We all know how important the low end is - and how tricky it can be to get right.
And a common thread I see in the tracks I’m sent to master is that in general there isn’t enough. I think I know why this happens, and the answer is Fear.
Well, maybe “fear” is a bit too strong, but people are definitely nervous about adding too much bass, and it’s easy to see why:
Too much bass makes things sound heavy, lumpy, stodgy, boomy… the list of negative labels goes on and on.
But here’s the thing - if your master doesn’t have enough bass, it can sound weak, hard, brittle and thin… which is just as bad !
So, how do you get it right ?
In my experience, the trick is to get the low end even. Imagine you have a track with generally not quite enough bass, from 200 Hz down, say. A simple low shelf should be able to fix this quite easily, but here’s the thing - there’s also a bit of a lump around 80 Hz.
So when you try the low shelf to correct the overall level of bass, that 80 Hz lump gets too much, and everything starts to sound thick and boomy. And even if you try boosting more specifically above or below this, the chances are the edges of the bell-shaped EQ curve will still affect the 80 Hz area as well, with similar results.
No wonder people are nervous about adding too much bass, if everything you do has negative consequences !
Luckily, there’s a solution - and you’ve probably already spotted it. Use an EQ cut to reduce that lump at 80 Hz first. With the right choice of width, you can get a much flatter (more even) response, and now when you try the shelf again, it’ll work much more effectively.
And how do you know there’s a lump at 80 Hz in the first place ? The most important step is to use reliable monitoring, meaning speakers with as flat a frequency response as possible, and using acoustic treatment to help deal with issues in the room. Another option is to use a good-quality pair of headphones, with correction software like Sonarworks if necessary.
And even if the low end of your monitoring isn’t 100% reliable, you can also try sweeping a boost top and down. Listen for changes that seem bigger at some frequencies than others - that leap out at you. This can be a clue that you have a lump in the frequency response. Try a cut when you find one of these frequencies, and see if it helps. Try this cut in combination with a low shelf boost, and see if it gets you closer to your goal. Repeat and refine !
But overall - don’t be afraid (or even nervous). Solid bass is a huge contributor to great sound. It can be discouraging the first time you try getting better bass response and hearing negative results, but this doesn’t mean the goal is impossible - just that you need to put in more time to figure out the right solution.
And if you’d like more help with EQ, in all frequency areas (not just bass) you might like my Home Mastering EQ course. It introduces ways of listening and training your ears, plus my idea of “pivot frequencies” as a helpful starting-point to start improving your EQ-ing skills. Take a look !
