A friend asked me “The bass is mostly low end, but how do you get it to speak in the mix? Add mid/high frequency? How much?”

This is a great question! It points directly to the way I approach bass in a mix.

The bass guitar is usually the foundation of low end of any mix. Have you ever muted the bass once you were done with a mix? If you do, the whole thing seems empty. Even though bass has lots of low frequencies, you also want the notes to speak as best as they can without just being boomy or a rumble.

So here’s what I do..

As with any track I am getting ready to add to the mix, I try figure out what’s been done to it already. Was it recorded well? How much was it compressed already? Basically, does it sound good and do I like it? Barring it being crap or having any problems I start with an overall compression. Slight or hard depending on what already has been done to it...

This is one of my favs for bass. I actually use the real one when tracking. I just dial the gain reduction knob so to

knock a couple db’s or so off.

Now what I do secondly gets to the nitty gritty. I use a multi-band compressor. (It splits frequencies and compresses them differently) I compress the low end below 160 hz or so fairly hard while the frequencies above the crossover are not compressed as much. By compressing the low end this way I can really control it! Then I gain the low end part of the compressor back up to where it feels good. This makes the bass sit nicely in a mix while not making the bass sound like compressed mush. I use a really quick attack and then vary the releases depending one what is being played. If its an upbeat song the releases will be quicker then a slow song...

This preset is a guideline, mess around with it and find what you like.

Lastly, I will add an EQ if necessary to bring out the midrange. This gives the bass some added definition if it needs it. Usually, somewhere in the vicinity of

800 hz to 2 khz. Sweep the frequency to find what works best for you..

I generally use the Joe Meek or Pultec equalizer. You can easily use whatever plug-ins have. I am giving you guidelines to start your own presets....

Or this...