Eq's For Mixing bass guitar

[Jeffster]

Hello everyone. I have the hardest times with Bass eQ's when i mix. I just can never get the bass to stand out enough on it's own. Does anyone have any eq suggestions. Thank you very much

[KC_ArtRocker]

Me too....mixing bass is still a complete mystery to me.

[eamon7]

i think it depends on how it was recorded. if you just plug a bass into the recorder it will be hard to get a rich full tone and an eq won't help. you need a bass preamp. it makes all the difference in the world. a bass v-amp is a good inexpensive preamp

[Goport]

Personally I didn't like the Bass V-amp Pro (although wahwah gets on fine with his.) but what Eamon is saying is true - get a good full tone to start with. this does not mean saturate with effects and verb but just get a sound that is defined and clear. Make sure the middle and Lower end are tight and defined - add treble if you want it to cut through. If you are going for a rocky sound add just a tiny amount of drive - it brightens the sound and gives it a bit more definition (but don't EVER get to saturation point or it will become mush in the final mix)

if you are using an active bass -> DI you should be able to get a usable sound to work with. Make sure you get a good tone to start with. too trebly and you are going to lose any depth. I tend to go for a mid tone and fatten it up with the RBASS waves plugin.

don't hard pan the bass. Put it slight left or right (10% or so).

record with a compressor/limiter to even out the peaks and quiet sections.

Chorus can help to define a bass but never add so much that it is noticably chorused.

if you want to use effects try duplicating the bass track and only adding the fx to one of the tracks - this will keep the bite and definition of the original while still getting the effected sound. Obviously you will need to mix/lower the DB on both tracks slightly.

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Bass compressor settings (these aren't my tips but something I uploaded a while ago.)

1) Between 4:1 & 12:1, Attack = about 50ms, rel. = around .4 sec.

2) After recording : 5dB of gain reduction on most notes. Adjust ratio &
threshold for this gain reduction. Try AUTO ( or rel. = 0.5 to 1 sec.)

3) 6:1, Threshold = -6dB with mild attack or AUTO.

4) If you're playing a very dynamic part = 2:1 or 3:1. Otherwise try a higher
ratio. Set input to go just over "0" on occasion. Set output so it doesn't
overload the next device.

5) 10:1, Threshold = 7, Attack = 6, Rel. = 6.

6) Apply compression lightly in both the recording & mixdown stages. Ratio =
4:1, Threshold set between -10dB and 0dB.

7) You can compress during recording or after or both !

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BASS GUITAR - E.Q. SETTINGS

With 2 mics - pan one full left and one full right or both in the center.
1 mic - pan center.

Bass guitar tone controls - full up if "passive", centered if "active".
Keep E.Q. flat during recording.

E.Q.ing
Start by rolling all the bottom off (from 100Hz and lower) then use the
"low-mid" E.Q. to find the bass sound you want. Then slowly dial back the low frequencies to taste. Most of the "punch" comes from the "low-mid" range.

Cut "highs" during mixing. A bass track that sounds good "soloed" is NOT
appropriate for many mixes. Cut the deep lows (150Hz and below.) They can swamp the playback equipment. Boost 1 to 2kHz for "fret noise" (may sound ugly "soloed" but adds articulation in the mix !) Try to cut and bring level up
rather than boost. Make sure "kick" & "bass" aren't in the same area of the
spectrum.

The lower the volume the quieter the low frequencies. Check mix at different
volumes. E.Q. settings should be finalized in the context of the complete mix.
BEATLE BASS - Boost 100Hz by 2 or 3dB, (if you don't use a pick then boost 3kHz by 3 to 6dB.) To make "smoother & warmer" cut 12 to 18kHz ("hi eq") by 6dB.

SILLY LOVE TONE (McCartney) - (Similar to Beatle Bass with more warmth.) Boost 100Hz by a few dB then boost 500Hz by 6dB or so. Cut 300Hz by about 3dB and cut 12kHz by 6dB. [Good for ballads, rockin' blues or shuffle.]
BASS IN YOUR FACE (Aggressive John Entwistle sound.) - Boost 1 to 2 kHz by 6 to 9dB. Cut 200Hz by 6dB. For more "brittle" sound cut 100Hz by 2 or 3dB. This will help a busy bass line to slice through the mix.

TWANG THANG (C&W"ish") - To accentuate "twang" : Cut 200 to 250Hz by 6dB or so. (Good for reducing "mud".) Boost equivalent amount of 1kHz for "twang". Boost 100Hz by 1 or 2dB.

MO-BETTER MOTOWN (OR REGGAE) - (Smooth muted tone.) Cut 1kHz by 5 or 6dB. Boost 200Hz by 3dB. Boost 100Hz slightly. Cut high end ("hi eq") by 6dB or so. For "reggae" sound - boost a few more "dB's" of "low end".

MOTOWN (More punchy and aggressive.) - As above but instead of cutting 1kHz, cut 5kHz by 6dB or more. (Both the "mo-better motown" & "motown" sounds work nicely in a mix cluttered with mid-range elements such as guitar, piano & horns.)

JACO JAZZ (Jazz sound) (also good for fretless bass) - Boost 1kHz by 6dB or so. Cut 200Hz by as much as 9dB or more. Boost 100Hz by 1 or 2dB. Cut 12kHz ("hi eq") by 1 or 2dB. For "Marcus Miller" sound - cut at 800Hz rather than 200Hz.



Now don't ask me to elaborate on the last two sections as I am still trying most of that stuff out myself.

[Flet]

Agreed. I can never get the bass to come out in a mix. It only ever gives me the bottom end feel, but as an instrument to hear, nothing, which is a shame because I have fun playing bass (as a non bass player that is).

[Splonky]

Maybe the problem is not the eq on the bass but the eq on other instruments. Make sure you cut out the low frequencies from the other instruments. For example a guitar has most of is body abour 240hz but the bass guitar is more around 120hz. So if you cut out the lower frequencies of the guitar below around 200 then you now have left the low end open for the bass guitar to cut through. This is a crude example but the point is to make sure you are making room for the bass guitar to sit in the first place, then you can tweak the eq on the bass itself.

[supercharged 350]

Have you guys seen this yet?
http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp...SVX-Ships.html

I'm interested!

[ryanebk]

Originally Posted by Jeffster

Hello everyone. I have the hardest times with Bass eQ's when i mix. I just can never get the bass to stand out enough on it's own. Does anyone have any eq suggestions. Thank you very much

okay most people here seem clueless.. easiest way, is to either run bass guitar flat.... or to bring up the mid/mid-low range of the bass on the mixer.
People think bass guitar.. CRANK bass to hear it.. but if someone goes up to a high D, you can't even here it..
Then turn the electric/acoustic guitar's bass level down significantly, so that you don't confuse the bass and the guitar... thats a common mistake. just during soundchecks play around with different sounds and EQing. i find most of todays bass guitar mixes are extremely low-end concentrated. i have the bass on the guitar almost all the way up, and have an EQ pedal with alot of low-end on it already.

the key is, the more notes you play, the more mid-range you want. the less notes you play, the less mid-range you want. this helps carry out the long notes. also picking your bass can give it more presence in the mix.

if you still have trouble with the mix, bring the guitars down, as usually live, people crank em. so you want the drums, vocals and bass guitar on a level about the same, and everything else you can move around depending where you want it.

bass guitars are part of the rhythm section so they should be heard as loud as the drums.

[metalnick]

try using a high pass filter on the other tracks set between 80 to 150hz and you'll get better definition from the bass and kick drum tracks. as said before compression also helps level out peaks and give you a more consistent track to work with.

[Plstrcast]

I use a Tech 21 Sans Amp Bass DI, into studio compression, set very low, enough to give me some crisp "ping" in the attack, and thats strait in to the board. I know you can get really nuts trying to find "the" tone, but I have to say, this simple setup (along with some post production tweaking) has proven to be my best bet, the tone is outstanding