Find Oscar's video courses here: courses.underdog.brussels 🖤🖤🖤 Join the Underdog Discord channel: discord.gg/z5N9CTA 👾👾👾 Follow Face the Sun here: soundcloud.com/face-the-sun-be 🌻🌻🌻 Pledge to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/underdogmusicschool 🌱🌱🌱
Hello, Oskar. I have recently gotten into music production. I'm very confused about sidechaining multiple tracks from one track. Is there a way to put one sidechained compressor on one track but then have that one compressor work on multiple tracks? Have you already made a video about this that I could maybe watch? By the way, you're my favorite producer/teacher on TH-cam and your videos have already helped me immensely. Thank you, from Portugal :)
@@thedarknight5714 I'm curious to hear Oscar's answer as well, but what I have done is use a separate, silent, very transient track to act as a trigger for multiple elements to be side-chained, to keep them all in sync. You can also route all tracks you want to be effected by one common side-chained compressor to a separate bus, before routing them the master. 💪🎶
@@thedarknight5714 I hope I understand your question correctly.. but I suppose you want one compressor ducking (sidechain compress) multiple tracks. If you make a group channel and put a sidechain compressor on it, you can route all the channels you like throught that compressor. grtz
@@qracle TBH I have no idea what a bus is or what it does (or how to route to a master XD) I've heard people mention it on many occasions but I've never seen anyone explain it. That's mia culpa, though. Thank you for the tip, man. :)
@@michaelleenen2634 Oh I actually already do that. Probably not how it's meant to be done though ha ha. I think that the other commenter's idea involving a bus is worth looking into, however. Thanks for the advice, bro. :)
You inspire me so much. I have been wondering in the dark without realizing it. You make difficult concepts so clear and simple. I can't thank you enough. I hope you have a wonderful day.
it drives me nuts how some producers can get their bass so HUGE, yet it sounds clear and clean, and it doesn't disrupt any other sounds in the mix. how the hell
My instincts were wrong about this even though my perception was accurate. I felt 1) was natural sounding and clean, 2) had a “pumping” effect that I personally find nauseating, and 3) had a flat, inoffensive bed of bass that never prodded you or jostled you around. But your explanation and elaboration on why 2) is indeed the most desirable option for a club setting-something I’m not familiar with admittedly -were both so clear and well-organized, I was convinced. You are an excellent communicator. Subscribed.
Thanks for saying that! However, I’m only putting forward one argument for why 2 is best, it’s totally a judgement call and tastes differ, I think it’s just cool to be able to put words on it so you can make decisions that suit your taste!
The thing is though being an art it’s totally subjective and you can make what you want. Though if you had been shown the examples on a bigger system you may come to the same conclusion on 2 being the better more balanced mix. Still music is about making what you like and sometimes break the ‘rules’ is a way of coming up with something original and unique. I personally love reverb heavy mixes that break the rules on having the wet just there. Then I go can shape and side chain bits of the wet signal to make it work and not muddy up the mix. Breaking the rules then coming up with my own way of making work a d sort be back in the rules again. Trust your instincts I’d say and experiment. Sometimes though it’s worth checking and really analysing the mixes of who you aspire to and see what your missing.
Oscar, not the first time I'm impressed by your videos. It's not the content of your lessons, it is your perspective on music production and the way you approach solutions to all the issues. Really worth following and I recommend your channel as often I can.
i watched this quick video and loaded up an old project of mine to help balance the low end and it helped a lot. the best part of the video was how he shows 3 different low ends, PLAYS IT and talks about it AS it is playing so as to show ppl what to listen for. That one thing really trains your ear a lot more than someone just talking about it. After checking my own low end, it sounded much more balanced, great channel
I liked the 2nd one best, there's like something "elastic" to it while the kick stays powerful. I find the same appeal as in tracks like Pablo Bozzi - Hotswitch.
For over a decade I have constantly over-complicated this subject. I knew it had to be so much simpler than how I was imagining. This is absolutely perfect and has broke down and confirmed all the things I knew I should/shouldn’t have been doing!!! Wicked video and I instantly subscribed. Easy to follow and to the point. Thanks mate!!!
I like this thought. I've watched million of tutorials over the years and no one has ever given such a simple option with kick and bass. I'm gonna try it today. Thanks!
it's not even my genre, but this has been so helpful. really great content especially compared to other vids! that last shelf tip was pure gold. also nice that you gave a actual reference when it comes to the kick and bass instead of "just use your ears"
OMG!!! My musical production journey is pretty recent (2-3 years) and I can't believe this is the first time I see this trick. So powerful! Thanks a lot Oscar.
LOW END #2 was my favorite. Oscar you have such a clear and to the point method of explaining things that I didn't know I found confusing. Thank you. Hearing and simply remembering that low end always needs to exhibit a clear priority between the kick and the bass but they must still work together and compliment each other by grooving as a whole and "Masking is not your enemy"... Plus the 'CloakRoom Check'! Such a good tool, so helpful, thanks again for the knowledge.
Trying to hear this tutorial through my phone speaker was useless 😂. "now let's listen to the other one ... [dead silence] ... yes that bassline sounds a bit amateur". Excellent tutorials btw, plan to watch them all.
Hi people, here's a gem for you. When making dance records destined for the club, keep your kicks short as possible. Think of it as a transient more than a long boom sound. Clubs aren't treated like our studios. The shorter the kick the less flabby it will sound in a club environment.
I knew when I heard the correct example that it was the "best" sounding one, but on headphones the loudest one is the most fun. Sounds that break rules are very enjoyable to make and listen to on smaller setups--but if done to the extreme, they can end up damaging sound equipment. That's the problem with production and mixing...you're playing with raw energy.
@AD Shyn Would releasing various different mixes for various different situations be a practically-legitimate way of covering all of the bases? The pun was not intended. Surely, it's incredibly difficult to create one mix to rule them all. Could the time and effort spent in creating a "Phone Mix", "Club/Mono Mix", "Car Mix", "Closed-Back Headphone Mix", "Open-Back Headphone Mix", "Spotify Mix", "Audiophile Mix", etc. be viable?
@@TheValueOfN Really you want to just aim to mix your tracks to sound transparent & consistent on whatever they're played on, from little casual in ear buds to decent headphones, from "average" to good speakers; mix so it sounds as good with a subwoofer as it does without (if you don't low cut the "unwanted, often inaudible subs" in all the channels that contain them (EQ with spectrum shows us they're everywhere), it will totally mess up your balance and "frequency range", and a subwoofer (unlike average speakers, or in ear buds) will bring any "actually audible unwanted subs" right in your face (even though the same track "seems" to sound "fine" on systems with less low end range). An EQ with an analyzer (EG Fabfilter Pro-Q) will "visually show you" a lot of simple mix errors which will allow you more time to focus on things you need to "mix by ear". Throw an EQ on your master channel, look at the spectrum. Is it relatively flat, solid and loud? Or are peaks moving around like crazy with a lot of dynamic range? Is it showing way more low end than mids/highs (downward slope) even though it "doesn't sound overly bassy & muddy"? If so, you're gonna hear that on a system with more range, even if you can't hear it at home. As you mute/solo different channels, you constantly see how each one directly affects the master mix EQ readout (this way you can easily find that 1 element causing problems). I find (usually atleast) that if the spectrum on your master EQ "looks good", it will often sound good (purely EQ & levels wise) when you take it to other speakers. Even without "often essential" stuff like compression, just some careful EQ'ing and levelling can go a huge way. I like to put an EQ on more or less everything just to "probe/test" (put an EQ on 30 channels, and 28 of them WILL have unwanted subs, even sounds with zero audible low end, EG hi-hats, or singing birds); if I can't "hear" if it needs EQ'ing, I can "see" it. I think if we rely only on "visual mixing" we could lose the ability to "mix by ear", but if you use both together, mixing INO becomes so much easier!
Thank you for mentioning diminishing returns in mixing with multiband-parallel-sidechained-lightspeed-compressors. Too many "tutorials" talk about the benefits and too few mention the importance of sheer volume. More often than not it's much more effective to just automate ducking envelope.
I have watched many hrs on mixing and this on top of list of best advice. Especially after watching Leslie Brathwaite on mixing with the masters who talks about having the kick and bass at similar intensity for dance music. I then did the cloak room check to balance my bass and kick, then double checking my mix in mono at loud levels to make sure it was balanced I was able to nail the lowend end of my mix. So unbelievably simple but it translated so well. Thank you Oscar!!! This works exceptionally well too if you mix on headphones where its harder to judge the low-end.
Thanks Oscar. That is still a valuable refresher to an advanced producer. Yes, its true id forgotten this basic mindset and been using 'clever' techniques rather than doing the groundwork properly. Much appreciated as are many of your videos. Thanks Lee
Hey man, just wanted to say I've learnt so much from your videos. They are incredible and make such complex topics simple. Thank you for everything, you've brought me to a new level producing wise.
Yeah, keep it simple. I put alot of energy and time into the sound design and capture and don't want to get bogged down in mixing. I like your approach focusing on straightforward but highly effective processing.
I used to side chain the bejesus out of all kicks. Then i went down to Multi band, and even lighter multi band. This video is really great to give me the confidence to worry even less with certain masking (it can jsut be a nice blend). TRULY, thanks again Mate. I really hope one day i see you pottering around Berlin, so i can say thanks in person. Your channel has strengthened so many concepts i thought i knew well, and taught me many new things.
This is something I found helped a lot while mixing a full length album for the first time. Hip-hop stuff with lots of samples and unseparated drum loops so the EQ was my best friend when trying to balance layers on a track, especially in the low end. Well done video and super helpful tip I wish I learned sooner. Take his advice!!
speaking as a beginner: this video was SO informative, straight to the point, and easy to understand. thank you for making this video! the cloakroom check trick is genius. also im so proud of myself for choosing #2 lol
Wow man, I love how with the shelf filter part you really explained it at every level and demonstrated it making sure even a person barely paying attention could still understand
Cool, I've been working on this problem the last few days. This was helpful. I end up side chaining a filter with the kick signal. Really makes the kick pop while having insane bass at the same time.
The filter idea is stupidly simple but genius. While I play and write in a Mayer style pop blues or in country, there’s a lot to take from the groove and separation in the low end found in electronic music that keeps people moving on the dance floor.
I'm a beginner when it comes to music production and really in the dark about mixing. You really explained this very elegantly and clear. The storytelling analogy really helps to understand this better. Thanks!
awesome, never thought of this. thanks so much! p.s extra tips: mixing in mono at a low volume helps balance other elements. and setting a spectrum on the master and aiming for -6db for the sub is pretty bang on
Oscar, I love all your videos, but the last few ones have been _really really good_. The breaking things one, the chords and the low end insights ... you're on fire!
Cheers Haslo! I've been trying to up the cinematography a bit, throw in some different types of shots, make it smooth and visual! Thanks for noticing :D
@@OscarUnderdog I loved that "wait let me show you in the daw" moment, and the clip of you dancing. I don't even make techno but the tips are still extremely interesting and helpful
I gotta say: your videos have been going up and up and up in quality lately. They're much more dynamic and the editing is up by a couple of notches. Thank you for your work, it's really wonderful and soooo helpful!
This new style of making your videos is so much better. It really takes this channel to another level. Congratz for that. I think that despite the very useful information of your previeous videos the visual design lowered the precieved quality. You re on the right way I think.
I always believed that making music is so easy but making it sound good and pleasant for the ears is so hard Music mixing and remastering is a very deep sea each time u thing u reached ure destination u find out u still far away Every music and audio engineer has his own secrets and ways of dealing with mixing and mastering if u follow more than one u will be completely lost
Almost every sound you use to make a track (every drum hit, every vocal sample, almost every VST preset you play your chords, mels etc with) WILL contain unwanted low-end and subs. Every element of your track is taking up limited frequency space, and so, overlapping will occur everywhere but some frequencies sound bad overlapping (low end, part of the backbone or driving force of your mix). The more sounds you add, the more those unwanted subs build up and overlap eachother. You might not be able to hear it, but this will be why your bassline & kicks aren't sitting properly or you keep clipping. Right now the bassline is overpowering the kicks, but if you turn the bass down so the kicks come forward, the bass goes too quiet and the kicks are too loud. If you go the opposite way and turn the kicks up to meet the bass, it sounds even worse. Keep the kicks turned up then turn down the bass till it stops clipping? Now the levels are OK but the bass is taking a backseat and you can't even make out certain notes (because its the same frequency range as the loud kicks). The solution to almost everything "low end clashing" in my experience is to low cut everything which contains (but doesn't need) low-end, and that tends to be literally everything except the bassline; yes, even low cut the kicks (you can safely low cut up to around ~50Hz give or take, on even the deepest kicks without losing the sound, and THIS allows you to get your kicks RIGHT at the front alongside the bass, instead of clashing). With some EQ & comps etc, you can use your eyes & ears together. An EQ visualizer will show you where the "unwanted low freqs" are, but then you gotta use your ear and start slowly bringing up a low-cut, soon you'll hear the bass in the kick disappear, so pull back slowly until you hear the sweet spot.
I haven't learned so many things so quickly in a long time. Your approach is phenomenal. I get everything you say and hear it, but it wasn't in my mixing perception. Thanks for the lesson
I'll add my two cents here as well. Apart from volume separation and the "cloak room", actually separating the kick and bass with a few ms of silence in between them work wonders as well. Take a 120 bpm track as an example; Each beat is 500 ms long (60 seconds / 120 Beats per minute) and with a bassline on the offbeat, the kick could theoretically be 250 ms long, leaving 250 ms for the offbeat. Naturally, the kick should not be longer than 250 ms, because then it would start eating low end energy from the bassline. Same concept would apply to a rolling bassline, where the kick is 125 ms and the following 1/16 bassline hits are also 125 ms long. If the kick is too long, just fade out the tail manually and re-record it. Also, another fantastic use of the cloak room is its ability to detect kicks with a too long pitch. If the kick pitch is too long, the bass portion of the kick will sound out of sync with the bassline. Solution? Begin long journey of finding/synthesizing a new, snappier kick :(
Low end #1 sounded the best to me. The other ones were too boomy, especially #3. I usually put the Q at 0.6 0r 0.5 when isolating the low end - I've noticed often that even a default Q of 0.71 bumps the low end a bit when using an LP filter to isolate the bass.
Hey Byoken - Have you checked to see if your headset might have a built-in bass boost? I had a headset that had an undisclosed built in low-end boosting equalizer that would brutalize Bass and Sub frequencies when isolating them, but sounded great otherwise. I didn't find out about it until doing some filter sweeps to evaluate what the lowest frequency each of my headsets could render. I also agree regarding using a very tight Q on the shelves for isolating frequency ranges !
Totally agree but to me it doesn’t mean I’d prefer 1 in context of the full frequency range. But judging these low passed exampled I also prefered #1. But I don’t agree that this is THE way to determine what to do with the low end of a song, I’d have to hear in in context of the full range to judge it. But as an extra ‘ear’ I do often stand outside of my room and it’s essentially the cloarrk room effect and although it is a useful thing I don’t think this THE way to call it.
So that’s where I disagree with the video a little bit, at least if the message is that this is the way to go about it. And to a degree I think it’s quite subjective, as we prefer #1 while the person in the video prefers #2.
I listened in a calibrated Genelec studio with a proper sub which I use to mix cinema for a living. #2 is definately the best for all the points he mentioned. #1 lacks depth
Ohhhhh, i really like the "cloakroom check", thats a funny way to put it. But i think just EQing isnt enough in many cases. Sidechain compression is an absolute must for certain music styles, if you want to preserve the punch of the kick, or, in case of heavy sidechaining want to create that typical pumping sound.
Nope. You can use a phase align the kick and the bass, and/or you can use a gate with a 20ms delay on the bass (I use a midi triggered gate, triggered by the bass midi).
@@sternenherz I mean, I get it, sidechain compression works well for a reason, but sometimes you don’t necessarily want the volume of the bass to decrease. Check out Rhythm & Sound See Mi Yah Basic Reshape, and notice how perfectly the bass and kick are fused to together. Another trick you can do, is use EQ and saturation (or saturating EQ) and 6db HP cut from 80hz (or where ever sounds good really) on the kick and the bass (or the whole mix) and then boost at 50hz ish. Can help “fuse” the sound of the kick and the bass. Or you cans use a dynamic EQ, use a low shelf on the kick and bass (or mix), activate dynamic reduction, and then increase Q to taste. But yeah, I still like sidechain. Best sidechain tools for me are FIRCOMP2, Trackspacer, Laser, ProQ3 and smart:comp. I also use Bitwig so basically any tool can be sidechained. But mostly I use FIRCOMP2 (transparent up to 10db of gain reduction with very fast attack release times.).
Great video! Another tip for making solid low end is to check if the sub is phasing with the kick, aka bowtieing (I think). Fixing this involves making sure your sidechain is perfect between the kick and the bass. Not too long, not too short. This will make sure the low frequencies are cancelling each other out, making the lows sound muddy or thin. You can check if this is happening by rendering it out and zooming in on it.
Really good vid! Loving what you said about some masking being good and the effortlessness of not over complicating the mix translates in the feeling of the track :)
Thanks man. Really helpful videos. I’ve been working way my through a few recently. It’s funny how you spend years chasing your tail and then someone gives you a method which just makes complete sense. Subscribed. 👍🏻
Find Oscar's video courses here: courses.underdog.brussels 🖤🖤🖤
Join the Underdog Discord channel: discord.gg/z5N9CTA 👾👾👾
Follow Face the Sun here: soundcloud.com/face-the-sun-be 🌻🌻🌻
Pledge to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/underdogmusicschool 🌱🌱🌱
Hello, Oskar. I have recently gotten into music production. I'm very confused about sidechaining multiple tracks from one track. Is there a way to put one sidechained compressor on one track but then have that one compressor work on multiple tracks? Have you already made a video about this that I could maybe watch? By the way, you're my favorite producer/teacher on TH-cam and your videos have already helped me immensely. Thank you, from Portugal :)
@@thedarknight5714 I'm curious to hear Oscar's answer as well, but what I have done is use a separate, silent, very transient track to act as a trigger for multiple elements to be side-chained, to keep them all in sync.
You can also route all tracks you want to be effected by one common side-chained compressor to a separate bus, before routing them the master.
💪🎶
@@thedarknight5714 I hope I understand your question correctly.. but I suppose you want one compressor ducking (sidechain compress) multiple tracks. If you make a group channel and put a sidechain compressor on it, you can route all the channels you like throught that compressor. grtz
@@qracle TBH I have no idea what a bus is or what it does (or how to route to a master XD) I've heard people mention it on many occasions but I've never seen anyone explain it. That's mia culpa, though. Thank you for the tip, man. :)
@@michaelleenen2634 Oh I actually already do that. Probably not how it's meant to be done though ha ha. I think that the other commenter's idea involving a bus is worth looking into, however. Thanks for the advice, bro. :)
You inspire me so much. I have been wondering in the dark without realizing it. You make difficult concepts so clear and simple. I can't thank you enough. I hope you have a wonderful day.
Well said 👍
Wondering or wandering?
@@AlexFarleyMusic Both:)! Loll
😁👍😎
it drives me nuts how some producers can get their bass so HUGE, yet it sounds clear and clean, and it doesn't disrupt any other sounds in the mix. how the hell
Tell me about it
It's probably all in the mastering
@@Flux_One mixing
@@020halo both
@@Flux_One It all starts at production stage. Sound design choices , frequency balance, mix. Mastering is just to polish stuff that is already good
iPhone users are watching this video and wondering where the music is
They‘re not really producers if they watch a video on low end without headphones lmao
My instincts were wrong about this even though my perception was accurate.
I felt 1) was natural sounding and clean, 2) had a “pumping” effect that I personally find nauseating, and 3) had a flat, inoffensive bed of bass that never prodded you or jostled you around.
But your explanation and elaboration on why 2) is indeed the most desirable option for a club setting-something I’m not familiar with admittedly -were both so clear and well-organized, I was convinced. You are an excellent communicator. Subscribed.
Thanks for saying that! However, I’m only putting forward one argument for why 2 is best, it’s totally a judgement call and tastes differ, I think it’s just cool to be able to put words on it so you can make decisions that suit your taste!
The thing is though being an art it’s totally subjective and you can make what you want. Though if you had been shown the examples on a bigger system you may come to the same conclusion on 2 being the better more balanced mix. Still music is about making what you like and sometimes break the ‘rules’ is a way of coming up with something original and unique. I personally love reverb heavy mixes that break the rules on having the wet just there. Then I go can shape and side chain bits of the wet signal to make it work and not muddy up the mix. Breaking the rules then coming up with my own way of making work a d sort be back in the rules again. Trust your instincts I’d say and experiment. Sometimes though it’s worth checking and really analysing the mixes of who you aspire to and see what your missing.
Oscar, not the first time I'm impressed by your videos. It's not the content of your lessons, it is your perspective on music production and the way you approach solutions to all the issues. Really worth following and I recommend your channel as often I can.
i watched this quick video and loaded up an old project of mine to help balance the low end and it helped a lot. the best part of the video was how he shows 3 different low ends, PLAYS IT and talks about it AS it is playing so as to show ppl what to listen for. That one thing really trains your ear a lot more than someone just talking about it. After checking my own low end, it sounded much more balanced, great channel
So many people talk a bout mixing your low-end properly but that was the best explanation I've seen.
I liked the 2nd one best, there's like something "elastic" to it while the kick stays powerful. I find the same appeal as in tracks like Pablo Bozzi - Hotswitch.
yeah I immediately was like #2 is butter.
This is by far the best low end video I ever did see in my entire music production career
For over a decade I have constantly over-complicated this subject. I knew it had to be so much simpler than how I was imagining.
This is absolutely perfect and has broke down and confirmed all the things I knew I should/shouldn’t have been doing!!!
Wicked video and I instantly subscribed. Easy to follow and to the point. Thanks mate!!!
🥰
I like this thought. I've watched million of tutorials over the years and no one has ever given such a simple option with kick and bass. I'm gonna try it today. Thanks!
Your tuition videos are so good and clear to understand .
Thank you for all your help 🙏
it's not even my genre, but this has been so helpful. really great content especially compared to other vids! that last shelf tip was pure gold. also nice that you gave a actual reference when it comes to the kick and bass instead of "just use your ears"
OMG!!! My musical production journey is pretty recent (2-3 years) and I can't believe this is the first time I see this trick. So powerful! Thanks a lot Oscar.
Best tip I ever got from TH-cam by far. Gives a great starting point for fitting kick and bass, sometimes nothing else is needed. Thanks!
LOW END #2 was my favorite.
Oscar you have such a clear and to the point method of explaining things that I didn't know I found confusing. Thank you.
Hearing and simply remembering that low end always needs to exhibit a clear priority between the kick and the bass but they must still work together and compliment each other by grooving as a whole and "Masking is not your enemy"... Plus the 'CloakRoom Check'! Such a good tool, so helpful, thanks again for the knowledge.
Cheers Blake 😁
Trying to hear this tutorial through my phone speaker was useless 😂. "now let's listen to the other one ... [dead silence] ... yes that bassline sounds a bit amateur".
Excellent tutorials btw, plan to watch them all.
Hi people, here's a gem for you. When making dance records destined for the club, keep your kicks short as possible. Think of it as a transient more than a long boom sound. Clubs aren't treated like our studios. The shorter the kick the less flabby it will sound in a club environment.
I knew when I heard the correct example that it was the "best" sounding one, but on headphones the loudest one is the most fun. Sounds that break rules are very enjoyable to make and listen to on smaller setups--but if done to the extreme, they can end up damaging sound equipment.
That's the problem with production and mixing...you're playing with raw energy.
@AD Shyn Would releasing various different mixes for various different situations be a practically-legitimate way of covering all of the bases? The pun was not intended. Surely, it's incredibly difficult to create one mix to rule them all. Could the time and effort spent in creating a "Phone Mix", "Club/Mono Mix", "Car Mix", "Closed-Back Headphone Mix", "Open-Back Headphone Mix", "Spotify Mix", "Audiophile Mix", etc. be viable?
@@TheValueOfN Really you want to just aim to mix your tracks to sound transparent & consistent on whatever they're played on, from little casual in ear buds to decent headphones, from "average" to good speakers; mix so it sounds as good with a subwoofer as it does without (if you don't low cut the "unwanted, often inaudible subs" in all the channels that contain them (EQ with spectrum shows us they're everywhere), it will totally mess up your balance and "frequency range", and a subwoofer (unlike average speakers, or in ear buds) will bring any "actually audible unwanted subs" right in your face (even though the same track "seems" to sound "fine" on systems with less low end range). An EQ with an analyzer (EG Fabfilter Pro-Q) will "visually show you" a lot of simple mix errors which will allow you more time to focus on things you need to "mix by ear". Throw an EQ on your master channel, look at the spectrum. Is it relatively flat, solid and loud? Or are peaks moving around like crazy with a lot of dynamic range? Is it showing way more low end than mids/highs (downward slope) even though it "doesn't sound overly bassy & muddy"? If so, you're gonna hear that on a system with more range, even if you can't hear it at home. As you mute/solo different channels, you constantly see how each one directly affects the master mix EQ readout (this way you can easily find that 1 element causing problems). I find (usually atleast) that if the spectrum on your master EQ "looks good", it will often sound good (purely EQ & levels wise) when you take it to other speakers.
Even without "often essential" stuff like compression, just some careful EQ'ing and levelling can go a huge way. I like to put an EQ on more or less everything just to "probe/test" (put an EQ on 30 channels, and 28 of them WILL have unwanted subs, even sounds with zero audible low end, EG hi-hats, or singing birds); if I can't "hear" if it needs EQ'ing, I can "see" it. I think if we rely only on "visual mixing" we could lose the ability to "mix by ear", but if you use both together, mixing INO becomes so much easier!
Thank you for mentioning diminishing returns in mixing with multiband-parallel-sidechained-lightspeed-compressors.
Too many "tutorials" talk about the benefits and too few mention the importance of sheer volume.
More often than not it's much more effective to just automate ducking envelope.
Thank you, this is the most clear and easy to follow tutorial on low end I've seen!
This is an incredibly simple and straight forward explanation of balancing frequency clashing of the kick(bass) drum and bass.
Best advice EVER ! My low end sound so professional right now ! Thank you so much man !
Using these shelfs filters in tandem with a cloak room check really has made my low end sound good! Thank you Oscar!
The content here is always right to the point. No frills. Thank you.🙏
I have watched many hrs on mixing and this on top of list of best advice. Especially after watching Leslie Brathwaite on mixing with the masters who talks about having the kick and bass at similar intensity for dance music. I then did the cloak room check to balance my bass and kick, then double checking my mix in mono at loud levels to make sure it was balanced I was able to nail the lowend end of my mix. So unbelievably simple but it translated so well. Thank you Oscar!!!
This works exceptionally well too if you mix on headphones where its harder to judge the low-end.
💚😌
Thanks Oscar. That is still a valuable refresher to an advanced producer. Yes, its true id forgotten this basic mindset and been using 'clever' techniques rather than doing the groundwork properly. Much appreciated as are many of your videos. Thanks Lee
Hey man, just wanted to say I've learnt so much from your videos. They are incredible and make such complex topics simple. Thank you for everything, you've brought me to a new level producing wise.
Cheers Kieran :)
This channel is a goldmine if you want to start making music
Yeah, keep it simple. I put alot of energy and time into the sound design and capture and don't want to get bogged down in mixing. I like your approach focusing on straightforward but highly effective processing.
maybe best video ever for this channel
This tutorial was so great, I always struggled with bass when producing
I used to side chain the bejesus out of all kicks. Then i went down to Multi band, and even lighter multi band. This video is really great to give me the confidence to worry even less with certain masking (it can jsut be a nice blend). TRULY, thanks again Mate. I really hope one day i see you pottering around Berlin, so i can say thanks in person.
Your channel has strengthened so many concepts i thought i knew well, and taught me many new things.
This is something I found helped a lot while mixing a full length album for the first time. Hip-hop stuff with lots of samples and unseparated drum loops so the EQ was my best friend when trying to balance layers on a track, especially in the low end. Well done video and super helpful tip I wish I learned sooner. Take his advice!!
this video is gamechanging for me. Helps me a lot with this case. Thank you so much. God bless you ;)
speaking as a beginner: this video was SO informative, straight to the point, and easy to understand. thank you for making this video! the cloakroom check trick is genius.
also im so proud of myself for choosing #2 lol
Where exactly are the 2 shelves filters placed? Is it on the bass, on the kick or on the master?
Wow man, I love how with the shelf filter part you really explained it at every level and demonstrated it making sure even a person barely paying attention could still understand
Where exactly are the 2 shelves filters placed? Is it on the bass, on the kick or on the master?
Cool, I've been working on this problem the last few days. This was helpful. I end up side chaining a filter with the kick signal. Really makes the kick pop while having insane bass at the same time.
the filter that youre sidechaining to the kick--is it a low pass filter or a high pass thats being engaged when the kick hits?
The filter idea is stupidly simple but genius.
While I play and write in a Mayer style pop blues or in country, there’s a lot to take from the groove and separation in the low end found in electronic music that keeps people moving on the dance floor.
Great stuff as usual! TYWM Oscar. Just to add : this is the first time I saw you dancing than actually just grooving! No matter what ... You Rock!!!!
i really like how you're considerate in your titles, makes me want to watch your videos (maybe)
very nice use for the shelf, never seen this done before!
Oscar, the quality of these videos are just headed through the roof. Great work man, very very inspiring. Thanks!
This tip is a game changer for me at the moment. Super focused on how I can improve low end lately. Cheers!
FINALLY! The right explanation along with demonstrating the process. Thanks for this information. Subbed
I'm a beginner when it comes to music production and really in the dark about mixing. You really explained this very elegantly and clear. The storytelling analogy really helps to understand this better. Thanks!
Where exactly are the 2 shelves filters placed? Is it on the bass, on the kick or on the master?
I haven’t learned that quick since Andre Salata’s classes! Love from Brazil! 💜
Monday is now best day of the week, thanks Oscar for your Monday videos 👏
So succinct, so obvious when you say it. Great teaching man, so much respect.
This comment 🔥
" In You We Trust "
Thanks so much for sharing this.
awesome, never thought of this. thanks so much! p.s extra tips: mixing in mono at a low volume helps balance other elements. and setting a spectrum on the master and aiming for -6db for the sub is pretty bang on
Oscar, I love all your videos, but the last few ones have been _really really good_. The breaking things one, the chords and the low end insights ... you're on fire!
Cheers Haslo! I've been trying to up the cinematography a bit, throw in some different types of shots, make it smooth and visual! Thanks for noticing :D
@@OscarUnderdog it's well done and noticeable, really love it! Keep up the good work, you're a true guru.
@@OscarUnderdog I loved that "wait let me show you in the daw" moment, and the clip of you dancing. I don't even make techno but the tips are still extremely interesting and helpful
@@OscarUnderdog Have you been working out too 😍
@@OscarUnderdog Also love the 'dancing on my own' shots and how please you are with your 'cloakroom check' 😎
Excellent points and bass frequencies demistified,so well explained, nice one Oscar!!
I will add to the flood of comments saying this video was super helpful. Thank you!
I gotta say: your videos have been going up and up and up in quality lately. They're much more dynamic and the editing is up by a couple of notches. Thank you for your work, it's really wonderful and soooo helpful!
Thanks for noticing! :D
This new style of making your videos is so much better. It really takes this channel to another level. Congratz for that. I think that despite the very useful information of your previeous videos the visual design lowered the precieved quality. You re on the right way I think.
I always believed that making music is so easy but making it sound good and pleasant for the ears is so hard
Music mixing and remastering is a very deep sea each time u thing u reached ure destination u find out u still far away
Every music and audio engineer has his own secrets and ways of dealing with mixing and mastering if u follow more than one u will be completely lost
Good idea. I will try that today. Thank you
MANNN TY SO MUCH FOR THE TUTORIAL✌ BIG BIG RESPECT 🖤 I CANNOT BELIVE THAT SO SIMPLE TECHNIQUE COULD BE SO POWERFUL
As usual, great Oscar! Useful tips, good explanation, clear demonstration in Ableton. Thanks!
Before evn watching, gatta say that getting low end to fit proper amongst everythn else is my biggest issue !!! Lookn forward t watchn!!
Almost every sound you use to make a track (every drum hit, every vocal sample, almost every VST preset you play your chords, mels etc with) WILL contain unwanted low-end and subs. Every element of your track is taking up limited frequency space, and so, overlapping will occur everywhere but some frequencies sound bad overlapping (low end, part of the backbone or driving force of your mix). The more sounds you add, the more those unwanted subs build up and overlap eachother. You might not be able to hear it, but this will be why your bassline & kicks aren't sitting properly or you keep clipping. Right now the bassline is overpowering the kicks, but if you turn the bass down so the kicks come forward, the bass goes too quiet and the kicks are too loud. If you go the opposite way and turn the kicks up to meet the bass, it sounds even worse. Keep the kicks turned up then turn down the bass till it stops clipping? Now the levels are OK but the bass is taking a backseat and you can't even make out certain notes (because its the same frequency range as the loud kicks).
The solution to almost everything "low end clashing" in my experience is to low cut everything which contains (but doesn't need) low-end, and that tends to be literally everything except the bassline; yes, even low cut the kicks (you can safely low cut up to around ~50Hz give or take, on even the deepest kicks without losing the sound, and THIS allows you to get your kicks RIGHT at the front alongside the bass, instead of clashing). With some EQ & comps etc, you can use your eyes & ears together. An EQ visualizer will show you where the "unwanted low freqs" are, but then you gotta use your ear and start slowly bringing up a low-cut, soon you'll hear the bass in the kick disappear, so pull back slowly until you hear the sweet spot.
I haven't learned so many things so quickly in a long time. Your approach is phenomenal. I get everything you say and hear it, but it wasn't in my mixing perception. Thanks for the lesson
I knew #2 was the best one cos I immediately started vibing with it and dancing as soon as I heard it HAHA! Great simple tutorial!!!
The Cloakroom Test has just improved things for me big style. I will be doing this every time now. Thank you.
Love your videos man. Great tips, explained in a way that my ADD doesn't get triggered. 🤘
Heading straight to that beginner's course. You sure know your thing!!!
This is unbelievable. Thanks for the tips. So simple, yet, such a game changer. I'll be using this for sure.
Love your work Oscar :-) I discovered this technique from your brilliant conversation with Jesco Lohan last summer. Game changer!
Cheers James :D glad to hear this!
Man……..this year I am clearing off an entire month of my calendar , locking myself in a room , and taking your courses. Period
thank you for offering simple solutions
Damn! That's a golden! I will start using this tip.... much love ! Thank you!
Because you know I’m all about that bass, no treble 😄 Great video as always.
you are one of the best tutors of EM on youtube
I'll add my two cents here as well. Apart from volume separation and the "cloak room", actually separating the kick and bass with a few ms of silence in between them work wonders as well.
Take a 120 bpm track as an example; Each beat is 500 ms long (60 seconds / 120 Beats per minute) and with a bassline on the offbeat, the kick could theoretically be 250 ms long, leaving 250 ms for the offbeat. Naturally, the kick should not be longer than 250 ms, because then it would start eating low end energy from the bassline. Same concept would apply to a rolling bassline, where the kick is 125 ms and the following 1/16 bassline hits are also 125 ms long. If the kick is too long, just fade out the tail manually and re-record it.
Also, another fantastic use of the cloak room is its ability to detect kicks with a too long pitch. If the kick pitch is too long, the bass portion of the kick will sound out of sync with the bassline. Solution? Begin long journey of finding/synthesizing a new, snappier kick :(
Literally never thought it would be that simple, thank you so much!!
Low end #1 sounded the best to me. The other ones were too boomy, especially #3. I usually put the Q at 0.6 0r 0.5 when isolating the low end - I've noticed often that even a default Q of 0.71 bumps the low end a bit when using an LP filter to isolate the bass.
Hey Byoken - Have you checked to see if your headset might have a built-in bass boost? I had a headset that had an undisclosed built in low-end boosting equalizer that would brutalize Bass and Sub frequencies when isolating them, but sounded great otherwise. I didn't find out about it until doing some filter sweeps to evaluate what the lowest frequency each of my headsets could render.
I also agree regarding using a very tight Q on the shelves for isolating frequency ranges !
I agree. Liked #1 best as well.
Totally agree but to me it doesn’t mean I’d prefer 1 in context of the full frequency range. But judging these low passed exampled I also prefered #1. But I don’t agree that this is THE way to determine what to do with the low end of a song, I’d have to hear in in context of the full range to judge it. But as an extra ‘ear’ I do often stand outside of my room and it’s essentially the cloarrk room effect and although it is a useful thing I don’t think this THE way to call it.
So that’s where I disagree with the video a little bit, at least if the message is that this is the way to go about it. And to a degree I think it’s quite subjective, as we prefer #1 while the person in the video prefers #2.
I listened in a calibrated Genelec studio with a proper sub which I use to mix cinema for a living. #2 is definately the best for all the points he mentioned. #1 lacks depth
Ohhhhh, i really like the "cloakroom check", thats a funny way to put it. But i think just EQing isnt enough in many cases. Sidechain compression is an absolute must for certain music styles, if you want to preserve the punch of the kick, or, in case of heavy sidechaining want to create that typical pumping sound.
I thought that's what he's gonna show
Nope. You can use a phase align the kick and the bass, and/or you can use a gate with a 20ms delay on the bass (I use a midi triggered gate, triggered by the bass midi).
@@embersandash interesting other way, with the gate, yea. I prefer sidechain though, cause of my workflow, but i m sure gate works well, too.
@@sternenherz I mean, I get it, sidechain compression works well for a reason, but sometimes you don’t necessarily want the volume of the bass to decrease. Check out Rhythm & Sound See Mi Yah Basic Reshape, and notice how perfectly the bass and kick are fused to together. Another trick you can do, is use EQ and saturation (or saturating EQ) and 6db HP cut from 80hz (or where ever sounds good really) on the kick and the bass (or the whole mix) and then boost at 50hz ish. Can help “fuse” the sound of the kick and the bass. Or you cans use a dynamic EQ, use a low shelf on the kick and bass (or mix), activate dynamic reduction, and then increase Q to taste. But yeah, I still like sidechain. Best sidechain tools for me are FIRCOMP2, Trackspacer, Laser, ProQ3 and smart:comp. I also use Bitwig so basically any tool can be sidechained. But mostly I use FIRCOMP2 (transparent up to 10db of gain reduction with very fast attack release times.).
Awesome! Great thanks you!
A years of practice archived in one suggestion. Really clear and simple.
Great video! Another tip for making solid low end is to check if the sub is phasing with the kick, aka bowtieing (I think). Fixing this involves making sure your sidechain is perfect between the kick and the bass. Not too long, not too short. This will make sure the low frequencies are cancelling each other out, making the lows sound muddy or thin. You can check if this is happening by rendering it out and zooming in on it.
Really good vid! Loving what you said about some masking being good and the effortlessness of not over complicating the mix translates in the feeling of the track :)
Club bog (toilet) check is what I always called it. Good to listen to your mix from outside a room too
loving the Pokemon reference, awesome job teaching as well. thanks!
Great material, Oscar. Very clear and concise. Thanks!
Another piece of gold - i love the idea of the cloakroom filter. Something i will definitely use
Thanks man. Really helpful videos. I’ve been working way my through a few recently.
It’s funny how you spend years chasing your tail and then someone gives you a method which just makes complete sense.
Subscribed. 👍🏻
this video helped me so much how to mix basses in relation to other low instruments, thanks man
Wow, Oscar! That was a great video. Love the opening
That's exactly what I said right after your question. Number 2 bass sufficiently for the clarity of the sound
This channel is still so underated! Thanks for this awesome content
This is a good tip. Don't know why I didn't think of this. Awesome! Thanks. And my answer was 2.
ur videos are masterpieces of profund musical knowledge
gracias Dog , always good tips for all kind of levels
A brilliantly down-to-earth tip. Thank you!
Adam S-series...things are going good hahaha,really happy for you,you are really generous guy you deserve it buddy :)
Greatest of all time explanation specially put a eq to check 🔥
Very helpful and clearly explained topic.
Key words are really helpful and makes whole video pleasant.
Oscar! You are the best teacher! Thanks for all of your videos!
That's a nice simple technique, love it!
I picked out number 2 just listening on my phone. So the mids sounds better too.
Looks very simple. Will try it out soon.