Sometimes I have a problem getting my subbass and bass to sound congruent. Would compressing both basses glue the sounds together like compression glues drums together? Or would that be hazardous to the mix?
Also, any bass compression tips in this thread would be very useful.
Compression is subtle. Remember that.
Firstly, analyze the spectrum of the called bassline sound and the subbass separately before sticking them together. Cut the frequencies of the bassline that compromise with the subbass and opposite (read about biennium effect). Or more in depth with an exact example, if the bassline spectrum fills the frequencies (domination frequencies) between 100Hz and 500Hz, then cut out(attenuate) those friequencies on the subbass as much as the bassline has gain on them. And opposite, what is dominating in the subbass, then cut from the bassline. Offcourse, subbass is subbass and there are certain frequencies that proves its recognition, but this was only an example to get you introduced how to make blending of two different elements in the mix. Remember that the spectrum of the final product must be as much flat as possible.
Usual compression pre-settings for bass are:
- ratio of 3:1
- attack of 2ms
- release of 100ms
- treshold (dependable on the volume of the sound when will start to have the influence).
Read about compression to become more clear to you.
Hope this helps much to you.
This post has been edited 2 time(s), it was last edited by dawm_rule: 22-03-2010 09:00.
We tend here to gather knowledge, so as my knowledge is serving me, I am feeling very kind to help you all who need support by sharing that knowledge. I am very glad that it helps to few or many here.
When you have two basses fighting for the same space you can solve a lot with editing. If they play different rhythms try cutting or reducing the level of one of them whenever they overlap. You can do this automatically by side-chaining.
Compressing bass is nice btw, it helps make it full and steady. It can also be used to make a longer sustain, but with synth basses this is usually not necessary as you can control the sustain in the synth.
Tips:
Pay attention to your attack and release times on the compressor. If they are too short it can cause distortion or loss of bass (!!) Some careful tweaking is advised.
For the ultimate rock steady bottom end, put all the basses in a subgroup. Sidechain this with the kick drum channel so the basses cut out when the kick hits. Then make another subgroup and put both the kick drum and the basses-subgroup in here and compress them together. The levels of the basses and kick drum will be matched so you get a very consistent bass output.
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Offcourse SteakJohnson. Everything that has fast attack in the volume envelope and is processed through compressor may be made to sound punchy. It is all the matter of setting the parametric values of the compressor. Fast attacks set on the compressor and great treshold catches are suitable to do this. Experiment.
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by dawm_rule: 23-03-2010 09:20.
Originally posted by thechronic
Then make another subgroup and put both the kick drum and the basses-subgroup in here and compress them together. The levels of the basses and kick drum will be matched so you get a very consistent bass output.
I've never heard of this second part to side chaining, awesome stuff!
In addition to the thecronic explanation, I will say that subgrouping helps when there are large sections for mixing and there is need for them to be processed by a single processor as an insert or send. Usually insert slots are in common use when there is a word for compression, but not for reverb or such.
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