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Another DL1608 Thread: How Are You Mixing The Bass

S

samurai_24

Aug 27, 2004
102
4
Sauk Rapids, MN
#1
Here's the PA setup. EV ELX115Ps on top, QSC KW181s on the bottom, running through a DL1608 Mixer. The whole band is on IEMs. Bass rig consists of a jazz bass to a BDI21 DI to the mixing board. The tone from the BDI21 is great when plugged into my bass amp with a flat EQ.

Mackie has some preset EQs for the bass on the DL1608, but we aren't getting a very articulated bass sound. Kind of an overall muddy sound with little punch, though it does go low.

My question is for DL1608 owners - what settings have you found that work for you for the bass? Any tips on the EQ to the built in compressor, gate, etc. would be great. I know alot of it depends on the room, but I need a good starting point. I'm interested in trying it all. Thanks!
 
#2
Haven't played through the Mackie, but the Presonus I've played through has a couple of bass presets... the "vintage" preset is dead to me... unless you like bass sound before rounds and Stingrays were invented..... many experienced sound techs are just not familiar or not buying into a clear hi fi sound we are producing from many of the newer cabs.
 
#3
1. If you're going to use a preamp pedal, set it for the FOH sound. Then adjust your amp to give you what you need for stage monitoring.

2. With the 1608, I avoid the bass presets. If you're having problems getting clear and solid bass tones, forget the DL1608's gate, reverb, and delay. Instead, the channel parametric eq gives you a useful HPF and LPF. The HPF is particularly handy for cutting low-end rumble. Depending on the player's touch and tone, the comp might be useful to make the bass a bit more chewy. But if you're having problems with indistinct, mushy, and low-end-focused bass tone, compressor is likely to make things worse.

3. To help the bass tone, also use HPF on all the *other* channels, w/ only the kick drum's high pass set lower than the bass. Cutting unneeded low-end from the other voices will open up some breathing room for the bass.
 
#5
samurai_24 said:
...we aren't getting a very articulated bass sound. Kind of an overall muddy sound with little punch, though it does go low.
Click to expand...
who's out front mixing all this?

anyway, try sliding up the high-pass to 40Hz, or even a pinch higher, to de-mud the sound; then, put a broad but not tall peak at like 800Hz, then slide it up or down the spectrum until you get an attack that sounds clear but not harsh and obnoxious.
 
#6
**WARNING: ADVICE FROM A NEWBIE SOUND ENGINEER TO FOLLOW!**


The HPF is your best friend. Don't be afraid to go to some "higher" frequencies with the HPF. I typically go to around 120-ish. Sounds like crap in my IEM's? Yup. Sound full and tight out front "in the mix"? Yup. Could it be better? Yup. But that's just more practicing on my part.

I go for that kick-beneath-the-bass sound. So kick at around 80-100, then bass on top of that. Use the HPF on all the other instruments, too (especially keys).

We use two powered EV LiveX 112's and two EV powered 12" subs. Can't remember the model numbers. The tops I like a lot. The subs are OK. Little muddy. (I use the tops for a bass rig when I get calls to sub. LOVE them as a bass rig.)

On YouTube there are some great bass tracks from famous recordings soloed. Some of them sound like utter ass soloed, but sound great in the mix. Check some of those out that are in the style of music you play, if possible.

Also, Google is your friend. Search for "EQing bass live" or something like that. I've read some great beginning info on how to mix an electric bass live. Doesn't have to be fancy to be effective.
 
#8
You probably have some work to do with system EQ and channel strip EQ. Not sure off the top of my head what the crossover point is when using (assuming) the internal processing of the QSC sub and/or the tops. You probaby have a lot of low frequency buildup in the crossover range that will need to be adjusted; I find on most systems that's in the 100-120hz range. If you play tracks with a good amount of low end content through the system you can usually hear it and tweak to tast. If it's bass heavy at this point you're probably going to have issues with the live instruments.

Then, as others have said, it's a matter of eqing the mids to taste. I tend to favor the 4-500hz range for bass, but it depends on incoming signal. There's no one recipe for any one instrument for a given system. Gotta use those ears...muddiness is almost always an indication of cutting some low end, which will then allow you to bring up the entire channel level. Compression can be added to taste, but it will not fix a bad EQ job.
 
#9
Hey our band uses this same mixer running our sound through a very good system consisting of:
2--QSC KW181 Subs 1000 watts a piece
2--QSC KW-153 Speakers, 1000 watts each
2--QSC KW-12 for stage monitors

I run my Mark Bass CMD102 amp direct line into the system using the amp just for personal monitor. The sound coming from the amp is amazing but going out in the audience and listening the sound through the system is muddy and not crisp. Sounds in a hole. What can be done to get the mix for my bass better?
 
#10
campbems said:
The sound coming from the amp is amazing but going out in the audience and listening the sound through the system is muddy and not crisp. Sounds in a hole. What can be done to get the mix for my bass better?
Click to expand...

STARTING WITH POST 3

derrico1 said:
2. With the 1608, I avoid the bass presets. If you're having problems getting clear and solid bass tones, forget the DL1608's gate, reverb, and delay. Instead, the channel parametric eq gives you a useful HPF and LPF. The HPF is particularly handy for cutting low-end rumble. Depending on the player's touch and tone, the comp might be useful to make the bass a bit more chewy. But if you're having problems with indistinct, mushy, and low-end-focused bass tone, compressor is likely to make things worse.

3. To help the bass tone, also use HPF on all the *other* channels, w/ only the kick drum's high pass set lower than the bass. Cutting unneeded low-end from the other voices will open up some breathing room for the bass.
Click to expand...

POST 4

Big_Daws said:
use the high pass filter at derrico said...you will find it should clean out the bottom a bit and make it a little more punchy!...
Click to expand...

POST 5

walterw said:
.... try sliding up the high-pass to 40Hz, or even a pinch higher, to de-mud the sound; then, put a broad but not tall peak at like 800Hz, then slide it up or down the spectrum until you get an attack that sounds clear but not harsh and obnoxious.
Click to expand...

POST 6

The Diaper Geni said:
The HPF is your best friend. Don't be afraid to go to some "higher" frequencies with the HPF. I typically go to around 120-ish. Sounds like crap in my IEM's? Yup. Sound full and tight out front "in the mix"? Yup. Could it be better? Yup. But that's just more practicing on my part.

I go for that kick-beneath-the-bass sound. So kick at around 80-100, then bass on top of that. Use the HPF on all the other instruments, too (especially keys).

We use two powered EV LiveX 112's and two EV powered 12" subs. Can't remember the model numbers. The tops I like a lot. The subs are OK. Little muddy. (I use the tops for a bass rig when I get calls to sub. LOVE them as a bass rig.)

On YouTube there are some great bass tracks from famous recordings soloed. Some of them sound like utter ass soloed, but sound great in the mix. Check some of those out that are in the style of music you play, if possible.

Also, Google is your friend. Search for "EQing bass live" or something like that. I've read some great beginning info on how to mix an electric bass live. Doesn't have to be fancy to be effective.
Click to expand...

POST 8

Barisaxman said:
You probably have some work to do with system EQ and channel strip EQ. Not sure off the top of my head what the crossover point is when using (assuming) the internal processing of the QSC sub and/or the tops. You probaby have a lot of low frequency buildup in the crossover range that will need to be adjusted; I find on most systems that's in the 100-120hz range. If you play tracks with a good amount of low end content through the system you can usually hear it and tweak to tast. If it's bass heavy at this point you're probably going to have issues with the live instruments.

Then, as others have said, it's a matter of eqing the mids to taste. I tend to favor the 4-500hz range for bass, but it depends on incoming signal. There's no one recipe for any one instrument for a given system. Gotta use those ears...muddiness is almost always an indication of cutting some low end, which will then allow you to bring up the entire channel level. Compression can be added to taste, but it will not fix a bad EQ job.
Click to expand...


I thought they all addressed the issues pretty well in a nice progressive step by step method..
 
#11
I have taken the information fron this thread and we tried it on my bass mix for the audience and it made a big diffrence. the best its ever been. hard to beleive that a couple small adjustments made that big of a change. Thanks guys.
 

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