Struggling with Low-Mid build up in mixes. (Punk Rock Conten

[maxbato]

Hi,

For years I have struggled with getting the bass in punk recordings to sit correctly. I know most of this is my room and my monitor placement but I just don’t have the spot to adjust this. The mixes sound perfect in the room but the bass (lows) just don’t translate correctly when taking them out to the car or listening back on decent computer speakers. There is always a build up of lows & low mids that just kind of muddy up things in that range.

Can anyone take a listen to our latest 4 songs I have mixed and maybe offer some advice for this frequency range? I would like the bass to cut but at the same time get out of the kick’s way. They are currently stepping on each other. I will post some screen shots of how I have the kick, bass, and final mix eq’d as well.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

https://drinkingfortwo.bandcamp.com/releases

Max

bass_issues.jpg

[ajaxlepinski]

One of the guys, here, can tell you how to do it. It's called ducking or something like that.
Your route your bass through a ducker that is triggered by the kick.
Each time the kick hits, it lowers the volume of the bass.
You can also set it up so the ducker lowers the volume of the kick but, it's more commonly done the other way.

Nevertheless, your recording sounds pretty good as is!!!

[maxbato]

I am ducking (sidechaining). Its more of a eq issue I think. Im close, just need to finally focus on this bass thing. I have always struggled with it.

[ajaxlepinski]

If your recordings sound muddy in the car, it's probably caused by your monitors being too trebley.
It could also be because, you're mixing in a small room (as you said) - the trebels are bouncing off the walls, making you boost the mids and low end.
Sonex tiles will help - the smaller the room, the deader it needs to be.

I used to mix and play back on a boom box and then, re EQ to compensate. Then, I'd listen in the car (just like you) and re-EQ until I was happy.

[fretless]

so real quick listen to snippets , you are close , it could use a kiss in the low mids / mids and highs always helps the bass stand out , think fret noise that really brings clarity to a bass track, no fear being the closest though . Are you using a low pass ? That will clear away mud , you could just kiss the mids but things like double tracking with a pick and or blending a few bass tracks with different levels of eq and color . Panning off to the side a hair etc etc will help .

[nightflameauto]

I can't listen to bandcamp at work, but in general you need to find specific areas where the bass and kick run into each other and choose which one gets to dominate that area.

Try soloing the bass and the kick (and their entire processing chains) then watch the main with a frequency analyzer and see if anything jumps out as obviously too high. If so, one or both of them need pulled back a bit at that frequency.

A lot of times, what seems like really low end mud can actually be in the woofy range, somewhere between 250-800, usually centered around 450-500. Sometimes all it takes to clean out the mud for an entire mix is a subtly curving cut centered on 475 give or take a few hz and everything else sounds bigger, more open, and less flubby.

I'll try and give these a listen when I'm at home on the monitors and see if I have any specific suggestions for you.

[ajaxlepinski]

The volume that you mix at plays a big roll. If you mix loud and play back a lower volumes, it will sound muddy.
Mixing a average volume levels is usually best.

[maxbato]

I just uploaded some screenshots. I dont know why the hell I am boosting 100hz in the final mix but that might be alot of the issue right there. I think I was trying to get a little low end thump out of it and it sounded sweet in the studio but it just mucks up things on other systems. On that final eq, should I just roll everything off at 60 and below? Check out that screenshot. The final mix eq says "coke" on the top. (bottom image).

Thanks for your help!

[Markdude]

I encounter this a lot too. I think we naturally gravitate towards recording source sounds with a lot of low mid content because it sounds nice and full by itself, but then it ends up being too much in the mix because it all adds up. I would simply try to make strategic cuts in 'thicker' tracks (guitars, bass, toms, kick, maybe snare if it doesn't rob it of punch, etc.) around the 100 Hz - 300 Hz range. Sometimes I cheat and just do that on the master bus and it still clears things up nicely. Sometimes just a dB or two at around 250 Hz with a medium Q makes it perfect.

[nightflameauto]

Nothing looks horribly off on the master EQ, but I'd consider sucking some more out of the kick between 100-300. You want some content there, but too much and it just mucks the entire mix up every time it hits.

And I usually roll off around 50hz for the entire mix, maybe a little above, depending on how speedy things get and how tight you need the final response to sound.

[ajaxlepinski]

oooooh.... Ozone! Nice!!!

[maxbato]

OK, im going to try some of these eq cuts above and see what I end up with. Thanks again. I will post back in a few.

[maxbato]

https://drinkingfortwo.bandcamp.com/releases

OK! Took everyones comments to heart and I think its alot cleaner. Let me know what ya think.

The songs with (2) after the names are the re-mixes.

Thanks!

[fretless]

much better I'm almost hesitant to say this and I may not be all that correct on it but I think I would knock 3dB off the volume on all bass tracks , the geetar is a little in the background