I'm confused!!!!

[yorgo]

My mixes sound great in my studio room with proper monitors but when I take to some other systems it sounds very bass heavy. Common problem...I know.

Here's what I don't get...If I add wall treatments....bass trap etc. won't be removing bass from the room and then in turn want to add more bass when I am mixing?????? So confused!

 

[dainbramage]

What monitors are you using? Mine does not represent bass very well as they don't really do much below 60Hz. That could be your problem as well. I need a sub, and my guess is, so do you.

 

[Dogbreath]

My mixes sound great in my studio room with proper monitors but when I take to some other systems it sounds very bass heavy. Common problem...I know.

Here's what I don't get...If I add wall treatments....bass trap etc. won't be removing bass from the room and then in turn want to add more bass when I am mixing?????? So confused!

no...what it'll do is give you a truer representation of what's really going on.

When your mixing now, you're adjusting the bass freqs to where they sound right in the mix.
Same thing you'll be doing when you get some bass traps up, except the extra strong bass waves will be tamed down. They won't be bouncing around the room skewing your mix. You'll still just adjust the bass to where it sits right.

I was amazed at the difference trapping made in my tracking AND my mixing.
Much better.

 

[Dogbreath]

What monitors are you using? Mine does not represent bass very well as they don't really do much below 60Hz. That could be your problem as well. I need a sub, and my guess is, so do you.

If it were me, I'd hold off on a sub.
They usually create more problems than they fix until you treat the room.

 

[Atkron205]

just EQ the bass out of the system you are playing it on, Just kidding. Do you have a SPL meter? you can get them cheap at radio shack. a simple way to do it is play a constant freq into the room. you can buy CDs that have the entire spectrum on them. Measure the SPL at different locations in the room and you will see where the bass is building up. Treat those areas first. check my post, I posted a really cheap way to build treatment panels. This is a crude way but it works. Good luck

 

[XploZiveToyz]

Are you A/B'ing your mix with any kind of reference material?

 

[Atkron205]

here is a good link

RealTraps - Test Tone CD

 

[mixsit]

Are you A/B'ing your mix with any kind of reference material?

Yep. Side by side. Find some cuts in similar style or relevance -a sample of a few actually as even commercial releases vary some as to a version of low balance'.
But that can be a real eye opener.
Knowing and being aware of this, and at least approximately where my low end ought to land.. I'm still finding having to go back and trim' from the natural tendency I guess to let it be a little bigger than it needs to be.

 

[Massive Master]

no...what it'll do is give you a truer representation of what's really going on.

Word.

You're likely sitting in a barrage of peak and null points. Probably a null at whatever sounds excessive everywhere else, but certainly not the only problem.

Broadband and bass traps don't suck up the low end in the room -- They suck up the reflected low end in the room. Enough of it and suddenly you're actually hearing what's actually coming out of the speakers.

 

[mjbphotos]

no...what it'll do is give you a truer representation of what's really going on.

When your mixing now, you're adjusting the bass freqs to where they sound right in the mix.
Same thing you'll be doing when you get some bass traps up, except the extra strong bass waves will be tamed down. They won't be bouncing around the room skewing your mix. You'll still just adjust the bass to where it sits right.

I was amazed at the difference trapping made in my tracking AND my mixing.
Much better.

+100
Yup. Until you put traps in, you really have no idea what's happening. I think back and can remember hearing bass frequencies bouncing from a corner under a shelf so that when I leaned over towards that wall I'd hear this confused mass of sound.

 

[yorgo]

Thank guys for all your suggestions. Yes I have tried comparing other music side by side, but it always sounds absurd to me because professional recordings have a "sizzle" to them. Hard to explain.....Its like a wash.... Anways when I do try to eq it, ends up sounding like I've taken out too much bass and have no body and just high end.....Basically I star guessing and make a bunch of mixes and test them in the car.

Now since I've started on Pro tools DAW journey, the sound has improved because of some pretty good mic pres and a lot more control with a DAW....Anyways...me just whining

I will take your advice and build some bass traps.. Can you please direct me to that "how to".
I'm on the quest for sound.... Thanks again!

 

[yorgo]

Thank guys for all your suggestions. Yes I have tried comparing other music side by side, but it always sounds absurd to me because professional recordings have a "sizzle" to them. Hard to explain.....Its like a wash.... Anways when I do try to eq it, ends up sounding like I've taken out too much bass and have no body and just high end.....Basically I star guessing and make a bunch of mixes and test them in the car.

Now since I've started on Pro tools DAW journey, the sound has improved because of some pretty good mic pres and a lot more control with a DAW....Anyways...me just whining

I will take your advice and build some bass traps.. Can you please direct me to that "how to".
I'm on the quest for sound.... Thanks again!

 

[Dogbreath]

Hey dude...do a search here for "DIY bass traps" or "superchunks". I've got both in my room and they definitely help. Best bang for the buck.

 

[Ethan Winer]

Broadband and bass traps don't suck up the low end in the room -- They suck up the reflected low end in the room.

Exactly, and this is an important distinction! The great thing about bass traps is they reduce peaks while raising nulls - exactly what you want. For the OP, this explains the basic in plain English:

Acoustic Basics

--Ethan

 

[dainbramage]

Exactly, and this is an important distinction! The great thing about bass traps is they reduce peaks while raising nulls - exactly what you want. For the OP, this explains the basic in plain English:

Acoustic Basics

--Ethan

Ethan, I read your article and it was really interesting. How thick would you say rigid fiberglass early reflection panels (not bass traps which I figure should be at least 4") be? Would 2" be sufficient? Maybe 3"? Is 4" sufficient for acoustic foam?

 

[Ethan Winer]

Early reflections are a mid/high frequency issue, so two inches thick is sufficient. But thicker is always useful when the cost and space aren't an issue. Thicker panels add that much more bass trapping to the room.

--Ethan

 

[mijome07]

just EQ the bass out of the system you are playing it on, Just kidding. Do you have a SPL meter? you can get them cheap at radio shack. a simple way to do it is play a constant freq into the room. you can buy CDs that have the entire spectrum on them. Measure the SPL at different locations in the room and you will see where the bass is building up. Treat those areas first. check my post, I posted a really cheap way to build treatment panels. This is a crude way but it works. Good luck

I got a better idea. Skip buying the crap you suggested and treat all corners 1st. If OP can go floor-ceiling, that's even better.

 

[BroKen_H]

I actually had just the opposite problem. Everything said and done in my room, my mixes were "WAY" bright. Rokit 8s + cheap foam in the corners and a acoustic foam "egg crate" on the ceiling left me with a bit of a problem that was compounded by my own ignorance of leaving the monitors at desk level instead of ear level. Good thing my mixes are for my own amusement and amazement only! My room is no where near perfect and barely "good" but I'm getting closer. Now if I could just get my setup moved so my speakers were centered instead of at the left of the wall...

 

[mjbphotos]

I actually had just the opposite problem. Everything said and done in my room, my mixes were "WAY" bright. Rokit 8s + cheap foam in the corners and a acoustic foam "egg crate" on the ceiling left me with a bit of a problem that was compounded by my own ignorance of leaving the monitors at desk level instead of ear level. Good thing my mixes are for my own amusement and amazement only! My room is no where near perfect and barely "good" but I'm getting closer. Now if I could just get my setup moved so my speakers were centered instead of at the left of the wall...

Now build some bass traps - no doubt the foam is really skewing your listening space.

 

[BroKen_H]

Now build some bass traps - no doubt the foam is really skewing your listening space.

Yes, Sir! Next on my list.