Lower Frequencies

[Kwonnie]

I've been having the problem for a while when it comes to mixing down my bassier instruments where the bass guitar and bass drum become too muffled (especially during fast, double bass sections) and when I tack on a high pass, the bass loses considerable power; to the point where my mix is too trebly sounding as a whole.

The song I'm working in now is in Dropped C, so it's not that low. I tried having my bass drum work at a lower frequency than the bass guitar, but all that did was cause a tremendous muffling when the double bass kicks in. I tried having the guitar work at a lower frequency and it just sounded like mud.

How can I eliminate the muddy, nastier sounds without having to smash out the bass in my mix?

 

[tr0n]

There are a few things you could try. Muffled bass on fast sections is very common, and it may be worth carefully dialling in HPFs on the kick and bass tracks individually. Filter as much as you can before tonally it starts to sound weak. Sweep the filters with both the kick and bass (at least) playing back and you might find that although on their own they don't sound special, when together it may be a lot better.

Try cutting out the low-mids in the kick to get rid of any honkiness there might be. Be as aggressive with the EQ as you feel necessary. Don't worry out how wild an EQ curve might look, use your ears.

Finally, this article is a great and should be a big help: Mixing Metal