Lost in the mix.

bambambass · #1 10-11-2008, 04:45 PM

Hey guys I'm real sorry if this topic has been discussed to death. I've tried Searching for topics related to this.

My band has just finished recording a small EP and are currently in the mixing stage. We recorded scratch track and I was really amazed and proud of the quality of all of our performances. The problem I am having now is a disagreement with the engineer, who is a fantastic and experienced engineer, over the level that the bass should be set at. I play in a rock band and I have read many times that traditionally the bass is set below the kick drum in the mix. To me the bass is mixed too far below the drums and when I play anything on the E string its as if there is no bass playing at all. With the whole band playing it sounds like the guitar and drums, really shallow, no bottom end.

I've asked the engineer about turning the bass up but he is very reluctant. I know that we are paying him so next week when the final mixing begins I will insist that we try it my way. I plan to take in some CDs of mixes that I like to illustrate my point. I don't want to have to rearrange my stereo to hear the bass when I can hear the bass clearly in other CDs.

Am I being overly precious? I know my ego is involved in this. Do you fellow TBers have any other suggestions about how I can get my point accross?

Cheers.

Marcus Johnson · #2 10-11-2008, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bambambass

I know that we are paying him so next week

That's all you need to say. He works for you. He's not the producer, is he? Tell him to turn the ****in' thing up if that's what you hear.

I was doing a session once where I had freedom to make up basslines for a singer. Sometimes they popped right out, other times they took awhile. So at one point during the latter, this new engineer came onto the mic and said to me sarcastically, "Are we going to record this thing or not?" The producer and the singer were in the booth with him. I took a breath and said "Maybe yes, maybe no.... either way, I don't need to discuss it with the hired help." Shut him right the **** up, he wouldn't even look at me for the rest of the day, and the next day, there was a different engineer in the booth.

baalroo · #3 10-11-2008, 06:57 PM

Shouldn't it be a band decision? If the band wants the bass louder then tell him to give you more bass, end of story.

GeneralElectric · #4 10-11-2008, 07:10 PM

When my old band recorded the bass was slightly lower than the kick drum on most tracks.

However I used a P-Bass and I tend to play higher on the neck than most do (between frets 4-12) as a matter of course and I usually use the A and D strings the most. At least this was how I was playing at the time. For recording though I set the EQ flat and bumped up the mids so while I wasn't as loud as the kick drum I cut through better do to knowing how to EQ my bass to fit with my band.

Tell your engineer to boost some mids on the bass track and see if you hear a difference. If not, tell him to raise the volume.

bambambass · #5 10-11-2008, 08:40 PM

Cheers for the advice. On my break from work I will get to hear the rough mix again, with fresh ears. Thanks for the responses.

rllefebv · #6 10-11-2008, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bambambass

I plan to take in some CDs of mixes that I like to illustrate my point.

This is a good way to go about it without being confrontational... Yes, you are paying this guy, but you are also paying him for his experience and knowledge... He's getting that rate for a reason, so it might be a benefit to listen... IME, rough mixes sound way different than finalized, mastered tracks... Many times I have lamented a lack of bass in a leveling mix that suddenly comes through after mastering.

As GE said, during mastering, boosting mids may help the bass stand out a bit, as long as there is room to do it withput cluttering up the sonic landscape...

-robert

bambambass · #7 10-12-2008, 11:41 PM

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I will be as diplomatic as possible. this guy has over 30 years experience. I just find it frustrating listening to the song when it sounds, to me, like it is incomplete. I think I will have a chat with him about boosting the mids and seeing what happens.

Thanks to everyone.

Cheers

BillMason · #8 10-13-2008, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

I took a breath and said "Maybe yes, maybe no.... either way, I don't need to discuss it with the hired help." Shut him right the **** up, he wouldn't even look at me for the rest of the day, and the next day, there was a different engineer in the booth.

Wow, I wouldn't have spoken to you again either, and would have quit. You must have been jonesing for a cigarette, were you?