Troublesome Bass

I have been producing my own music long enough now to dread creating my own bass tracks. Ironically, I love the sound of bass instruments. The low end is really the "glue" that ties a song together. I just never seem to be satisfied with my own performance when I record myself, the sound I create, or the way that sound finds it's way into the mix. I am realizing now, after years of making the same mistakes, that the bass frequencies are the toughest part of the audible spectrum to get right.

Perhaps my problem is two-fold: first, bass frequencies require more power to be reproduced accurately through speakers, and second, I have always used small monitors to mix with (the largest I have ever used have only a 5" driver). I am providing them enough power, at 100w per stereo channel, but I typically listen at very low levels in an effort to hear more high end detail. Bi-amped monitors would help this tremendously. They have a separate power stage for both the tweeter and the driver, thereby eliminating any overdriving of the high frequencies as you crank the volume looking for more bass (or cowbell!). I don't have the money for these at the moment. Although there are cheaper models out there, average cost for a high quality pair is around $2000, and I don't own skis yet.

At more reasonable prices that I can justify, there are monitors with 6 and 8" drivers which would reproduce the sound of bass instruments quite a bit better. When it came time to focus on the bass tracks, I could bring the levels up a little. I would imagine that plan might not sit well with the neighbors, for the same reason that elephants use low frequency voicings to communicate over long distances: bass travels. I am certain that the complaints would be centered less around the sound, but the repetition of that sound many, many times!

Another interesting and sometimes difficult aspect of mixing bass tones is their surprising complexity. While the majority of the power (amplitude) of most bass tracks is contained in a similar low frequency set, the overall timbre of the sound is often dependent on high frequency "flavoring" that adds character to the sound. Very often I read the advice of professional engineers who stress the importance of carving out a sonic space (usually with EQ) for each track within a mix to ensure that it will sit well with all of the others in the song. Naturally my first inclination, as is the first inclination of everyone who reads this advice, was to place the bass exactly where we all think it should go. Down low. Equalize out everything above 500Hz, and hope for the best. This technique led to a lot of frustration for me, as the result was dull, lifeless thumping beneath the rest of the mix that felt somehow disconnected from the music.

It was not until I saw a visual representation of the frequency spectrum created by a bass guitar that I realized how much audio information exists above 500Hz. This opened up an entirely different way of thinking about bass in general. I found myself applying significant boost to the mid-range of almost all bass instruments just to hear what they had to offer. I compressed only the high frequencies to give punch and clarity in my mixes. It sounded good. The bass, it seemed, had something to say at last.

This kind experimentation is key for the budding engineer. Advice can only carry you so far. In this case it could be argued that it was dead wrong. I am not suggesting that we collectively "throw out the manual" created by those that have come before us, only that maybe we should place more emphasis on creativity. I am realizing that professional studio producers guard their signature techniques fiercely, and for good reason. It's their livelyhood at stake. Unfortunately, this leaves the rest of us with little to run on.