How to mix kick and bass: fundamentals for a cohesive sound

A unified kick and bass sound provides a solid low-end foundation for your mix and delivers much-needed energy and impact. In this video, follow along as engineer Sam Loose shares critical steps for mixing kick and bass that will take your mixes to the next level, including techniques like unmasking, sidechain compression, and more.

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Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:51 - Fundamentals of bass frequencies
04:40 - Step 1: Unmask overlapping frequencies
06:50 - Step 2: Use sidechain compression
09:53 - Step 3: Choose the right notes
12:42 - Final thoughts

Artist: Michael Klein

#izotope #proaudio #lowend #kickandbass

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iZotope makes innovative products that inspire and enable people to be creative. With over a decade developing award-winning products and audio technologies for professionals and hobbyists alike, and used by millions of people in over 50 countries, iZotope products are a core component of GRAMMY-winning music studios, Oscar and Emmy-winning film and TV post production studios, and prominent radio studios, as well as basement and bedroom studios across the globe.

SYNC ID: MB01NDNWAF2AXIH

[djnordberg]

Have heard these tips said many times over, but this video made me understand what its all about. Thank you !!!

[QuantizStudioRecords]

Wonderfully explained! But what do we do in a situation where, for example, a kick is too aggressive, attacked, sounds plastic, for example an electronic bass drum (without mixing it with a bass over it) and leads to weak compression, so that it does not rise to the reference track in terms of loudness? If you try to modify its body with a transient plugin, it's like biting into it, it no longer sounds good solo.

[JCassish]

Really Great Video - when I teach, I often underline that the mixing process, really begins when you conceive the arrangement of a track. Choosing kicks that are in tune, more often than not, will just simplify the "mixing" process. This, actually, also often goes for your snare sound, as the fundamental of your snare dictates how well your snare sits or rubs up against other instruments in your track. As a drummer, it's interesting that drummers are not always taught to consider the pitch centres of their drums (this also goes for toms) when playing with bands. To echo what you say in your video, there are instances where having instruments in non-traditional pitch centres, produces the appropriate emotional response. Ultimately, if you want a hectic emotion, it helps to have hectic sounding instruments. Again ... your first point of mixing comes in your arrangement. Super interesting, thank you! It'll give me another thing to try other than trackspacer - maybe a more appropriate way of doing this, in certain contexts.

[andersflesche]

Thanks so much! Very helpful video 🙏🏻👌🏻

[matsfrommusic]

What a brilliant tool. Btw, why would you want to tune the kick drum in the same key as the song? That will make phase cancelation even more plausible. Surely it must be better to get the kick drum as far away from the bass, frequence vise, as possible.

[ProjetoVOXUFOMIXbpm]

VERY GOOD KICK VS BASS AND A MYSTERY ONE DAY ARRIVED AT THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID

[AudioReplica]

Doesn't that multi band parallel compression trick creates some phase distortion at the crossover point? I mean all its doing its lowering the frequencies at certain point on that track.

[whatsupchicken]

Thanks, question. Is there a way to see in the unsharp masking section the "after"? I use Neutron 3 it is maybe different is 4, but when I see the orange indication northern light and I apply some Eq or dynamic Eq or even linked Eq, the light doesn't change, is there a way to see how does it change the masking issue? To see what changed by adjusting or adding the Eq? Like a button, before and after, or just simply as I adjust the eq and assuming I do it right the light would change, hopefully decrease or disappear. Thank you.

[sword-and-shield]

Not bashing, but the best low end I have heard was with the kick and bass notes stacked, not ducked, for separation. The goal was combination not separation, not easy, and requires the goal from the get of the tunes production to get that bass groove locked with the kick, but man talk about Phaticus Maximus when they hit TOGETHER, getting that kick and bass to both be heard fairly even takes skills I am sure, but man, if you ever get to hear it. Sorry I can't link you anything, can't remember the band name, and no longer have the CD.

[alexkid]

I wish you guys made a controller with Neutron and Ozone integration.

[CONFLAGRO]

Damn that techno was hard af, would somebody mind sharing the track ID. Pure fire!

[HOLLASOUNDS]

I am working on a tune Kick and Bass sounds good but dont sound good in the mix despite having EQed evrything else making sure frequencys are not clashing. Its annoying and I think I will just have to pay someone eles to engerneer My tune, because I cant do it even with tools like you show.

[IamSkyeOrion]

Ok, so how can I apply this to heavy metal?

[ErixSamson]

I'm not sure to follow you: the kick always has the same pitch in a given tune, while the bass is supposed to play different notes. They cannot always be in tune, unless the bass always stays within a single tone center (C Major in your example) and avoids friction notes from that scale (F and B in this example). This might be the case in EDM where bass lines are often simplistic, but not in other music genres.