So how loud should sub bass/808 bass drums be in a track?

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StanleySteamer

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Hey guys, as the title says. I have recently adopted a newer formula of mixing where I make my kick at -10db. It has been working great so far definitely liking my mix a lot more. I use yamaha hs7 speakers and the bass response is pretty moderate. Not flat so I can't hear it but definitely not knocking so it does give me difficulty sometimes as far as mixing. I was curious as to what levels you guys would set your sub bass or 808 bass drum in a track in terms of db in relation to that of your kick. I tried keeping my bass drum at -10db as well so that it would seem more in volume with the kick and not make it seem like one was more punchy or louder than the other but I'm not sure how i like that mix. Just looking for advice and tips on volume relations/differences between your sub bass/808 bass drums in your mix to that of your kick. Any feedback always appreciated thanks fp and happy holidays to you and yours!
 
how long do you want that piece of string to be again?
 
having quality Studio Monitors and a acoustic treated room will give you...your answer
 
It's going to depend on too many factors, mainly the way you shape the 808 in question. A shorter one won't consume as much room and can be boosted without drowning a mix. A longer one with the right EQ boosts can be turned down to nearly subliminal levels and still rattle a room. But, then again a really bassy short one can be turned down and played under regular drums to give them more "umph"...so...yeah...

What everyone else already said.
 
Haha I get what ur saying. Idk I'm just let looking for some sort of rule of thumb I guess when adjusting the volume of the bass in the track in comparison to the kick
 
I personally keep 808 kicks/sub or any other bass below kick. I let the kick be the loudest + i sidechain to the bass to let the kick breathe. if my kick is to say at -6db my sub would be maybe at -10 db. But it can depend on other things maybe i want my bass to really stand out in this particular beat but most likely no.
 
The only answer is the one that your ears tell you when it sounds right to you!
 
Yeah my kicks usually sit way higher in the mix... as far as they can go really. In most of my tracks they're probably the loudest sound together with bass.
The trick is to eq your kick and sub in such a way they don't sit in each other's frequency range too much. Your sub will be 60hz, the kick something like 100hz. So lowpass the sub above 90hz, and highpass the kick around 80hz. This way they can play (loudly) at the same time without drowning each other.

There are other more advanced tricks, like using gates and sidechains... but getting the basics right first is key.
That said... proper speakers and acoustics are the right place to start obviously. Don't waste too much time trying to get bass out of a shitty system... it won't work and you'll just learn a lot of bad practices.
 
^^^No offense, but, horrible advice depending on the sounds you select. You're losing alot of character in most kicks cutting below 80hz and can lose tons of character in the bass in question cutting above 90hz.

A Bass and kick can occupy the same space/freq and actually drive each other to give an arguably great sound(and I'm pretending it's an "opinion" not shared by just about everyone for the sake of being politically correct). A clean mix has nothing to do with putting things in a template based freq range. There's too many factors to consider in each individual mix.
 
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