Getting a more level sub bass volume?

S

StanleySteamer

New member
Hey whats up guys! I have a question about getting my sub bass to sound more level and balanced. What I mean by this is basically I am using a limiter on my sub bass and I already have a compressor on it was well. It's like overtime the beat starts all my drums and sounds that I have mixed stay at the same volume every time I start the beat but the bass changes volumes every time. It especially changes volumes when the bass changes key in progression with the beat. For example, my progression right now is E, B, G, F# and when it goes around B and G its get really loud like way more noticably louder than the kick. I used EQ as well as side chained the kick. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
Well I personally do not like to use limiters on instruments or basses. The only advice I can give you is to EQ the bass a bit, play around with the lows and 'shape' the sound you want to hear. In the end of my tracks for example, I use a glue compressor on all the drum tracks (I group them) so that they sound unified. Then I add a glue compressor to all the bass tracks. The glue compressor's threshold and makeup can also increase the volume of your bass if that's what you're looking for. You can also duplicate the compressors, I find that that produces a different sound which you may or may not like.
 
Thanks for the response guys. When I say the volume keeps changing I am speaking from the db meter on my mixer on pro tools. The volume of the bass every time it hits is a different volume. Any help or advice?
 
What already has been said.
There's a few differences in opinions about compression.
I tend to avoid compression and use it as a last go to solution when I have a problem in my mix. I start with a couple of instruments and then slap the master compressor on. Then I try and mix everything in on the go. There's a lot of people that are against this style of mixing and a lot of producers that do it this way.
Then when I hit problems with bass or drums, I'd fiddle around with the compressor on that instrument. All in Reason with the SSL console. Most of the time, I don't really need it. Only when I'm hitting problems. Like my bass or drums disappearing or something like that.
Also, as said, how's your monitoring setup?
My experience is that any speaker with a woofer smaller then about 7 to 8 inch won't produce a true bass. Then if you finally do have a non artificial bass representation from your speaker, you need to have a good listening position in your room. Where you won't have too much reflection and all. I learned a lot from " Studio rescue " on youtube on this department.
 
I actually happened to write about this in another post. It works like this. Various sound sources are active in the sub frequencies to varying degree at different places in the song, which in turn masks the sub-frequencies of the bass to varying degree. To clear up the sub frequencies you need to hi-pass filter primarily the vocals, so that the sub frequencies are free for the bass. That is one important part. You might have it recorded un-even or it naturally is a bit uneven, to even out the sub frequencies you can use a vocal or bass volume rider specifically on those frequencies. If this does not produce the desired result, it is because you still have frequencies messing with it, so use hi-pass filters to remove the frequencies messing with it. (use a meter to determine, just in case it's due to your control room/speakers/headphones)
 
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Assuming you aren't actually playing the parts louder, this is a classic example of the acoustics of your room. You will always have problems like this until you bass trap the snot out of your room. Repositioning your listening and speaker position will likely help some. In most rectangular rooms you want to be centered l/r facing a short wall and sit 38% of the way from front to back (or back to front, as the case may be). Every room is different, but that USUALLY ensures the most neutral place in a rectangular room. So start there if you can. And then bass trap the snot out of every corner you possibly can (not with 'foam' either). You will not get a perfect room (no such thing exists), but you can lessen the impact of the standing waves that are causing your problem. Then check every mix on multiple playback devices in multiple rooms to get an 'average' sense of what's going on.
 
My tutors (and I have had quite a few) have all told me that it is never, ever ever a good idea to add that many effects to a bass line, and that may be what is actually causing your problem. With effects like that, less is deffinatly more, so if I was you, I would strip it back to the organic sound and work your way from there, best wishes with it!
 
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