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Kick and Bass balance

hypnotize

Member
Hello everyone! I did not find the discussion of an interesting and important topic.
To obtain a good mix, it is very important to make the right balance between the kick and the bass.
I do so: I make a solo kick and look on analyzer values, precisely RMS. Then I do the bass solo and underline the RMS bass to the level of the kick RMS. And then I already listen the result - either I customize it by feeling or left as is.

I don't know if this is correct, may be not, but this is my method for a long time.
I decided to find other methods. And I found one interesting method that I didn't know about.

"Firstly, solo your kick (or kicks) and open up your VU meter which should be placed on your master bus. The goal is try and get your kick to jump up to around -3dB on the VU (Volume Unit) meter .

Once you’re happy that your kick is sitting nicely around -3dB, add your bass elements to the equation. With your kick AND bass soloed, adjust the level of the bass so that the VU meter is consistently hitting around 0dB.

This works because the intensity of sound doubles with every incremental increase of 3dB. So the bass matches the average loudness of the kick. You could start with the kick at -10dB on the VU meter and aim to get the VU touching -7dB when both the kick and bass are combined to achieve the same result. This technique will work as long as the VU meter shows a 3dB increase after the bass has been soloed alongside the kick."

Resource:
https://www.masteringthemix.com/blogs/learn/118131269-how-to-balance-kick-and-bass-in-a-mix

That do you think about it? How you make a balance betwen kick and bass?


Thanks!
 
I find that simply ducking the bass by even just half a decibel is enough to let the kick pierce through without losing the bass in the mix.

Also spectral mixing is a major player in balancing mixes!
 
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