4 Ways to Make Your Bass Cut Through on Small Speakers

Published: Tue, 01/31/17

If you have big monitors in your studio, chances are you have an easy time getting the bass to fill out your low-end.

But how does it translate to smaller speakers?

Does your bass get lost when your song gets played through a laptop?

If that's the case, let me give you some helpful tips to solve that particular problem

1. Focus on the Mids

If you just keep boosting the lows too much you'll eventually end up with a very muddy and boomy mix.

For your bass to cut through speakers that have a narrower frequency response you'll have to focus your energy higher up on the frequency spectrum.

Instead of boosting at 100 Hz, start hunting in the 250 Hz area for low-mid weight.

Sometimes even that can get muddy quickly so adding a few dBs at 600 - 800 Hz will bring out the harmonic multiples of the fundamental note (whatever that note is in your case, depending on the key of the song and the playing style of the bassist).

The middle frequencies, even up to the high-mids, is where you'll get the attack of the bass. If you want to hear the sound of the bass strings more, hunt higher up on the frequency spectrum.

2. Tame the Mids in the Guitars

The bass and kick drum aren't the only players that keep clashing. The guitars can easily get in the way of the bass guitar as well.

If you've found some nice boosts in the mids for the bass, try cutting those frequencies in the guitars to make room in the mix.

3. Tame the Lows

Maybe your bass guitar just needs to be louder but you can't figure out how to keep it from muddying up the mix. If you add some subtle cuts in the lows, or even a smooth low-shelf to take the boom away you can increase the volume of the bass without cluttering up your low-end.

4. Duplicate the Highs

A more advanced trick to get the bass to cut through the mix is to duplicate the track, filter out all the low-end and then add big boosts in the mids. That way you won't muddy up your mix but you'll have plenty of bass guitar energy in the middle frequencies.

Try Those Out

Making your bass guitar stand out on small speakers is all about frequency control. Try these four tips next time you're struggling with this problem. I'm guaranteed one of them will help you.

Boosting harmonic multiples like I discussed in the first tip is something I cover more in-depth inside my EQ Strategies- Ultimate Guide to EQ, along with everything else you need to know to become an EQ ninja.

Here's what a recent customer had to say:

Hi Bjorgvin,

"Enjoyed your course a lot thank you. I found it very helpful, I make EDM, trance, progressive house etc. Overall my mixes sound more natural and are starting to sparkle. I’d got the right idea, but I was doing it in the wrong areas and was being too extreme (or too cautious). People like you are hard to come by, that don’t charge a fortune which give us the little guy a chance! Thanks again! Sean!"

Learn more about it through the link below: