Never mix a weak bass again!
Summary
TLDRThis 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
🎚️ 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.
🔧 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.
🎶 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡bass stack
💡parallel processing
💡voltage sag
💡saturation
💡decapitator
💡76 compressor
💡wider plugin
💡low-end
💡tone EQ
💡blending
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
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