Get a Cleaner Bass Guitar with These Easy EQ Fixes

Published: Mon, 07/08/19

Nailing that low end is tricky right?

You might be working with many different instruments and they all sound good, but for some reason you can't get that bass guitar to the same level. It's either too muddy, too thick or too weak. It's hard to find that perfect middle ground.

There are a variety of fixes when it comes to dealing with low end, as every situation is always a little different. However, there is one crucial processor that is instrumental in getting your bass sounding good.

The Equalizer.

By using the equalizer you can sculpt the low-end until it's just the right amount of tight bass. But knowing where to look, and knowing what to steer clear of is important to getting your low end right. Let's look at a few quick fixes for the bass guitar.

Subtle Filtering

It's always a good idea to filter out any unnecessary frequency information. However, be careful when you use that high-pass filter on a low end instrument. Since that's where most of the character of the instrument lies, filtering it out can lead to a thin sounding bass that has lost all of its power.

For instance, a bass guitar filtered up to 100 Hz can make it sound pretty thin and lifeless.

If you are dealing with similar problems, make sure you aren't filtering out important information.

Subtle EQ Fixes

Additionally, the thickness of the bass guitar is somewhere from 80 - 100 Hz so by cutting the muddiness you may be able to boost the actual bass sound of the bass guitar a little more.

Obviously, every situation might be slightly different. You might need boosts in the mids around 600-800 to get the bass to cut out through small speakers.

The main process goes like this:

Make sure the subsonics are filtered out
Add thickness depending on where it doesn't fight with the kick drum
Cut muddiness
Add mids to cut through the mix

Where Do You Go From Here?

Dealing with low end is just one of the many topics I tackle in my EQ Strategies - Your Ultimate Guide to EQ.

If you want a broader perspective on EQ'ing so that you can hear all of your instruments clearly in the mix, without them feeling thin or muddy, then I encourage you to check it out: