Never mix a weak bass again!

Summary

This transcript outlines a detailed audio mixing tutorial, focusing on creating a rich and powerful bass sound. The narrator shares insights on identifying and enhancing specific aspects of bass frequencies, using tools like EQ, saturation, and compression to achieve a consistent low end. They compare their mixing chain to that of another mixer, Craig Brow, highlighting differences and personal tweaks. The tutorial covers techniques like voltage sag, parallel processing, and using plugins like Waves' Red 37 and CLA 76 for tone shaping. It's a step-by-step guide for audio engineers looking to refine their bass mixing skills, adding depth and clarity to their tracks.

Takeaways

• 😀 How to dial in a fat bass sound using parallel processing and EQ
• 👂 Finding the flabby low frequencies to roll off below 40Hz
• 👂 Finding the definition area in the higher mids to boost
• 🚀 Using Red 37 Big L plugin to saturate just the low frequencies
• 🔊 Natural compression occurs from heavy saturation on low end
• 🔁 Copying EQ settings across layered bass tracks for coherence
• 🎚 Decapitator on End mode adds attitude but can get too dense
• 🎛 CLA-76 Blue mode mainly for tone rather than compression
• 🌈 Wider plugin on parallel bass bus for extra width
• 👍 Allows blending in as much fatness as desired with parallel mix

Q & A

What is the purpose of using voltage sag in audio mixing?

The purpose of using voltage sag in audio mixing is to focus saturation on the low end only, which helps in achieving a natural form of compression for more consistent low-end frequencies.

How does the presenter modify Craig Brow's mixing technique?

The presenter modifies Craig Brow's mixing technique by putting their own spin on it, particularly in the application of voltage sag and parallel saturation to enhance low-end consistency.

Why is it important to roll off certain parts of the subs in bass mixing?

It's important to roll off certain parts of the subs in bass mixing to remove the flabbier, inconsistent lower frequencies, allowing for a cleaner and more defined bass sound.

What is the significance of finding the definition in the bass sound?

Finding the definition in the bass sound, such as the pick or finger action from the bassist, helps in preserving the clarity and character of the bass, ensuring it's not lost amidst saturation and compression.

Why is phase alignment crucial in bass stacking?

Phase alignment is crucial in bass stacking to ensure that multiple bass layers sum together properly without phase cancellation, maintaining a full and coherent low-end.

How does auditioning the parallel channel help in dialing in the desired bass sound?

Auditioning the parallel channel allows for isolated adjustments to the saturation and tone of the bass without being influenced by the main channels, facilitating finer control over the low-end texture.

What is the role of the 'drive' feature in shaping the bass sound?

The 'drive' feature increases the saturation of the bass, making the low end thicker and heavier, which is essential for achieving a powerful bass presence in the mix.

Why might one choose Red 51 over Red 37 for bass saturation?

One might choose Red 51 over Red 37 for bass saturation because Red 51 retains more definition in the bass while still adding weight, making it suitable for mixes that require clarity alongside heaviness.

What is the purpose of using the CLA 76 with fast attack and release settings on bass?

Using the CLA 76 with fast attack and release settings on bass is intended not for compression but for adding a specific tonal character to the bass, enhancing its definition and presence.

Why was the 'wider' plugin used in the parallel bass processing, and what was its setting?

The 'wider' plugin was used in parallel bass processing to artificially expand the stereo width of the bass, set to an unspecified high value, adding a sense of spaciousness and depth to the low end.

Outlines

00:00

🎚️ Crafting the Perfect Bass Mix

The paragraph details a unique mixing technique for enhancing the bass in music production, originally shared by mixer Craig Brow on Instagram and further refined by the speaker. The technique involves a detailed process of dialing in the right sound by using a specific chain of effects, focusing on the 'voltage sag' on a plugin called Big L to remove frequencies below 40 Hz and add saturation to the low end for a naturally compressed and consistent bass sound. The speaker explains the importance of selecting the right parts of the bass to enhance, using EQ to roll off the less consistent, flabbier parts of the bass, and applying saturation to bring back harmonics. The process is demonstrated step by step, emphasizing the significance of maintaining phase alignment across bass layers and the strategic use of parallel processing to fine-tune the saturation and compression effects.

05:04

🔧 Advanced Mixing Techniques for Bass

This paragraph expands on the mixing technique by explaining the importance of A/B testing and adjusting the lows to ensure the bass sits well in the mix. The speaker discusses the use of different plugins, such as the Decapitator for adding attitude to the bass by modeling germanium transistors and the CLA 76 compressor for its tone-enhancing properties, despite not compressing much. They emphasize the nuanced approach to balancing the heavy and defined aspects of the bass, the decision-making process behind choosing plugins, and the final touch of using a plugin called 'wider' to add spatial enhancement to the bass. The summary concludes with a practical demonstration of blending the processed bass into the mix, showcasing the overall control and fatness achieved through these techniques.

10:07

🎶 Final Touches for a Fat Bass Sound

The final paragraph wraps up the discussion by encouraging experimentation with the described bass mixing techniques. It emphasizes the uniqueness of using the 'wider' plugin to add tonal width to parallel bass processing, making the bass sound 'stupidly' wide and tonally interesting. The speaker summarizes the key steps involved in creating a fat bass sound, including EQ adjustments, parallel processing, and saturation for consistency and natural compression. The paragraph serves as a motivational close, urging producers to try out these techniques and plugins (or their equivalents) to enhance their bass mixes, while also acknowledging the experimental nature of rolling off and then saturating the subs for a distinctive bass character.

Keywords

💡bass stack

A bass stack refers to layering multiple bass sounds on top of each other to create a fuller, richer bass tone. In the video, the narrator uses 3 bass layers playing in unison to create a bass stack. This allows him to shape the overall bass sound more precisely by applying effects to the layers individually or in parallel.

💡parallel processing

Parallel processing involves sending a duplicated signal to an auxiliary channel, applying effects solely to the duplicate, and blending it back with the original dry sound. This technique allows more aggressive processing on just certain elements of the sound without damaging the whole. The narrator uses parallel saturation on the low end of the bass to make it thicker.

💡voltage sag

Voltage sag refers to a drop in voltage that occurs when a large amount of current is drawn from a circuit. The Red 37 plugin used in the video emulates this effect to create a natural compression on the low end, resulting in more consistent bass.

💡saturation

Saturation refers to the effect of overdriving a signal in order to add harmonic richness and "grit". The narrator heavily saturates the low end of the bass sound using the Red 37 plugin to make it sound thicker and more consistent.

💡decapitator

The Decapitator is a saturation plugin by SoundToys. The narrator tries adding it to the parallel bass channel to further saturate the sound, but ultimately decides it makes the bass too dense and removes it.

💡76 compressor

The CLA-76 is a classic analog compressor plugin emulation. Though the narrator doesn't use it for actual compression here, he likes the unique tone and coloration it adds to the bass sound.

💡wider plugin

The wider plugin is a stereo imaging tool that can make sounds seem, well, wider. The narrator uses it on the parallel bass channel to give the bass a bigger, more expansive sound.

💡low-end

The low-end refers to the lower bass frequencies under around 100-200hz. The narrator focuses much of his processing specifically on enhancing and controlling the low bass to achieve a very big but tight low-end.

💡tone EQ

A tone EQ allows you to tweak the level of low, mid and high frequencies independently, shaping the overall tonal quality. The Red 37 plugin includes tone EQs which the narrator uses to fine-tune the bass tone.

💡blending

Blending refers to mixing the levels of the dry original bass sound and the heavily processed parallel bass channel to achieve the right balance of fatness and clarity in the final bass sound.

Highlights

Introduction to a unique mixing technique that promises a revolutionary approach to handling weak bases in music production.

Craig Brow's influential Instagram post that introduced a novel mixing technique, sparking widespread interest and experimentation among producers.

The secret behind the technique: utilizing voltage sag on Big L to enhance low-end saturation, achieving a natural compression effect.

A step-by-step guide on identifying and eliminating inconsistent low-end frequencies to achieve a cleaner bass sound.

Techniques for isolating and enhancing the bass's defining characteristics, including the pick or finger action, for a more defined sound.

Introduction to using parallel processing to maintain bass clarity while adding depth and weight to the sound.

Detailed explanation of how to use the Red 37 and Red 51 plugins by Waves for targeted low-end saturation.

The importance of A/B testing during the mixing process to ensure a balanced and cohesive sound.

Discussion on the use of the Decapitator plugin for adding attitude to the bass through saturation, and why it might not always be suitable.

Introduction of the CLA 76 compressor for adding a unique tone to the bass without actual compression.

A novel approach to using the Wider plugin for expanding the stereo image of the bass in a mix.

Final steps in integrating the enhanced bass into the full mix, emphasizing the importance of balance and control.

Encouragement to experiment with the described techniques and plugins to find one's unique sound.

An invitation to embrace the art of mixing as a creative and exploratory process, beyond simply following prescribed methods.

A call to action for producers to experiment with saturation and parallel processing to achieve a fat, consistent low end in their mixes.

Transcripts

you will want to know how I dial this in

because after you hear it you will never

want to mix a weak base

again for vacation find me India I'll be

getting blazing doing do what I want to

do doing do I'll be your

p i a trying give me a day

out now one of the best mixers out there

Craig brow shared this on his Instagram

a while back not only did I give it a go

I also put my own spin on it which I'm

going to show you but what is actually

happening behind the hood now here's his

chain and here's mine the magic is here

in the voltage sag on Big L as we remove

the subs below 40 HZ you use the voltage

sag in parallel which I'm using on the

red 37 by waves and this focuses Satur

atation On The Low End only and by

putting so much saturation on the signal

in those low frequencies you get a

natural form of compression to the sub

info for more consistent low end but

let's delete everything and pay

attention because I will show you

exactly step by step how I doled in this

sound so the first thing we need to do

is find out which part of the subs we

want to roll off like the flabbier lower

bits which aren't consistent and which

part of the bass has a bit of the

definition a bit of the the the pick

action or the finger action from the

basis so let's get that down first and

just so you know you can do this on any

Baseline even

808 that's that awkwardly rumbly part of

the base in the subs which we're going

to roll off but we're going to bring

back with so much harmonics it's it's

not funny so that's that's the first

part I want to cut out now we're going

to find where the sort of that

definition that that movement in the

strings are let's have a

listen up at that 3K it's almost like

that um the very top part of the

articulation in the strings the wobble

in it you can hear really

clearly it sounds like the amp has being

turned off and just playing the strings

as they are so I'm liking

there cool cool and then we got this

other we got another two layers

here

I'm just going to copy that setting

across to my other base layers now

depending because they all playing in

unison I do want to keep all the

baselines phase aligned cuz the these

three bases make up a base stack and if

I use different eqs move the phase

differently to each of them they're not

going to sum together the same so now we

need to audition the parallel Channel

what I did is I created some preader

post effect sends so basically what I

can do here with these is audition my

parallel Channel without hearing the

main ones to dial in this red here so

let's do that let's dial this in the

first thing we're going to want to make

sure to do is have the base lift up to

start is with this drive feature here

just because I like to get it heavy I

want to hear how heavy I can really push

it and then we'll use the tone EQ top

and bottom to balance it all out so

let's drive this up and as we drive it

we start to hear that loow get really

thick and

heavy let's try between red 37 and red

51

okay uh red 37 to my ear is heavier and

fatter but Red 51 keeps a bit of the

definition which I think is probably

more important cuz we're already getting

really heavy so we're going to go with

the Red 51 we've driven it to where

there's a bit of weight there now we

just have to balance the high and the

low

now the thing with this it's easy it's

super easy to get carried away so it's

really important that we ab and I did

pull the lows down because it was super

big and Woolly and that wouldn't balance

well in the mix so I just want to get

the feel of this right so this is heavy

and thick but it's still relatively

Balan this parallel Channel listen to

this before and

after

next thing I typically use here is the

decapitator because uh the N mode models

the geranium transistors on the KN um I

this is what I typically use but I

didn't use it for this record but I'm

still going to show you how I dial it in

at end mode punish on 1 and a half I

don't know why I really like the sound

this decapitator setting on anything

base but for this mix it didn't work out

but I thought I'd show you because this

is the reason why I use this end style

is because it almost shoots into like a

limiting mode sort of where it saturates

anything that's a little bit too hot so

take a listen to this before and after

won't be level matched unfortunately but

just to get an idea for the feel that

this or toing this gives to

it I got to do this level matched

actually I just just heard I'm like h

really okay it's still a bit ridiculous

let's just come

back all right now you hear it now you

hear it before and

after just adds a little bit more like

attitude to it but I didn't like for

this because everything got a little bit

too dense a bit too heavy in saturation

and I just want this to be fat in the

low end not overly edgy and bright and

then the bass just pokes out a bit too

much and you're going to bring it down

and you chase Your Tail so instead of

the decapitator I went for the 76 and I

went for the 76 not to do any

compression really this is just an

attitude there's a certain tone to the

blue mode okay attack and release all

the way fast it won't I don't think I'm

going to catch any peaks with it but

it's just the tone just purely the tone

of this is really nice for the Basse it

keeps the definition there while it's

still very heavy I don't know how to

explain that or articulate that but you

have to hear

it

you know what it is just making it

louder but I know that this particular

CLA 76 adds something to the tone I'm

going to actually put up the frequency

response plot of this setting and the

Hammerstein plot of this setting so that

way you guys can actually see what it's

doing to the overall harmonics and

frequency of the signal and then the

final thing I did here and this is the

one thing Craig barar didn't do in his

and I've just been doing in my mixes on

Parallel bases forever is is I'm using

this wider plugin and do you know where

we're going to set it

to that's where we're going to set it to

why because I can all right take a

listen to

this sounds fat as hell now the main

thing is I'm going to get rid of this

trim because I didn't use this Trim in

my original balance let's get rid of

these pread sends and have a listen to

it in the mix because what the main

aspect of this is that we have a fatness

control now that we can blend up or down

as fat as we want so let's get to

that your don't keep your watch

out don't your don't your about to break

out for vation find meia I'll be getting

blazing doing do doing doing what I want

to do doing I'll be fall your P Break

Out I ain't trying give me a day

out so now you've got this you can go

make a fat base look at this okay these

are the tools EQ the main base send it

out to parallel saturate the lows the

red 37 Big L with a voltage sag huge

saturation on the lows which is great

for that fatness and consistency like a

natural compression the decapitator my

choice uh Craigs in his was the geranium

compressor I use the 76 on this mix for

some reason the wider is just the way i'

like to do my parallel bases make them

stupid a little bit tonally it's a cool

sort of thing but that's it now go make

a fat base go get these plugins or use

something similar that does a similar

thing experimenting parallel rolling off

the subs that's a weird one and then

saturating the out of them for

consistency all right and until next

time take care