got the bass shaking down the house! :D
Well, not really, but I'm working a very similar situation...having that huge low-end and airy/sparkling high-end quality, like good commercial CDs do, while still keeping everything else balanced and articulate.
I'm trying out about 3-4 different ways of getting there...(I'm mixing from my DAW, but OTB through my console and outboard gear).

I will say that if you monitors are shitting the bed with a lot of bass, that's always going to be a problem in helping you get it right. I don't have a problem with my Mackie 824 monitors...they do the low end pretty well.
Click to expand...

Thanks, its not the monitors.

I agree, I m gonna go back to the mix and even out the bass there, the mastering comp isnt enough without screwing up other things.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Good news :)

Without having heard it, i'd go through and automate the volume of the bass until your happy. Then use compression IF you feel it's necessary.

One step further back even would be to re record with a smoother playing style in terms of volume.
Maybe that's not appropriate; Your call!

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks, goin back to the original track, see what I can do.
 
your problem is not related to mastering (hence your bass-area is compressed too hard), since your mix has the problems. your bassdrum & bass is not EQed very well. try to not cut that much lows on the bass, you need them. try to separating them not by EQ, but by dynamics. try to compress the bass & the bassdrum individually until you like it. then bring both on one buss & compress this with 30-50ms attack & 50-100ms release just to glue them a bit together. sometimes i also add a limiter afterwards catching 1-2dB peaks (just some riding the needle).
 
karumba said:
your problem is not related to mastering (hence your bass-area is compressed too hard), since your mix has the problems. your bassdrum & bass is not EQed very well. try to not cut that much lows on the bass, you need them. try to separating them not by EQ, but by dynamics. try to compress the bass & the bassdrum individually until you like it. then bring both on one buss & compress this with 30-50ms attack & 50-100ms release just to glue them a bit together. sometimes i also add a limiter afterwards catching 1-2dB peaks (just some riding the needle).
Click to expand...

Interesting, never tried the separate buss idea. Putting a limiter on the subs on the bass track, (rather than the master) has made the more consistant level I'm looking for.

I'm gonna give that separate buss a shot, many times I use two or three bass tracks and the kick, so it makes sense to try that.

Thanks
Pete
 
Yeah...you're right, but the way you worded it, it makes it sound like you have to exceed the Threshold by 8dB (or in 8dB "chunks") before compression takes place.

A better way to think about it is that ANY amount over the Threshold is reduced by the set ratio.
So with 8:1, if the signal exceeds the Threshold by 2dB...the 8:1 reduction would bring the signal down to 0.25dB above the Threshold (2dB / 8dB = 0.25dB)

There's probably a few ways to show the math....
 
Are you listening to the cheap speakers and monitors in the same room?
 
Greg_L said:
Are you listening to the cheap speakers and monitors in the same room?
Click to expand...

Yeah, side by side.

Its frustrating because everything translates fine except the bass, it shouldnt be the speakers because commercial cds translate the bass fine. The only thing thats gotten me closer is using a hard limiter (just on 2-300hz and under) on the bass track, (in the mix, before the mastering)

I've also read it may be the semi-pro interfaces alot of us use. Just as expensive monitors are more accurate, expensive interfaces handle the information better IDK?
 
PDP said:
Karumba,

Website looks real nice. Nice room.
Click to expand...
thank you!
regarding your problem: what about bouncing out + posting the following (without FX on the masterbus, 320kbit mp3 would be sufficient here):
- bassdrum (raw / unprocessed)
- bass (raw / unprocessed)
- rest of your song (mixed)

so people can show you how they would mix bassdrum + bass with the rest of the song & the describe what they did? i found this to be helping more than just a discussion (which could be nice too).
 
PDP said:
Yeah, side by side.

Its frustrating because everything translates fine except the bass, it shouldnt be the speakers because commercial cds translate the bass fine. The only thing thats gotten me closer is using a hard limiter (just on 2-300hz and under) on the bass track, (in the mix, before the mastering)

I've also read it may be the semi-pro interfaces alot of us use. Just as expensive monitors are more accurate, expensive interfaces handle the information better IDK?
Click to expand...

I don't know. I use cheap-ish consumer gear and the bass isn't a problem for me. My mixes translate well everywhere as far as I'm concerned.
 
yeah interesting thread...I have a couple of tracks I thought were finished that I was going to send to Jan but Ive since found they are way too bass heavy. Its funny as Ive posted them in the clinic and that side of things hasnt been commented on but Ive limited equipment to try different listening situations and it wasnt apparent to me on my rp8's either..

Since ive been home I have two systems of relatively good gear, well good in the mid nineties, and some nice large rooms to set them up in, and my tracks sound far too boomy. A/Bing against commercial tracks in the same genre they sound far too bass heavy...I really though Id got that under control but I cant understand how the mixes got past my own, and others, ears with something so obviously wrong :(

I honestly think Id be better buying a pair of NS10's and forgetting about nearfields when mixing

I may give Jans suggestion a go once I get back and remix them...lemme know how you get on Pete
 
Greg_L said:
I don't know. I use cheap-ish consumer gear and the bass isn't a problem for me. My mixes translate well everywhere as far as I'm concerned.
Click to expand...

you have better ears than most of us and thats half the battle
 
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