MIX FAT BASS Guitar that CUTS Through the MIX

MIX FAT BASS Guitar that CUTS Through the MIX

We all love a good bass track, right? But it’s easy for that low-end to get lost in the mix on modern speaker systems.

You need to mix your bass so that the fat sound cuts through and sits perfectly in your mix.

Today, I’m going to take you step-by step through one of my favorite process for getting a bass sound that blows listeners away!

What are your favorite tips for a great bass sound?

Let me know in the comments!

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:40 Track preview
1:40 Step 1: duplicating the performance
1:55 Step 2: add a virtual bass amp to doubled track
2:10 Step 3: add high pass filter
2:45 Step 4: add a sansamp (plugin)
3:20 Step 5: add some 1176 compression
4:05 Step 6: add a low pass filter to DI track
5:00 Step 7: add 1176 to DI track
5:10 Step 8: add Rbass
5:40 Step 9: add a small high pass filter
6:20 Checking the phase relationship between the channels
6:58 Listening in the full mix

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Some of the gear and plugins I use in the studio:

STUDIO MONITORS:
HEADPHONES:

VIDEO FILMING GEAR
Video gear shared in this video

[hakonhjaltalin]

Passing a clean DI signal through a low-pass filter and high-pass everything else is actually brilliant for keeping the low end clean. Thank you for the advice.

[dannyrio]

Awesome. About to lay down some bass right now. I'll try this out. Thanks!

[yosoysoloyo]

I never thought about using a crossover technique like this on bass. C'est trippant en esti!

[GiovanniGugliantini]

Cool. I used to do something like that with my amp, leaving low-end clean and high-end through a peadlboard.

[tama_puaka]

Thanks a looot for this quality advice! I was always struggling with a sh*tty muddy bass sound and this immediately sounds awesome and fulfilling it's own place. The control of the low end part is perfect, then I put the 2 channels in an aux track to big muff it up and once again, it's perfect, you kick ass dude !

[ross]

I rely on Waves "In Phase" plugin for fixing phase issues. Sometimes things are not 180 degrees out. The Guitars and Bass phase seem to always be a little out when you re-amp, it really helps fixing that. Plus it's a huge time saver for my one room studio where you can't hear phase relationships until playback.

[patrobys]

Hey chris,
Little late on this video, but as mixing my own bass tracks, i duplicate my track and then, send them to a big compression so that paralel compression occurs.althought, i've noticed you didnt pan your channels hard left and right...is this something you recommend for a bass guitar normally?..or for example, if ive recorded a little sample bass track in the chorus to make it "punchier", should that track stays centre?..my biggest issues in my last mixes was a lot with the panning stuff so im really curious about how to do it properly with each track!
Thanks for your reply

[paulferrarodrums]

Thanks for a simple easy to understand tutorial.

[JTPiano]

Morning Chris. I spun your new single about a half a dozen times. Nice tune and great groove. Your female vocalist has a lovely voice. So you should get a cheque for .005 cents really soon: “let the good times roll”!
All kidding aside. Great job.

[EncounterCaneCorso]

Awesome Chris, appreciate these tips.

[relativity]

Thank you Chris! It was very helpful!

[DaveDickens]

Thanks Chris, excellent video. Cheers Dave

[piscesman]

Great sound, great bass player, and killer riff.

[willandwav]

Thanks Chris. Brilliant as always! Is there a stock distortion plugin in Cubase I could use instead of Sansamp?

[robertmacbean]

Very usefull tutorials, I might say, Chrissie. Using them a lot! ;)

[johncostigan]

Great bass shaping technique. Thanks Chris

[johncostigan]

Text-book, fool-resistant bass guitar wrangling. Thanks Much, Chris!

[musicinsession]

Hands down the best mixing/production channel on youtube! Been following Chris for 2 years now! Never disappoints and such a likeable dude! As I call him, the Peter Mckinon of music production haha! Keep it up mate!

[LondonSteveLee]

I do something similar but with two copies of the DI'd bass. Other than a bit of compression I leave the DI'd bass alone - perhaps notch some annoying frequencies. have a high passed distortion track like yours and a sub bass copy - the "glued" preset of the stock Steinberg Bass VST is a great start, then I blend in some sub content with BX subsynth. All three tracks then go to a bass group track with gentle compression to glue it.

[thebitterbeginning]

Thanks for sharing your approach on this. I've read a lot, I've heard a lot...but to see a great engineer walk through the setup is reassuring.