The problem is the mix was done by a band member even though I wanted to send it to a pro mixing house and pay to have it done. We'd basically hear clips here and there of where things were - there was no "live" mix session. This whole thing was self-produced and recorded. The mix was done on headphones a lot I suspect, and took over a year for 9 songs and about 52 minutes of material.
We had finally arrived at a mix that was serviceable for the bass if not ideal. Now it seems most of that progress was either undone by the master or the mix changed before the master. The thing that pisses me off is it's like someone went out of their way to EQ out the "grind" of the bass. The bass just sounds rubbery with no substance to the fundamental notes. Meanwhile you could be deaf and still hear every nuance of the kicks.
It just sucks because hearing it like this saps any enthusiasm I had for supporting the record. And the worst part is apparently the master was already paid for before the rest of us heard it. So yeah, a little dysfunctional.
I think I'm destined to just be a solo artist or a band leader because I've just about had it with this kind of stuff LOL. I have yet to ever have a record where my bass is audible and clearly defined in the mix. And it's not my tone.
