Musician's World

Getting the kick and bass to work well together is one of the largest challenges of any production, mix or master. In a song where the bass is very powerful and has a long tail, you need a kick sample that compliments the sound rather than conflicting with the sound. ⁣ —————⁣ In this example, the kick sample is very short and punchy. These characteristics help it stay out of the way of the bass. If the kick had a long tail or a heavy low-end the two channels would compete for the same space and the sounds would become a confused mess. If you’re making a track with a long and heavy bass channel, chose a short and punchy kick. If you’ve got a long and heavy kick sample, go for a shorter punchier bass.⁣ —————⁣ Source: https://www.masteringthemix.com/

This works because the intensity of sound doubles with every incremental increase of 3dB. So the bass matches the average loudness of the kick. You could start with the kick at -10dB on the VU meter and aim to get the VU touching -7dB when both the kick and bass are combined to achieve the same result. This technique will work as long as the VU meter shows a 3dB increase after the bass has been soloed alongside the kick. ⁣ —————⁣ This trick only works to get the kick and bass sounding balanced relative to each other and doesn't define their level compared to the rest of the mix. Bring the other elements of the track back into your mix and adjust the kick and bass (keeping their relative balance) to a level that works with the rest of the mix. ⁣ —————⁣ Its worth remembering that VU meters were built for the analogue world and therefore the numbers don't represent the same information when compared to digital peak meters as found in your digital audio workstation.⁣ —————⁣ ...