Give your Kick & Bass more Separation for a Tight Low End

[@kissofkaos1]

Great Chris, as usual ! 👍 I regularly use another variant. I send my bass in parallel into an auxiliary track with a low pass filter around 100 Hz, 6db/oct slope. And I reverse the polarity of this auxiliary track. The low pass filter then becomes a low cut / low shelf. Finally, I place a gate just behind the filter, sidechained with the kick. So the bass is filtered into the bass frequencies only when the kick hits. Greetings from France. 🇨🇵 😉

[@mystycblade]

What are the advantages of that technique?

[@kissofkaos1]

@@mystycblade Hi, This technique simply gives me more flexibility. I can control the amount of reduction I apply to the bass with a simple fader, under my finger. And if another instrument (cello, bass synth, or others...) interferes with the kick, I don't need to duplicate an instance of multi-band compression: I can send this instrument to my aux, and move on.

[@siriusfun]

Nice! Another great rock n roll trick is to HP the bass around 80Hz, boost at 100 and push the kick at 58-64. Compression to taste and you're good to go! Quick and easy. Really works a treat on up-tempo ditties, too. :)

[@mixdownonline]

Great tip! Thanks!

[@RogerBadgerDSFlyer]

Will try this, thanks.

[@Jp-jr7xi]

awesome tricks and very clear, i just tested it; great job

[@lloydbrownmusic]

Great tips as per Chris, coupled with huge congratulations on reaching 100k. Truly well deserved mon ami. You are a real asset in our Cubase community. A pleasure to us all that keeps learning from you and the team. Merci 🙏🏿🖤🙏🏿

[@mixdownonline]

Thanks a million! :-)

[@nikhollis542]

As usual, a very useful video, especially for a slow learner like me... thank you.

[@AlessandroBagagli]

Thank you Chris. Each one of your videos is teaching me always something more! I'm using your mix template and I must admit that now my music sounds much better than before. Thanks!

[@mixdownonline]

Great to hear! You're welcome!

[@graverlarsson]

Dear Chris. Thank you for your interesting and helpful Videos. Can you Show your SuperVision settings at The Stereo Out (Mixing) and during Mastering process?

[@reziahamed6654]

Hi Chris....🤓 Lovely walkthru all about ducking & covering dynamic EQ as well... Mind if I ask you what the Bass VST / Preset is ? It sounds gorgeous..... Much Love.. 🤓👍👍🥇

[@johnsimpson7627]

Hi, if I’m already cutting bass guitar from 60hz and below, how effective is side chaining eq please? Great work , keep it going 🙂

[@Studio22mix]

I stil love my Drawmer DS201 & the DBX120a to get a massive low end 😊

[@billirwin1726]

I'll give it a try Thanks Chris

[@timjonesguitar]

Love using this trick! Thanks Chris! Is there a way in Cubase if you have edited an event and maybe did some slip editing or moved the event from it's original position, a way to get it back to it's original position with a key command?

[@IgotokmyOwn]

Cool trick Chris on the EQ SC part.. Finna try that ASAP.. tnx

[@mikemccormick1624]

Excellent video! Thanks, Chris!

[@geelanka-7984]

Woooooowwww ❤❤❤ thank u sir ❤❤❤

[@westIab]

Thank you sir your videos always useful. Have a good day.😊

[@mixdownonline]

Always welcome

[@salim_baf]

thanks.. this is the easiest explanation to understand..

[@mixdownonline]

Thank you! Happy I could help!

[@Basma-t3z]

👍🔥🔥Thank you, creator

[@mixdownonline]

You're welcome!

[@jonathanm8041]

Great video! I use Frequency for side-chaining, especially for ducking electric bass or ducking midrange (chord) instruments that should create space for the melody. Most of the time, Frequency sounds more pleasant to my ears than using regular compression, spectral compression, Baby Audios smooth operator, or even soothe. Also, if you are using frequency you don't even need a duplicated drum track for scenarios similar to your last example: Frequency should by default only listen to the relevant frequency range of your input signal - and at 100 Hz the kick should be pretty much dominant. If that is not enough, you can still turn off the auto side-chain filter mode, choose your own trigger frequency, and go for 60 Hz or something. ;)

[@mixdownonline]

You're right about Frequency, I wanted to keep this video to work with any plugins, but I will make a dedicated video on Frequency soon :). Thanks for watching!

[@RogerBadgerDSFlyer]

Added to my favourites. Very clear, to the point, easy to follow tutorial. Thanks.

[@mixdownonline]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dbtube]

Merci Chris pour ces précieux conseils!

[@mixdownonline]

Certainement!

[@kdcyp]

Perfect timing again Chris as I’m finishing processing the drum stems so will use this on the bass and also add a link to this video to my procedural list for all appropriate future mixes! Thank you! 🙏

[@mixdownonline]

You're welcome!

[@DavidDavis-FA-photog]

Hey Chris you explained this very well, thanks!

[@mixdownonline]

Thank you! Glad I could help!

[@jesusrubengarciamelian4543]

Thank you!! Excellent

[@mixdownonline]

You are welcome!

[@pernormann4869]

I often use the last technique in this tutorial to separate guitar and bas. I engage a side chained frequncy 2 on guitar track low frequencies triggered by the bas.

[@mixdownonline]

That's a good way to use Sidechain compression

[@jerrymckenzie1858]

Great tip Chris!

[@mixdownonline]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful!

[@tonykitson195]

Love it, Chris - thank you!

[@mixdownonline]

My pleasure!

[@MichaelJohnBryant]

Excellent! Thanks Chris.

[@mixdownonline]

Of course!

[@AndyNicholson]

Turning Auto off in the Side Chain section of Frequency and dialing in the actual frequency to respond to seems like a better and cleaner way to do this rather than creating an entirely new track and filtering it down. Not saying this is a bad option - there's always more than one way to do things and perhaps sometimes this might be best for people without Frequency, but if you're using it for the second demonsrtation then you may as well use it again, the side chain capabilities in Frequency are powerful enough to do it all on its own.. It also gives you the ability to do things like pump the high frequencies in response to a low frequency trigger which can make some really wild pumping tracks this way. Thanks for the vid.

[@mixdownonline]

Yes, you're correct. Frequency has that ability. And yes, the way I showed will work for everyone that doesn't work with Frequency. Thanks for your input!

[@verdi260]

Hi Chris thank's for the video. My question is in case of SC compressor for base line (triggered by KD) do you use another (2nd) compressor (with no SC) to manage dynamics of the base line with this final (2nd) compressor or do you use the one (SC comp) for whole dynamics of base line. Hope you understand what is my point. Thank's in advance.Jan

[@Studio22mix]

The sidechain only compresses the bass when the kick triggers so for overal compression on the bass I allways use a 2nd compressor 😊

[@verdi260]

Thank's me too. I just wanna be sure.@@Studio22mix

[@jeremythornton433]

Very cool! Can you do a similar video using live rock instruments?

[@mixdownonline]

For drums/bass, it's basically the same thing! But I can do a video on another Sidechain technique, you can do using live rock instruments :-)

[@hassejansson]

Thx once again Chris👍

[@mixdownonline]

Of course!

[@grumpy8413]

All this did for me was remove all the low end from my electric bass. I note you had it on a synth bass. It actually sounded much better before I put it on.

[@boudjouraftalal6859]

thank you sir 🙏

[@mixdownonline]

Most welcome

[@kiseki490]

or you use a gate with side chain kick and fix the floor to -6db. The cubase's gate can select the trigger's frequency. it's easiest.

[@mixdownonline]

Cool technique :-)

[@KenFoxmusic]

Make Anotha one!

[@mixdownonline]

Will do!

[@KenFoxmusic]

Awesome looking forward to them!@@mixdownonline

[@MikeBrayton]

Great example of ducking, not just to bring out the kick, but as a great effect

[@Jura_JS]

One more trick: to use sidechain frequency knob in Frequency2 EQ (instead of auto). No need to create copy - just focus on frequency that you want

[@mixdownonline]

if someone has Frequency, that can work pretty well. Thanks for sharing!

[@LuRojas]

Awesome sauce!

[@mixdownonline]

Oh yeah!

[@missepicmandy]

We need an ai plugin called the bass separators 😂. Maybe it will go very far

[@mixdownonline]

Lol! Why not! Lol!

[@MAGICPAASO]

YOU DONT EVEN CNOW WHAT IT MEANS

[@mixdownonline]

I've been producing and mixing professionally for more than 20 years, I clearly don't know what it means ;-). Quick tip, check your spelling when you write a comment :-)