Secrets to EQ'ing Bass for Hip Hop
By ModernBeats.com


As a Hip Hop Producer, one thing you must learn to respect is the power of bass and how it can control your entire mix for better or worse. So, for the benefit of your mixes, take note of these important tricks of the trade we reveal below:

1) Bass frequencies are omnidirectional. This means the lows within bass instruments contain a lot of power and energy, so powerful they can control the overall output of the master mix level. Plus, your bass track should almost always be panned in the center. Panning your bass other than to the center is senseless as it will only generate a mix that is lopsided and artificially hot on one side.

2) Don't EQ your bass with the same frequencies as you used on your kicks. For example, if you boosted 40-80hz in your kick tracks, then boost around 120hz for your bass, or vice versa. It's very important to avoid accumulation of the same frequencies when dealing with lows as these tracks control the overall output level of your mix. By assigning different frequency settings to each low end track, your overall mix level can become louder.

3) Boosting a particular frequency on a kick track, calls for cutting the same frequency by the same amount on your bass track. Specifically, when boosting 80hz on a kick track, be certain to cut 80hz by the same amount on your bass track. Likewise, if you boosted 130hz on your bass track, cut by the same amount and frequency on your kick track. This secret technique will give your song a far more low end sculpted sound, allowing for a hotter overall mix.