Message 9/13
Date: 06-Mar-03 @ 07:59 PM -
RE: Bass. EQ Roll off.
yeah, the whole bass notes vs. compressor thing is an artform completely into and of itself. What it will take most is really playing with your compressor to find out what particular sounds/frequencies are making it trip at any particular moment in the tune. Sometimes it's a bass note (in fact frequently, as bass takes up a lot of energy in a mix to obtain audibility) sometimes it's a snare, or a cymbal.
Also, like k was getting at, different frequencies stacked on top of one another can also make your compressor trip, so it's really a case of playing with each individual note in the mix at any particular time at first to get a feel for what your compressor's settings and sensitivities are going to do to your mix.
Another thing that you HAVE to take into account is what type of system you are planning on playing this music on, because different types of sound systems as well as different types of music are all going to have different responses and sonic 'needs'. Some systems are going to afford more headroom for dynamics, and others are going to compress the shit out of your mix. Is your track supposed to be just a wall of sound on a club rig, or something moody and dynamic for home listening, or kinda bouncy and bumpin for the car, or flat and simple for articulation of each sound? You're the composer/engineer, so you need to decide these things when you're at the point in the creative process where you've got the composition part done and are now dialing the mix in.
A mix is kind of like a sonic jigsaw puzzle, in that every sound has a specific slot in the mix that it takes up, and you only have so much headroom in a mix on any particular frequency of the harmonic spectrum. Thus, if you want each of your sounds to be clear, and audible in a mix, you have to leave or make room for them with eq'ing and simple syncopation. If you have a deep and bassy kick, and then you try to stick a deep square/sine wave heavy bass note in the mix at the same time, neither sound is going to come through well. Thus, you have to either make the bass notes and kicks come in at different times, or you modify (eq) the character of one sound or the other so tht they don't interfere, with each other, but rather leave room for each one to do it's 'thing' in the mix. This goeas for all sounds and frequency ranges, although you'll learn that different ranges behave differently, and will need different types of handling.
Another thing that you have to realize is that these sounds working together may have a completely different character than one thier own. You may have a snare that sounds just lame and squawky, like some popping 'conk!', but then you you put it into the mix with the hats, the bass, the kicks, and whatever auxiliary percussio, pads, and melodies, if you're into that, and it just sits perfectly tight, with all of the other effects going on. The reason why I say snare as an example is because all of the sounds fit and work together. Dub has big fat basses because it uses plinky punchy little drum sounds that leave loads of room for it in the mix. Same with D'n'B. Techno often has this enormous kick, but the basslines tend to be more midrangey, because it's the kick that is taking up the lowest frequencies in the mix.
These are generalizations, but they should give you an idea as to what to listen for in other mixes to use as reference ideas for how you want to approach your own mix.
Most importantly, use your ears, not numbers.
Hope this helps.
Ape