How to compress sub bass

omowglio

Member
Joined
May 28, 2008
hello everyone just wondering if anyone could answer this one but what is the best way to compress and eq sub bass without taking up to much bottom end ?

and how do you get the best impact out of it so it sounds more in your face. does the sub bass need to be more louder than anything else in the mix down ??

any help much appreciated
 
What do u use for your sub at the mo?

Tbh compression on low sub bass takes all the warth/feel out of it an imo ruins it.
Basically wen making your sub bass it should be dry of any fx, in mono an to make it in your face try using different waves, personally i use a sine or square, works fine an all i end up doing is making sure the levels fit right with the tune im doing.
I used to always push my sub bass an it would ruin my tunes, generally i keep in mind that sub bass should be as loud as it can go until it starts fuckin up your highend in your drums and/or causes dipping in drums.
Sayin that im learning everyday, im no expert on this i could be wrong :confused:
 
you dont need to compress it you just need a limiter, have your sub bass playing on its own then wack a spectral anylizer on it and you will notice that some notes are quieter than others. Putting a limiter on your sub is pretty much vital as it makes every note as loud as the next note, keeps the sub consistent. The compression is used right at the end of the production and gives it that "in ya face feel".... if the setting are right. Some producers do use compression on other elements before the mastering ie hi hats etc for release, attack variations.
 
nosia facade the subs peak around
-6db FS @ 50hz...
this is a pretty good referance point i
i think...
imo subs should be felt and not heard...
it all really depends on what your trying to achieve
i guess... i like to wrte mids which go very low
and take up a lot of energy down low..
i know flo (phace) has said sometimes
he wont even use a sub cause the mid
lines have enough energy in in the sub...

i use waves req 2 to high and low pass the
sub normally (sometimes use 2 as Renaisnace
series eqs let a bit of bleed through sometimes..
like the roll off to very steep on the subs)
with a range of about 30 - 90hz... important
to roll off around 30hz as anything below is really
a waste of headroom...

normally compress using the waves SSL G buss
compressor... i like this compressor on bass...
attack and release sttings are limited on this
plug but not important in thes case as the
sub has very slow transients... and i dont mind if
the peaks get a little flatened...
also i use waves s1 stereo imager to push the sub
into the center...
 
nosia facade the subs peak around
-6db FS @ 50hz...
this is a pretty good referance point i
i think...
imo subs should be felt and not heard...
it all really depends on what your trying to achieve
i guess... i like to wrte mids which go very low
and take up a lot of energy down low..
i know flo (phace) has said sometimes
he wont even use a sub cause the mid
lines have enough energy in in the sub...

i use waves req 2 to high and low pass the
sub normally (sometimes use 2 as Renaisnace
series eqs let a bit of bleed through sometimes..
like the roll off to very steep on the subs)
with a range of about 30 - 90hz... important
to roll off around 30hz as anything below is really
a waste of headroom...

normally compress using the waves SSL G buss
compressor... i like this compressor on bass...
attack and release sttings are limited on this
plug but not important in thes case as the
sub has very slow transients... and i dont mind if
the peaks get a little flatened...
also i use waves s1 stereo imager to push the sub
into the center...

THIS!

i pretty much do all of that with different vsts but its doin the same thing, all depends on what type of tune your doin really. Thats a very good explination mate plus your tunes are bangin! Big up!
 
ysome notes are quieter than others.

i like to boucne the sub line
cut out the individual sub hits
and manually adjust the volume
of each sample...
using the amplitude of the waveform
as a visual indicator of the volume
of the sub...
working with audio is so fast... :)
 
Some notes tend to be quieter than others because you have cutoff the frequency that note peaks at.

key tracking a filter may not always be the
reason for quiet notes...
it could be velocity of the note...
key or velocity tracking to any parameter...
any number of reason the notes dont come out
at a uniform volume...
 
I only use compression for bass in mastering, usually when using multi-band compression. Then I make sure the bass is centered and the rest of the elements don't take and space too centered.
 
It'll depend entirely on how many frequencies are in your sub. If it's just a sinewave, then compression will do nothing but raise it in volume. If you saturate it a little to add more frequencies, then it'll just make them more noticeable and you might have problems with your kick (hence other techniques like sidechain).

I normally tend to leave the sub peaking just a tiny bit lower than the kick (it's a visual representation), but you really need to trust your ears for it.

As said before, use reference tracks to get it right as well.
 
I whacked Audio Damages FuzzPlus3 on my bass line the other day and it totally transformed it in seconds. Filter frequency set to full with the output set to 0dB and 1% distortion and it added a nice buzz to my bass and completely balanced the notes out. Great plug in and cheap too if I remember correctly.
 
I whacked Audio Damages FuzzPlus3 on my bass line the other day and it totally transformed it in seconds. Filter frequency set to full with the output set to 0dB and 1% distortion and it added a nice buzz to my bass and completely balanced the notes out. Great plug in and cheap too if I remember correctly.

meh, I'd spilt that to a different channel or else when it gets loud it will be WAY too fuzzy imho
 
Back
Top Bottom