Bass help needed :)

Hi-Def

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Sep 24, 2012
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Bear with me, noob here, although I'm not asking how to sound like netsky like so many people seem to round here :S

So i make a bass synth in reason that Im happy with the mid-range and hi-end of it, but the low end is mucky from what I think would be the effects/modulation and so on.So i cut the low end and make a nice clean sub as a separate instrument playing the same midi notation as the bass synth. yet they dont seem too 'gel' together. Does the sub need to be detuned and modulation in the same way as main bass synth to give it the same movement? I thought this is what made the low end messy in first place?
 
If I want to add any distortion onto the top layer of my bass, I usually end up cutting it at around 80hz with a low pass EQ. I then make a 2 octave sub, which I high pass at 80hz with an EQ. In ableton, I can group the two together (and you can do the same using a combinator to combine the two) You shouldn't need to detune the sub at all. One other thing I would recommend is to make sure that the top layer of the bass doesn't have too much top end and perhaps make another lead synth instead.
 
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Good question. I've run into the same problem many times.

Rather than low cutting the bass and adding a dedicated sub, try band/frequency splitting the bass.

Here's how I do it in Logic which I hope will translate ok within Reason's mixer:
  • On the bass instrument channel, disable the output. Setup three Sends to three different Aux.
  • Rename each Aux: sub, mid, high
  • Set the Output of sub, mid and high to a new Aux. Name it "All Bass" or something similar.
  • Now, on the "sub" aux channel, set it to mono and hi cut everything to ~80Hz (more or less depending upon the key of your tune and the type of kick). Boost if needed or add very subtle overdrive insert.
  • Next, go to the "mid" aux channel and apply a very smooth low cut between 200 and 500Hz and apply a hi cut to ~1kHz. You may want to consider making this channel mono. Optional: Add some distortion/overdrive for thickness. EQ out "mud."
  • Now go to the "high" aux and low cut everything to around 1200Hz or so. Keep this channel stereo and feel free to add some inserts to spice up/widen the sound.
  • Now go to "All Bass" and slap your favorite compressor on there. Use very subtle settings–just enough to "glue" the pieces back together.
  • Add a final, hi-res EQ to the "All Bass" channel and shape to your liking.

Now your low end will now follow the "movement" of your bass and provide the low end you're after.Keep in mind the values I've provided for EQing are just for demo purposes, you will have to adjust each value "more or less" to fit with your tune.

Cheers.
 
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nice one mr lost!

hi-def -in reason 6+ you can use an audio splitter to send bass to 3 indivdual mix channels - then on each mix chanel send the direct out to an "all bass" new chanel
not sure what version u got - hope that helps man
 
nice one mr lost!

hi-def -in reason 6+ you can use an audio splitter to send bass to 3 indivdual mix channels - then on each mix chanel send the direct out to an "all bass" new chanel
not sure what version u got - hope that helps man


the spider audio splitters are in every version of reason i think


but yeah you might need some kind of movement in your sub so it follows your high end about, but maybe using a different parameter or not AS much movement, so it still all sounds subby
 
Its generally better to keep the lower end a bit cleaner and less modulated to stop it getting too muddy. What i like to do in reason is to use the Stereo imager to split the sound. Hit Solo High on the Stereo imager, then on the back of the device there is a seperate out, with a hi/lo solo switch, so set this one to lo. You can now wire the two frequency layers through different effect chains, then use the Spider Merger and Splitter to gel them back together at the end. Play with the crossover frequency so you can work out how much you want clean and how much you want nasty. You can even split the sound into as many different frequency ranges as you want this way by stacking Stereo Imagers.
 
Nice one peeps! much appreciate all your help especially mr lost for a great post. some day i hope to put back in to this forum some of the knowledge that i get out of it.

frequency splitting all seems to make good sense to me. I have reason 5 but Ive done some routing about and futures untold has made a freq splitter for reason. looks pretty much the same as what u described linguist;
synth > Mixer > 3 separate stereo imagers > mixer to combine the sounds again.

looks easy enough to build but if anyone wants it then its on the dubstepforum, I would post the link but it wont let me.

cant wait to get back from work to put some theory into practice :)
 
futures untold has made a freq splitter for reason. looks pretty much the same as what u described linguist;
synth > Mixer > 3 separate stereo imagers > mixer to combine the sounds again.
You know what, it never actually occured to me to make a patch for this, i've been just doing it from scratch every time :teeth:

some day i hope to put back in to this forum some of the knowledge that i get out of it.
(y)
 
yea man i must admit since i never really use presets i never got into the habit of making/using my own patches. generic things like sub etc are going to have the same characteristics but im not efficient enough to use some common sense and create some so that i can quickly get an idea down when it comes to me. the more that im learning about production the more i realise that a great deal of it is learning to be efficient to get a good workflow. everytime im on it i find myself passing hours away making tiny adjustments and losing focus on an end goal.

start a project, milk it and repeat. all good fun though.
 
nice one optimist, that digital labz site looks quality as well, bought the octane & DLR masterclass on there. even more stuff to play with tonite when i get home. no sleep tonite :coffee:
 
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