Need some bass mixing help

[ido1957]

http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=20460 - rest of the mix
http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=20461 - bass line
http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=20462 - my mix so far

Would greatly appreciate some bass mixing advice. I'm trying to get that classic punchy tight bass line which sits in the mix without being boomy.

When I mix this with bottom end so I can hear the bass it's all boomy and clouds up the mix. When I reduce the bottom end and up the mids it doesn't get defined, it just disappears.

I have a couple seconds of the raw tracks (bass/rest) which are 320MP3. I also have my bass cut/mid boost mix as as sample. It's also 320MP3. I'm hoping a few of you HR guys will try mixing the bass in and let me know what eq settings you used so I can try and copy them. And post a link to your mix so I can compare.

I've spent a lotta hours on this and am getting not great results so I'm hoping for some help here. I normally would play around with this but I'm honestly getting frustrated and could use some advice.

Appreciate any advice you guys can provide.

 

[mixsit]

The bass is 'fender sustain style with a little string tone to to cut through with, the kick has little snap' to cut with and a body similar to the bass -both are similar in the body. But neither are doing 'punch.
I see this as a shape problem as much (or more) than a tone thing. Maybe get the kit/kick to snap, let the bass do it's thing slightly secondary. This could be partly balance and tone, but also what you clear out of the way.
(In phones here..) I'd move the center hook' guitar about 20-25% or so to the right to open up the kit.
Love the voice. Reminds me of something.. Neat!

 

[rob_m69]

I don't think punchiness is something that you'll be able to create in the bass part with EQ or compression alone - what bass was used in the recording? How did you record the bass?

If you want punchiness you'd have to start of with a bass that already has a punchy sound. It'd be possible to get some punchiness with EQ and compression but I think having a punchy sounding bass in the first place is the most important factor.

Rob

 

[ProductSteam]

I see the problem. Boost the kick drum at about 100 hz and cut off everything below that. That will give that kick the punch it needs, and on bass, cut at 100 hz, and raise (not too much) below that. So basically, what you are doing is giving both the bass and kick their own frequencies ranges without them getting in the way of each other. The kick is always punchy most of the time at about 100 hz. I do this all the time, tons of people do it. You can also try ducking or key filtering on a gate, but the EQ normally is the quickest and easiest trick. Hope this helps, good luck!

 

[dintymoore]

On the bass alone track, the high string is louder than the low string.

Maybe try a compressor on the bass track, or eq the first and second harmonics out of the bass track 'cause that's where the fog is coming from.

I rarely boost with eq, I'd go more for dipping the eq on the bass so that the lower sounds are louder by ratio. Guessing you need to subtract in the 160 to 500 Hz range, but just use your ear.

The right way to do this is to make sure the bass didn't sound like this in the room when it went down, not fix it after it's recorded wrong.

When I record best it seems I don't have to use any eq on the tracks... I heard someone say once that "EQ is the work of Satan" and while that might be extreme I know where the thought is coming from.

EQ came from recording old movies with one mic and they had to "equalize" the track because some people talked softer than others. So at first eq was a bandaid, and it turned into sweetening at some point, and of course I use it, but like salt when you're cooking, very lightly.

One of the basic rules of recording is to "fix it at the source".

But the problem, to be specific, is the 1st and 2nd harmonics are too loud compared to the fundamental. It's the classic bass screw up - listen to a cheap car subwoofer and most often when the bass plays a low C the 2nd harmonic (G) is actually louder.

 

[ykarkason]

if you'll notice there's a little buzz on the bass track.