Bass(es) mixing…

Wiper it all depends on the sound you are going for. What you refer to as rumble I refer to as muddy. It can be difficult to mix multiple basses so the best thing to do is a lot of research and experimentation. The more info you get on the subject the more options you will have in regards to this.

When I am in the studio I usually record two tracks for a single bass. In this case I record one track with a mic on the amp and the second track with a direct box. The miked track I use for the low end of the freq spectrum and with the D box I usually use it for a middle to upper freq spectrum as far as the bass is concerened. When you get into multiple bass instruments on a track you kind of have to decide which is going to be in the lower bass freq range and which is in the higher bass freq range. I can’t give you an exact freq for this because it varies by the bass instrument and how many are involved.

Also this is where compression(not alot mind you, use very little compression), panning and especially arrangemet is important. You might decide two play only chords with one bass and rhythm with the other. Use of octaves and even effects(chorus, minor verb, etc) can help it to breath. Try scooping one frequency madly for each bass and varying the frequency you scoop for each bass, so the basses don’t oversaturate the frequency range. When dealing with synthized instruments you can always mess with the wave response as well( i.e. sine, saw etc). You also might want to experiment with the attack, sustain, decay and release of the sounds as well. You could also try stacking multiple filters per bass or even add a little distortion to one of the bass instruments.

It really just comes down to experimentation and your ear. I know engineers who have been recording music for over 30 years and even they tell me there is no one all be all when it comes to mixing multples of the same instrument. It’s always a case by case basis.

Have a nice day,

Mr. C.

There are key combinations and special keys that can cause resonance in many objects and with other frequencies as well.

If you have two signals with the same frequency, out of phase, it can produce a strange LFO effect.

I also find that my D2 key with a nice sine wave bass tends to resonate my windows in my studio, so I have to duct tape the edges so they don’t rattle.

-R