Bass Problems

As for reference CDs, you can't go wrong with many of the CDs expressed as examples on our website. The bass in that distribution of CDs falls around the center, some a bit light, and some a bit heavy, but on the average, those CDs are all fine, or they wouldn't be on my list of CDs to emulate.

Since bass is often a problem, many people will compress the bass when mixing, to try and keep it within a range so that it will play back over a larger range of playback levels, to have it fall in the "pocket". But I know an absolutely excellent engineer, one of the best mixers on the planet, who almost never compresses the bass...and he gets it right every time...which means that he really knows how to mix, and probably gently rides the bass during the mix. Bottom line is there are no rules on compressing the bass, either, but it is likely that bass will be a candidate for compression to smooth out problems. How much compression to use is a judgment that comes over long periods of time and experience. Use less rather than more if you are in doubt. You don't want to lose the slap, attack, and vitality of the musician's playing by overcompressing or using the wrong compressor or attack/release settings.

Another consideration is that bass consists of often extreme (low) bass, and there are the harmonics. If your bass does not have an adequate distribution of harmonics (the part that gives it clarity and helps to define the pitch of the note), then it will never be right either. All you'll hear is the low low tones with no clarity.

Feedback from a pro:

Because bass is often a problem, and because many people would benefit from professional feedback, I always recommend that my mastering clients send me their first mix before proceeding.

To help you to know how your mixes are going, we provide a service to our mastering clients. We will be happy to listen for 5 or 10 minutes to one of your mixes to see how you are doing, to see if it's ready for mastering or if you're way off the ballpark...and give you cogent comments that will help you to produce a better tape. That only makes us look better! The less work we have to do in the mastering, the better it will probably sound.

I hope this helps,

Sincerely,

Bob Katz