Kick and Bass EQ (Mixing)

4 Kick and Bass EQ tips for tighter mixes...

The 4 kick and bass EQ tips you'll find below will help you to get the low-end just right when you mix down.

Low-end is one of the hardest things to get right in a mix, for a multitude of reasons, but the most common is that many studios have poor low-end response which prevents you from really knowing what is going on in the bass and sub-bass regions of the spectrum.

It's very important to still consider what is happening in the lower frequency range even when you cannot necessarily hear it. You can avoid many possible frequency conflicts when you follow a simple rule...

Allow only one melodic instrument to go down to the very low frequencies at any one time.

This instrument is usually the bass guitar in a conventional band setup, but of course there are exceptions. With many heavy-metal songs you may want that filthy distorted rhythm guitar to carry the sub energy and not the bass guitar.

The kick, or bass drum, is the only other instrument that wants to mingle in the bass/sub region and here's were it starts to gets tricky...

Bass and kick relationship is a common area where even otherwise great mixes can and do fall short and this often makes for the biggest challenges when mastering a record.

Now, as you probably know by now, music comes in many styles and genres and there isn’t an absolute right or wrong way to treat kick and bass EQ. Still, lets consider a few things that should apply in most cases...

1. A good technique is to use high-pass filters on all your mix channels fairly high, at say 80-100Hz or even slightly higher, except on the bass instrument and the kick. This ensures you have no unwanted low-end artifacts from other instrument channels interfering with your kick and bass relationship.
   Take care to however not thin your other instruments out too much as this may result in tinny mixes. You want to listen carefully when you cut so you keep enough of the body of the non-bass instruments in your mix.
2. Decide which of the two instruments, bass or kick, you want to carry the really low sub energy, and apply a high pass filter fairly low, at +- 50Hz, to the other. You want in most cases for the bass instrument to carry the really low sub energy but there are instances where it's the other way around and the kick is used for the subs.
   There may be some cases where you want them both your kick and bass to carry sub energy, but remember that doing that can be very tricky, especially if you’ve tracked live instruments. Using both will mainly work if the bass and kick are playing on different beats like in a lot of break-beat, hip-hop and reggae music.
3. Use an EQ to determine where the main energy or the sweet-spot of the kick lays. You'll find this differs greatly from kick to kick. A good place to start your hunt is usually at around around 80-100Hz, which is where you'll find the sweet spot for most common 22-inch bass drums.
   This specific kick frequency is vital information, as any clutter from other instruments at this frequency will interact with the kick, so beware. You may also choose to boost slightly at this frequency, but is by no means essential.
4. Knowledge of the kick’s sweet spot frequency allows you to apply an EQ to the bass, to make sure that the kick has the space it needs to assert itself in the mix. So, apply a cut, with a very narrow Q, at the said frequency. The depth of the cut will vary from case to case and can be adjusted to affect the balance between kick and bass, but the key is to make the Q or bandwidth as tight as possible.

You are sure to quickly get to grips with understanding Kick and Bass EQ when you practice the above techniques. Remember that when you EQ one instrument you should always listen to how your adjustments affect the other instruments. The same goes for setting levels in the mix.

For example, if you feel you want the kick to be louder, try first to turn down the bass whilst listening to the kick's relative level in the mix. This is why we refer to it as a relationship because it literally is. Anything you do to one affects your perception of the other in the mix.

You should never underestimate the importance of kick and bass EQ when it comes to mixing your own music. It's definitely worth your careful attention because this can make the difference between a mediocre and excellent mix.

http://www.clickmastering.com/kick-and-bass-eq.html