How do you get the low end out of a mix?

  • Thread starter Thread starter atomlow
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atomlow

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That isn't the best title but I'll try to explain. I mixed down a song I recorded on the Tascam 788. There are 10 tracks total being mixed. I've tried to EQ to make things sound good but once I put the CD in my car it seems really bass heavy.
The problem is the bass doesn't come through the mix (gets buried) and overall the whole song sounds dull lacking high end.

I'm mixing on Yorkville powered monitors. One thing I've noticed about these monitors is that a lot of cd's sound almost two trebley.....maybe I should try to mix in a lot more treble.

Will mastering give it more of the defined high end that I need?

I know this is kind of unorganized but if someone could touch on one of these subjects that would be nice.
Any advice on eq would be great.

Some cd's have the bass up so loud but it doesn't over power the
song....how do they do this....Any Cake cd is a good example for
alot of bass that doesn't over power the track.

Thanks,
Adam
 
Have you referenced your Yorkville monitors enough? Sit down with a stack of familliar commercial CDs in a similar genre and really drill the Yorkville sound into your head. If all of those commercial CDs sound light in the bass department on your monitors, your mix should sound the same way. Also, are you mixing at a loud enough volume? Make sure the monitors are loud enough to bring the bass out so you don't have to overcompensate by cranking the bass fader up.
 
Three words: high-pass filters.

Digital has a tendency to pile up subsonics that can rob headroom and make your low-end boomy and muddy. Make sure that things that don't need those really low freqs (like guitars, keys and vocals) don't have lots going on down below 100hz. Sometimes cutting the bass at about 50hz can actually improve the clarity of the bass in the mix. Your Yorkies probably won't even produce those freqs accurately so when in doubt, chop 'em off. You'll have to experiment a bit till you get a feel for what works, and every mix will be different.

Remember: sometimes less is more! ;)
 
Chibi has the right idea here.

If the CD's you use for refrence sound trebley to you, then your mixes should sound trebley also. If the bass is not driving, then you should match suit in your own mixes. When I first got my YSM1's, the only other speakers I had heard were the Yamaha's, and the much better bass response of the YSM1's led me to having the same problems you are having at first. Once you are used to how mixes should sound with your monitoring setup, you'll be set.

The frequency recponse of the YSM1's goes to 40hz, but with proper placement that can actually go as low as 20hz. See your manual or the website for further info on this.

H2H
 
try cutting all frequencies below 50 Hz on bass and below around 140 Hz on guits and vocals
 
try cutting all frequencies below 50 Hz on bass and below around 140 Hz on guits and vocals
Click to expand...

This is very useful advice

It isn't something you will notice until you bring everything together. But it can make all the difference in the world !
 
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