Mixing Low End (How to Get it Right)

[@howardbwade]

I’ve been struggling with the low end on a project. I tried your suggestions. They really did the trick! Thanks so much.

[@wumpoleflack]

I like the toddler paraphernalia in the background. Great video with excellent advice!

[@luno5499]

That reverb trick is something I have not thought of!! I think that’s an issue I have atm

[@quickanddirtycovers-tq5up]

The first change really made the drums come out, and still left the guitar with its own frequency space.

[@davejohnsonmusic]

3:49 I usually boost around 140Hz on the bass and then cut the same on the kick drum. I read that a long time ago in Bobby Owinski's mixing handbook. Sometimes I do the opposite and cut/boost those frequencies for the bass/kick.

[@masonperkinsmusic]

Really like that soloed vocal. It’s eerie in all the best ways. I think a reharmonization of that vocal with more bgv’s and a stripped down instrumentation could be really cool.

[@jwp2460]

Fantastic advice for taming the low-end in a mix! Much appreciated

[@DerekPower]

Even better: do the "Abbey Road reverb trick" where you do a steep low-cut at 600Hz *and* a steep high-cut at 10kHz. This can be either set up in a separate EQ before the reverb (especially when it's an aux/effect) or within the reverb plugin if it allows it.

[@DerekPower]

@@SAMA-ct2li Set an EQ before reverb with a low-cut/high-pass at 600Hz and a high-cut/low-pass at 10kHz. In this way, only the midrange is fed into the reverb and not the lows or the highs.

[@DerekPower]

@@SAMA-ct2li If there is something like a “pre-EQ” feature on the reverb plugin itself (I know some of them do), that should work. I think there are some that actually have a “pre-filter” that will do the same thing.

[@DerekPower]

@@SAMA-ct2li I compose and produce my own music, which includes mixing and even mastering. I can help as best as I can.

[@DerekPower]

@@SAMA-ct2li Ah yes, the pursuit of loudness =] Remember, loudness is only one part of the entire music production. There is also frequency balance, level balance and spatial balance. Also, if your song is badly composed, arranged, performed and/or recorded (in any combination), you’ll just get a bad song that happens to be loud. That said: I have to listen to what you are doing in order to give specific advice. However, there is some general advice I can offer: * Make sure your output levels in your monitoring are set at an optimum level, whether it’s your monitors or your headphones. * Yes, having your overall mix hit around -6 dB is a good conservative aim as you get headroom for additional processing in the mastering stage. But don’t get too obsessed with the numbers. Instead, get it to where your important tracks are “mostly filled” in your volume meters and everything is balanced. * Manage your frequencies and eliminate frequencies you don’t really need, especially on the lower end of the spectrum. * Similarly, be careful with frequencies build-up. This can and does happen if you have too many instruments occupying the same frequency shape. Consider your arrangement first, and then consider levels, pans and then EQ. * Last thing regarding frequencies is that the range that is the most crucial to your mix is the mid-range. Mid-range is where the majority of music lies, whether it’s vocals, guitars, drum snares, etc. This also where pretty much every playback system will work, whether it’s $10 earbuds to $1000 plus hi-fi systems. If you got the mid-range down, then everything else should be fine too. * For compression and particularly in the mastering stage, that will depend on how transient heavy your song is and what character it is. Typically, transient heavy material will be more aggressive with higher ratios and harder knees, fast attacks and releases. But even so, the compression should be more subtle at this point with ratios not being higher than 3:1 and getting only about 3dB of gain reduction, and that’s when it’s transient heavy. * For limiting, I would advise not relying on one limiter to give your volume boost. Your final limiter should really about controlling peaks that it doesn’t go above usually -1.0dB (true peak) and maybe a mild boost in volume resulting in a mild gain reduction. But if you did everything else leading up to it, your limiter shouldn’t have to work so hard. * Consider using reference tracks. It will provide you a target to aim for, perspective of where you stand compared to what is already done and - more importantly - it gives you an “ear reset”. Definitely pick something that has a loudness you want to achieve. * Understand that there are limits. Digital audio cannot go higher than 0dBFS. Streaming services will broadcast at -14 LUFS with -1.0dB as its true peak. * Most important of all: aim for good, not just loud. Hopefully this helps. I know that’s a lot and there are definitely tons of resources out there. But another thing I would recommend highly - if you haven’t done so - is to find books about mixing and mastering written by seasoned professionals. The best books will give you clear principles to keep in mind that should work regardless of genre, style, workflow and tools. Godspeed =]

[@djentlover]

I've been practicing low end for 13 years, can't wait to watch this video

[@anthracite7]

Joe on the Recording Revolution channel! Did a double take. Love your mixing style!

[@pjlira]

Awesome tips. All of them! Thank you!

[@YariBeatsMedia]

Muddy mess or raw power?

[@PapaOwura]

Thanks so much Joe

[@earledaniels4539]

With stereo guitar tracks, I use mid-side EQ. Scoop some mids out of the middle channel. Low cut and high shelve the side channel.

[@timinglismusic6707]

Love your work, Joe! I usually use a low pass on the reverb as well. I find to much top end makes the reverb sound "buzzy". Sometimes those filters are quite severe.

[@chucklewismusic]

I believe he said he puts a HO filter on his reverb.

[@chucklewismusic]

Sorry I meant HP not HO

[@toddcollins6746]

Never thought of high passing the verbs - gonna try that!

[@Marchuevoreal]

Very true, I like to use utility an ableton to put hz from some instruments in the center when is necessary

[@Hope20250]

Hello there, have you never done a hi cut filter on your reverb or cut the bad frequenties ? Thanks in advance and nice video ! 👍👍👍

[@romodrummer]

7:17 Sounds like he's singing. "Covid is that evil" 🤣

[@BorisBarroso]

In some cases when there are no drums and bass you can allow the bass from the guitars and I a sidechain with a hi pass (if you are lazy). And of course automation of the hipass eq would be great.

[@LeonardoLima-nk4fv]

Nice! how I listen just the FX like you did? usually i active post fader and turn down the volume of the main track

[@annacatanzaritimusic]

Hey guys just a question if anyone can help. I am in the process of building my home studio and I know Graham said in his mixing course that if you have a rectangle room to have your mixing desk on one of the smaller walls. However in my room, one wall has a windows and the other has a door. Which wall should I but it on??? Or should I put it on one of the larger walls (the difference is about is about 76cm)

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

Rule #0: high pass everything from an analogue source, such as microphones or instrument pickups - _before_ you do anything else with them. You don't want the inaudible

[@noblesolution]

Hey Joe I love your videos. Pls do you have any videos on how to get rid of high frequency noise especially the kind that comes from recording with bad cables.

[@sidvicious332]

Buy new cables cheapskate

[@realslykooper]

Big Fan OG! Let’s goooo

[@AkposbeatzMusic]

First to comment😊💜

[@timinglismusic6707]

[@lordGoldemort]

Question: Djent metal guitars tend to need "cabinet rumble" at the lower end to give the chuginess. Obviously competes with the bass / kick at times. Is it better to EQ / Dynamic EQ / Sidechain, or some other approach?

[@flatlandcircuitry]

Excellent as usual! Still confused though about the two channels. You present The Recording Revolution in a Home Studio Corner tee😁, maybe separate the two channels? What content goes where? Or merge everything into one channel? Just my two cents….👊

[@mikebozik]

Great info! Bottom and low mids must be dealt with, for clarity. Upper mids need to be sweet, not abrasive. The Fletcher-Munsen curve provides a lot of clues. 😊 Subtractive EQ is probably more important...just some thoughts.

[@BigDancin]

Great tips, thanks! But one question on Tip #1 (low end at center): I always keep my bass, kick, and most of the time the lead vocals are there too. But what about something like floor toms? I generally pan my drums in "drummer's perspective," which leaves the floor toms panned about 90% right. I need a good amount of low end in the FT to do it justice - sometimes it can be quite heavy. Is that a bad move? I suppose maybe that is mitigated by the use of stereo overheads being hard left and right (imaging more center), which contain some of the FT sound. Thoughts?

[@rajaratiug]

Try not planning the drums so wide. My cymbols go out to maybe 20 or 30 to the R/L. My toms I'll keep between 10 and 15. You can still hear the movement and the low end of the toms stays more centered. Think about when we hear drums in person, we don't hear the toms in our right and left ears only.

[@TavaresProject]

Hey Joe. Question... What about the low bass in a strings vst.? Usually those vets have violin, viola and contra bass in there on separate tracks. How can I get the bass in the middle? Thanks

[@Dubravko_Sabolic]

I like especially the #2 advice because I've been doing this all the time, but in a more aggressive way. I find this nasty trouble-making frequency somewhere in the 150 Hz range with a very narrow filter, like 0.1 or 0.2 octave wide. Then I cut it by at least 6 dB, and many times, I go to about 10. I am ashamed to admit that sometimes I even do it on the output mix channel, and it usually (but not always) makes the bass sound much better. It's like putting a sort of wall between low end and mid range.

[@tvslmusic]

thank you

[@jeffbridges6110]

yeah. gotta make room for the bass. The bass (guitar) makes up a big part of a guitar tone. And a multiband comp for controling palm mutes. good video.

[@waterknot1]

Great video. Keep in mind when you boost with a narrow bandwidth, the filter will accentuate the harmonics above the fundamental. In the bass section, the note that you sang which is closer to 300hz is a product of gain and filter resonance not necessarily the presence or abundance of that frequency in the track. Not saying anything about your approach is wrong just that this phenomenon can be misleading.

[@blandwithoutblues]

Are you implying low shelf over HPF?

[@waterknot1]

@@blandwithoutblues I'm not implying anything. I'm stating as fact that a narrow band parametric EQ filter will resonate with gain. That resonance becomes more pronounced as the gain approaches clipping. Now, a HPF can influence frequencies above the cutoff and impact the other bands, but I was writing about narrow band parametric.

[@paulgreblick]

Joe, are you playing 4th's on the lowest guitar part for the lowest two notes? (It sounds like 4th's.) 4th's, instead of 5th's (typical power chords) always sound boomier & bigger than you might want some cases. (4ths really pull your ear towards it more than 5ths, so it's hard to always use processing, because that will take out the reason that the 4th's can sound so powerful to begin with.) I'm okay being wrong, but the reason it's stuck out is because it sounds like your guitar arrangement's lowest two notes are 4th's. (Sorry if I misheard.)

[@rome8180]

This just makes me want to be a contrarian and experiment with stereo bass. I swear there have to be effective songs that use a stereo bass guitar. In fact, I was just listening to the isolated bass of "YYZ" by Rush last night and when he goes to the super fast part, the bass suddenly becomes stereo. It almost sounds like he doubled it and panned them out. Granted, something like this would work much better in a sparser arrangement. I'm pretty sure I've also heard Muse do it. Again, another three-piece group.

[@CaptMang]

WHat do you think of Rush's kick sound?...

[@dragosandrei]

I think the guitars still sound muddy, because of the low mids, sorry but it s to much for the mix.

[@tomix1970pl1]

This place is always evil.I mean low mids.

[@georgemoore8577]

Hey there Joe, When I mix, i like my mixes to sound like you are listening to a band live. Think about how a band looks on stage. Drums and bass in the center, keyboards and singers off to the side and lead singer in the front of the center.

[@bakedcreations8985]

01:25 look at the girth of those sausages! I know it sounds dirty but you know what I mean, look at the damn thing!