soft bass fixed in mastering?

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Robertt8

Robertt8

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if the guy mixing our music seems to keep it a little light on the bass end of things, is this something that can be boosted in mastering or should we fight with the guy to bring it up more...or a little of both?
 
I'd fix it in the mix if at all possible... Bringing up the lows to satisfy the bass is going to affect the lows in the guitars, the kick, etc.
 
Robertt8 said:
if the guy mixing our music seems to keep it a little light on the bass end of things, is this something that can be boosted in mastering or should we fight with the guy to bring it up more...or a little of both?
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well that seems to be a huge thing these days....everyone wants more and more bass. I'd agree with MM and fix it in the mix. A mastering engineer dosnt diserve the burden of trying to raise things in a stereo mix cause that's not entirely his job.


However, understand the affects of raising bass on other instruments, especially the kick drum. You'll avoid any tension with your engineer.

Trust me, I'm always having a problem with rock bands that want this super sub woofer bass and I'm always having to argue (always politely of course) that the Max Bass hardware and Renaisance Bass plug ins aren't designed to make miracles.

Another thing you can try is to pass your stereo mixes into a subharmonic processor to bring out a more live and deeper quality. I learned that reading an article on Ron Saint Germain and I gotta hand it to him, he was right. But then again that depends entirely on the mix and style of music.
 
Have the guy mixing your songs A/B compare it to recordings that you want to approximate the sound for, especially the low end. When he hears his lowend coming up short he'll adjust for it.

I always mix to comparison, it sets a high bar for you to reach.
 
Also- listen to the mixs on something OTHER than the mixing guys monitors. It may be that what seems like a bass weak mix on his system really will kick (b)ass on a commercial system.

Maybe the mixing engineer knows his monitors and is actually mixing it so that it will sound the way you want it to on your stereo at home?

If it still sounds weak on your maga-bass-boost home stereo... fight with him. Its your music and your money. Its his skill, but he *should* do what you ask after he's had his say. Let him have his say- he may say something that makes sense and causes you to reconcider... but YOU have the last word.

Cloneboy's suggestion is good- bring in a CD that sounds like you want your tunes to sound like. That will communicate to the mixer what you want far better than "Dude, can you turn the bass up?"

Good luck,
Chris
 
In general I find it better to have a bit more bass than needed rather than less. Bringing up bottom end when it isn't there to begin with tends to bring up subharmonics that are more likely rumble than real instrumentation.

Of course the better choice would be to have it the way that you want it in the first place.
 
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My experience as a mixer that works with mastering engineers, not a mastering guy myself is that its usually easier for a mastering engineer to reduce that bass than boost it as a general rule, but I would suggest that you print one mix the way your mixer thinks it should be mixed and then take 10 minutes and do another mix with the bass up. Take them both the the mastering engineer and after you tell the mastering engineer what sound you are going for he/she can decide which is best to use.
 
Just as another thought, you could also provide stems (aka submixes) to the ME. That way there are a few different ways that you could go (vox up/down, bass up/down, etc.).

I personally find this a better way to go than having to master multiple mixes of the same song, plus you can raise or lower by the amount you feel is needed rather than something that has already been predetermined.
 
masteringhouse said:
Just as another thought, you could also provide stems (aka submixes) to the ME. That way there are a few different ways that you could go (vox up/down, bass up/down, etc.).

I personally find this a better way to go than having to master multiple mixes of the same song, plus you can raise or lower by the amount you feel is needed rather than something that has already been predetermined.
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good advice....


I hear that from the people around here in florida who work with Bob Katz and he advises the same thing. People at Phat Planet here especially seem to have this relationship with him. As to the result I have no knowledge, simply because I haven't cared to try it YET. But it'll happen

But good advise.
 
Thanks, Lee.

Works great here. Some MEs feel that it is dangerously cutting into mixing territory. If the submixes are presented at the volume originally intended as part of a complete session (like a Pro Tools session) I personally don't feel that this is the case as you should be able to recreate the stereo mix by playing all stems at once. After hearing things mastered this way, if the client feels that there needs to be an adjustment, just bump the track. Also there is the possiblity of compressing and EQing the stems differently.

It should not be a situation where the ME is adding effects, completely separate tracks, etc. When it gets to that point, it's better to find a mix engineer capable of delivering what you want.
 
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