Nail Your Low End: How to Mix Kick & Bass Like a Pro | Music Production Tips

[@quintinrafferty7232]

For number 1.. what if you are splitting your bass into 2 ( low freq and high freq)so you can add stereo width to the top layer of the bass? To give it more presence and width in the mix for example

[@basskleph]

Good question. You are better off doing that split on the stereo effect. Here's what i mean. Leave the bass as one synth. Then use a stereo effect that lets you exclude the low end with some kind of HPF removal etc. Many Chorus plugins let you do this for example. Also, keep in mind that you rarely need a stereo bass in general. Especially if you have other mid range parts that you can make stereo instead. Mono bass can sound very powerful and focused

[@909.tattoo]

Note worth taking- shaping the kick in a sampler will only work if the kick is a lengthy sustained kick, if the the dynamic falls of at the tail a sampler won’t save it, you will have to compress the body to match the tail and using some makeup gain, at that point you’re probably best worth finding a new kick sample and fixing at the source

[@basskleph]

💯 in this situation, you should indeed just change the kick

[@nathanreeser955]

THIS IS GREAT! THANK YOU!

[@BigVic687]

The best teacher out!!! Only had one session with him some time ago and learned alot! No BS he gets straight to the point. Def saving up for another cpl sessions!

[@basskleph]

Cheers! Glad you liked the session. Looking forward to the next

[@kidnunmusic]

Such a good one man thanks. I'm happy that after a decade of making music, I agree with everything you said in that video ✅ And also I'm happy to see you again in my YT feed

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Glad you agree too 😊🎉

[@fradav68]

So much good info here, thank you 🏆

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Glad you like!

[@ryde2012]

Will try out some of the tips

[@basskleph]

Nice! Let me know how they go

[@barcker4]

Very practical video, thanks.

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Glad you liked it

[@robbiestyles794]

Great stuff, gonna try it out

[@ALDVIR]

why do I find these videos after I discover the same lessons after MONTHS or sometimes YEARS of producing.. great vid!

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Better now than never. There’s lots more on my channel and website

[@kristianclarke]

I took off a sub bass layer, turned off some unnecessary compression and boom - instantly better mix!

[@basskleph]

Excellent! It's so much better right?

[@lldjwhyteell]

Minimal…..less is better….Boris Brejcha style

[@iamdjkirk]

i liked the ear training comment by sample selection!

[@basskleph]

It’s a great exercise. Forces you to really, listen, compare and think 👂🏻💪🏻

[@sekool]

Hi @basskleph, maybe you can make a video where you explain more in details how you reference tracks 😉 Thanks ✌🏻

[@basskleph]

Actually, I already recorded this. It is a part of my new advanced mixdown course Pro Sound Secrets. More info here www.basskleph.com/pss

[@motaki79]

Jeez I think you’ve replied to every single comment-you are rare. 😊✌️

[@basskleph]

😅 I appreciate the comments and views! I will always reply if I have time 💪🏻🎉

[@youriaa9930]

thx u!!! great tuto 4 me 😃

[@cottoo1]

Separating sub from the bass synth was one of the first tips I learned on the Internet and even when I liked my bass synth as it was I still separated it because of that common tip 😃 Great video, thanks. How about sidechain? Do you use a compressor to do that or those volume shaper vsts?

[@basskleph]

Glad I could help clarify that! It surprisingly common. For side chain I have tested all the options and the standard Ableton compressor does it the best! You just need the right settings.

[@ARCASIAUK]

Very well explained! I started producing in 2016 and if I’d heard that back then I’d probably not have spent the first few years making these sort of amateur mistakes. It’s only when your ear is trained that you start to understand that really, less is more. Better sample selection, referencing and understanding what sounds work well together is the recipe and it comes with experience. Great video mate! 👊🏻

[@basskleph]

Thanks! I always try my best to explain things as clearly as possible. I wish I posted this earlier for you now then! I will keep them coming. There's a bunch more stuff on my website too www.basskleph.com

[@ktech4246]

Ive trawled through hrs of mixing videos and this is by far the best and most direct guide for mixing bass and kick. Thanks! Question on eq, you talked about shelving the non-dominant instrument under 70hz. What about for above 70hz? ie whats best way to mix a bass dominant kick above 70hz so punch comes through but does clash with the bass?

[@basskleph]

Cheers! Glad it helped! It depends on the kick sound and the bass sound. So there is no exact Always boost/cut X frequency. If you have a great kick and bass, you might not need any EQ. Occasionally, you might need the low shelf on the bass like I mention, and other times it might need other things. You need to learn to be able to truly hear what it sounds like now, compare that to how your reference tracks sound, then understand what frequency adjustments will get it closer to the references, while still having it make sense for your song. These are all things I teach in my course Pro Sound Secrets. Learn more here www.basskleph.com/pss

[@happylittlesynth]

Great advice. What advice would you give in regards to processing raw analog kicks, say from Syntakt or Rytm, as they have much more dynamics than most sample pack kicks we come across. In this instance, I would expect we would have to use some compression, but curious as to what you would recommend! Cheers

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Good question. Even in these situations you will rarely need compression. Synthesized kicks can be shaped very effectively with their ADSR and Hold envelopes to make them as either punchy or thick and sustained as you like. Also, keep in mind that you will eventually limit your kick and whole mix with your mastering limiter. Your kick will be the loudest thing in your mix and put the most pressure on your limiter. It will get its dynamics controlled and squashed at this point anyway. So, if you squash it earlier on with a compressor or too much overdrive, then it will struggle to punch through your full mixdown by the time you are doing that master limiting. Ideally, you should be mixing into a master limiter so you can hear the affects of it as you make decisions about your kick

[@ivanfernandez5030]

Muuy buena info, gracias desde arg

[@basskleph]

Gracias! Estoy feliz que te gusta

[@iamdjkirk]

what do you mean in referencing in real-time for reference plugin?

[@basskleph]

Some other plugins can do LUFS volume matching (ADAPTR etc) but... you have to press a button each time you want it to recalculate the volume match. It does not constantly keep the level matched. This matters as we often make adjustments to OUR mix and it gets louder/quieter etc For this reason (and more) i recommend Reference 2 by Mastering The Mix

[@cammo354]

so for mistake #1 how would I get width from my baseline? usually I have my sub layer high pass in mono and then my top layer would be low pass in stereo

[@basskleph]

Good question. You are better off doing that split on the stereo effect. Here's what i mean. Leave the bass as one synth. Then use a stereo effect that lets you exclude the low end with some kind of HPF removal etc. Many Chorus plugins let you do this for example. Also, keep in mind that you rarely need a stereo bass in general. Especially if you have other mid range parts that you can make stereo instead. Mono bass can sound very powerful and focused

[@cammo354]

@@basskleph thank you! I don’t know why I never thought of that 😂

[@FXWLL]

I use Kick 2 plugin and it has really increased my quality. Is that a good option or are samples better?

[@basskleph]

Good question. As a plug-in it is ok, but in general, I wouldn’t recommend people make their own kicks unless they are VERY experienced. Even then, it is not necessary, only a choice. So yes I recommend samples more. The main reasons are firstly, there are excellent samples available. Often much better than anyone could make with Kick2 or another plug-in. Secondly, it is very easy to try and compare many potential kicks with samples and see what fits your song best, and what gets you closer to you reference tracks. It is much faster to find the right vibe by simply using pre made samples than it is to have to design every variation yourself on Kick2. Also, if you are designing them, you might not test as many variations/ideas. Samples are good for happy accidents. Now, it anyone still insists on using Kick2 or similar, then I would strongly advise you at least do one important thing. Make many many kicks and compare them side by side in context in your song, and see which ones get you closer to your reference tracks. Do not simply load one Kick2 and tweak away for hours without proper comparisons. You will go down a rabbit hole and go off track. You can load multiple Kick2s into a drum rack just like samples. I would do it that way. But…. Even better would be to compare what ever you made in kick2 with some samples. If the samples beat kick2, then there is no point using kick2. Only ego. That “I made it”, instead of it being the best possible kick for the song. Also people get way to hung up on the fact that you can easily tune kick2 to a musical note when it is rarely ever necessary.

[@FXWLL]

@@basskleph Thank you very much for your answer. Gives me a lot to think about. I totally agree that you can go down a rabbit hole with it. I use reference tracks to help avoid that. I try to get as close to the reference in terms of tone etc as I can but I will definitely try some samples on my next project and compare results, I will say tho that since Introduced Kick 2 into my workflow i jumped up in quality and now Im getting my tracks in sync placements etc. Things began to click in my mixes and it all got a lot easier for me. Label ready mixes is the next goal 👍

[@MadelnMachines]

Some good tips - doing the simple things right seems to be the key. I don’t think you can often really create an interesting bass / sub groove for house or techno if you’re just relying on the sub from that on grid 4/4 kick. For example this kick has some sub but the real groovy sub bass line comes in at 1 minute 2 seconds kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKXZl2Cpd7WUmqc How would you go about doing something like this? This is very common in the music I listen to. Exactly the same in this track kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWivhYamhtF3kJY

[@MadelnMachines]

Please could you do a tutorial on this? I guess the link is high passed to some degree but not too much - it doesn’t interfere with the bass either or get lost in it.

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Totally. Yeah usually, if you want a more unique groove, you will want more interest than just the 4/4 kick. For your question, do you mean, how did they make these tracks? Because they seem to be just using a simple bass on the 1/4 and 1/8th notes. On a broader scale, I think something very important for groove is the difference between low end groove and high end groove. Low end groove is the part we dance to. Kick, Bass, toms etc. The high end groove we just kinda feel for vibe. e.g. hats, shakers, some melodic parts etc. Many producers do not pay enough attention to their low end groove

[@silly8395]

Great ,...someone said it loud about the grouping,....i've never liked it

[@basskleph]

Right? I notice many producers unnecessarily grouping things in general. I want to let them know it’s not needed and often harmful

[@Gino_567]

Can you help me block the 6 billion emails you spam me with per week?

[@basskleph]

Hi Gino, there is an Unsubscribe button at the bottom of all of my emails. I send tips for music producers to help them. If you don’t want/need my help that is totally fine. No one is forcing you to stay subscribed.

[@bigfreak58]

Yeah I don't use a separate sub layer unless the mid bass is a wide sounding texture.

[@basskleph]

There is a way around that. Some one else had a similar comment. You are still better off using a single bass synth, and then to make it stereo, there are many stereo plugins that include a HPF so they don’t affect your low end. Otherwise you can build something like this out of Ableton plug-ins too. This way you keep the sonic strength in the bass line. That is most important. And, you can still have stereo on the higher part of it. I should mention though that we rarely ever need stereo bass

[@NeilMalkan]

What a neat little gem on the kick sampler sustain! It’s essentially transient shaping but in such an easy way, no? Wow. Subscribed just off that one tip, game changer for me! Good stuff!

[@basskleph]

Cheers! Glad you liked it. I’m all about things that get great results in the fastest, easiest way.

[@ivanzu2069]

Generally good advice, especially for beginners. For me personally, I didn't quite agree with not compressing kicks or sending the kick and sub to a bus. I don't normally compress my kicks because theyre already processed but there have been times in the past where I have compressed to get a more snappier kick which worked better in the mix. Also, I find sending the kick and sub to a bus using some tape saturation can create a more tighter and punchier sound. Works for me anyway. All depends on the song.

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Sure. I encourage you to test your usual way compared to this at a matched volume level. As running tape saturation on a kick and bass group will naturally reduce the dynamic range between the kick and bass. What you might like better, is putting the tape saturation only on the bass, and leaving the kick dry. This will probably let you push the tape saturation harder too. Also give the tip about ADSR for kick punch a go. Compare it with the compressed option, also at a matched volume. I think you might like it. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@noizfactory]

Nice trick of putting the kick samples in a drum rack and using pitch to audition them!

[@basskleph]

Thanks! Yeah, it helps a lot. A bonus tip would be to limit yourself to only ever keeping a maximum of 16 kicks at anytime. If you want to add a new one, you have to remove an old one. Usually the worst one. This forces you to test and approve your kicks in context, and sets a benchmark. You can only go up from here! Through iteration, your kicks will naturally evolve and get better and better forever.

[@_dj.addison_]

Best advice and has always worked for me! Got my kick and bass sounding punchy and phat!

[@basskleph]

Cheers! Yeah your stuff is sounding great and better each song!

[@_dj.addison_]

@basskleph thank you mate 😊

[@screendrem]

One of the best videos on production in the more then decade Ive seen them.

[@basskleph]

Cheers! Glad I could help 🙏🏻😊

[@Yourstrulyent_]

Literally debunked many of the things I’ve learned lol one question, if you shouldn’t group your Kick and Bass, but you should glue the rest of your drums, where does the kick go? Or did you mean Kick and the rest of the drums? Great video!

[@basskleph]

Welcome! Glad to help! Ahhhhh excellent question. I was just thinking today that I forgot to mention that. So, if it is a "house-based" genre. i.e. kicks on every quarter note, then I recommend leaving the kick outside of the drum group. This way you can go a little harder with the compression and overdrive on the drum group, and get some great glue and power, without messing up your kick. For anyone that insists on putting their kick in their drum group and compressing it all together, then at least use a compressor that has HPF side chain so it becomes less sensitive to the low frequencies of the kick. Maybe try a multi band overdrive too (eg Roar) to leave to low end less/un-affected. This helps, but I find I get even better results with the kick out of the group. BUT... if you are doing a broken beat genre like Drum & Bass, Breakbeat, Hip Hop, etc I then recommend to put the kick in the drum group as these styles are usually using kicks that are not as bass heavy and long. I guess that is the other way to decide too. If the kick is very sub heavy and long, take it out of the group, if not, you can probably leave it in.

[@bauleTV]

You shred?! The snow is close bruh!

[@basskleph]

Yes indeed! 🏂 cant wait. Already counting the days

[@raunokalda3568]

Okay but why do artists like Marsh, Jordin Post, Lane8 and Jan Blonqvist layer their bases, Marsh for example usually has 3 layers high, mid and low, obviously depends on the song i guess, but are they doing it to just add to the bass and make it sound better and try to fit it into the theme of the song. Why are they all layering everything

[@basskleph]

Could be multiple reasons. Maybe they are doing it in a unique, careful and safe way, or maybe they are making a mistake and don’t realize. Do you have a link to the video/s where you saw this?

[@raunokalda3568]

@@basskleph One example is here, through i don't like the way bass like this sounds but a lot of trance producers do this kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZzHdZydpa1-e6s&ab_channel=ReOrder

[@serkanboyekin4159]

full of great suggestions and information, deserves great respect. Thank you very much

[@scottwaterman8837]

Exceptional video again bud. Less is more as they say and exactly what i am about with regards to finding the right sound to fit, less processing, nice clean mix

[@basskleph]

Cheers! 💯 great results are much more useful if you can do them easily, fast and often

[@kimonasv]

i make a bus for kick and bass and compress them together but my attack is set to around 50ms so the transient of kick and bass is not affected by compression and it sounds way better than seperated and clear

[@basskleph]

It will still be affected. The initial transient of the kick will slip past the compressor untouched, then after 50ms, the compressor will activate and lower the volume of the kick and the bass. Make sure you are comparing this set up at Unity Gain otherwise you will just choose the louder version. Better yet would be to set up a separate kick and bass, and a group compressed kick and bass, and compare those at a matched volume. As you might balance them differently without the compression. Now, I think a good question to ask yourself here is, "what am I trying to achieve?" Listen to how your kick and bass sits in your mix without group compression and compare it to some good reference tracks. Ask yourself how it sounds now, and how you would like it to sound. Maybe it's fine and needs nothing. Now, If you want more punch out of the kick drum, you should not group compress it with the bass line. That will remove the dynamic difference between the two of them. That it literally what compression does. Compress the dynamic range. Instead, if you want more punch from the kick start by simply turning it up louder. If that doesn't achieve it, try the ADSR tip I shared in the video. Or, change the kick sample. Also note that "more punch" is not always better. Reference and see how much is a good amount for your particular song. Many times when people think they want punch, what they actually need is something else, like, more low end, a longer kick, a different pitch, more 100hz, a different sample etc

[@solarj]

Thanks for reminding us that less is more. I’ve seen many projects from other professional musicians and indeed I was always surprised of the minimal processing and small amount of plugins they use :)

[@basskleph]

Welcome! Right? This misconception that complexity gets better results is not usually a belief that Pros and successful producers follow. It's more something that beginners do. Or people that are struggling to get the results they would like. If some people are not happy with the way their songs sound, and they are not getting signed, and not building fans, then it's quite. possible that over complexity could be the cause. But once they are shown the better way of doing things, its amazing how fast they can get results and achieve their dreams

[@nlhmusicofficial]

I'm sorry but you can replace your kick in audio very easily in Ableton. So if your kick sample doesn't match you can replace it even bounced in audio. You click right on the sample in the clip view and click on "manage sample file "and you select another one. You drag and drop it and all kicks will be replaced automatically. Saves so much time in the end and better for CPU usage.

[@basskleph]

Good tip! Thanks! But that doesn’t let you quickly and easily compare multiple kicks, or let you use ADSR envelopes. For these reasons I would still recommend programming kicks in midi.

[@MartsMcfly]

Programming drums in audio is psychotic behaviour

[@causticgrime]

Wow. This is great. Phenomenal explanation. I do most of these mistakes honestly. Can’t wait to rework some of my workflow

[@basskleph]

Cheers! Give them a go and let me us know how they work for you

[@kristianclarke]

Love your detailed replies, going well above and beyond - instant sub!!

[@basskleph]

Thanks! I’m here to help 😊🙌🏻🎉

[@lolwatok6681]

This video alone got me to suscribe, amazing tips

[@basskleph]

Excellent! Thanks! 😊

[@davidbunyai2294]

sry but the layer sound so much more full

[@basskleph]

Yes, it can be deceptive. Sometimes when layering bass, you may find that certain frequencies do seem to be more full. The problem usually occurs, though, in the lower frequencies. This is where you might have phase cancellation or phase addition, making your sound weak and dynamically unstable. It's hard to recognize, though, often because many people don't have the type of speakers or headphones that can correctly reproduce these kind of frequencies, or they're simply not experienced at identifying this particular issue. What I would encourage you to do is check if this happens whenever you're layering bass sounds, and does it happen in every song. I would also check how does it compare to your reference tracks. By layering your bass, is it getting your bass definitively closer to the sound of the bass in your reference tracks? And also make sure that you're checking these things at a matched input and output volume, as in using unity gain like I demonstrate in the video. If you check all of these things, and you are still 100% sure that it definitely sounds better layering it, then go for it. If it sounds good to you, then that's what you want. But I've found personally that 99% of the time, this just causes problems, and people are generally better off not layering their basses, especially in the lower frequencies. Maybe you have more experience and more qualifications than I do, and I'm not aware of this, and in this case, you should trust your own opinion. But if you don't, maybe consider what I'm saying here and give it a try.

[@joeyf808]

Great Vid, Thanks!

[@basskleph]

Glad you liked it!

[@ALDVIR]

this is the best video ive ever seen

[@basskleph]

Cheers!

[@f13nyx]

If I'm just starting and only have a simple saturation plugin, particularly one that doesn't allow you to define the frequency range to apply the saturation, would that be a case where splitting out the sub frequencies is advisable? For context, my first track I was advised to do this because apparently the saturation was doing something weird to the sub frequencies.. And I've been doing it ever since. Now I'm not sure ha ha

[@basskleph]

Are you on Ableton? Many of their drive plugins can be frequency specific. If not There is a trick to make any saturation frequency specific with 2x EQs. But, maybe your sound didn’t need drive anyway. What were you trying to achieve?

[@gregshmkr]

Most DAWs will have a drive or distortion plugin that can be used as an eq specific saturator.

[@rajeshmirage]

Excellent video bro

[@basskleph]

Cheers! Glad you liked it

[@ianvjones]

Awesome! As always =)

[@basskleph]

Cheers brother!