How low can you go?!?!

[Len911]

The reason I started down this path of inquiry is because: I used quite a low (pitched) kick drum sample in a piece I was working on with Steven (BlindTruth). It sounded wonderful on the Yamaha HS80Ms and looked fine on the spectrum analyzer, but...

...when I played it in the car it shook my defenseless speakers so much, I was concerned for the well being of my car audio system!!

What was/is going on here? I'm still not certain, TBH.

Stuart

You are making music for teenagers and their modified car stereo systems and listening on grandpa's?

[kova]

The reason I started down this path of inquiry is because: I used quite a low (pitched) kick drum sample in a piece I was working on with Steven (BlindTruth). It sounded wonderful on the Yamaha HS80Ms and looked fine on the spectrum analyzer, but...

...when I played it in the car it shook my defenseless speakers so much, I was concerned for the well being of my car audio system!!

What was/is going on here? I'm still not certain, TBH.

Stuart

It means that you need a reference track to compare.

The fact is that no monitoring situation is perfect. You have to know your speakers and you have to know your room if you want to mix effectively. Thus, especially when I'm dealing with bass instruments, I'll always have a comparable reference track cued up so that I can get the correct levels and EQ. This ensures that your ears aren't being fooled by your monitors b/c monitors are all different.

For example, when I mixed on my first set of headphones, the bass response was relatively weak. Thus, if I processed the bass so that it sounded good in those headphones, that meant that it was WAAY too loud and overpowering on other systems. In my current monitoring situation, the bass response is thicker but not in the way and so I process my bass frequencies accordingly.

[Len911]

The reason I started down this path of inquiry is because: I used quite a low (pitched) kick drum sample in a piece I was working on with Steven (BlindTruth). It sounded wonderful on the Yamaha HS80Ms and looked fine on the spectrum analyzer, but...

...when I played it in the car it shook my defenseless speakers so much, I was concerned for the well being of my car audio system!!

What was/is going on here? I'm still not certain, TBH.

Stuart

You are making music for teenagers and their modified car stereo systems and listening on grandpa's?

Seriously, I got an email today and noticed "car stereos" were on there. Look at this, a hundred dollar capacitor for a car??

If you've ever noticed your headlights dim when the bass hits, you have seen the massive amount of current that a car audio amplifier can draw. Car audio stiffening capacitors store large amounts of current to supplement your alternator and reduce the strain a subwoofer amplifier puts on your electrical system.

This true 1 farad capacitor is designed to work with up to 1,000 watt systems. Higher power systems require additional capacitors. A minimum of 4 AWG power and ground cable is recommend.

[cardell]

That's interesting Len!

It means that you need a reference track to compare.

That makes sense! Thanks.

Stuart

[mojobone]

The reason I started down this path of inquiry is because: I used quite a low (pitched) kick drum sample in a piece I was working on with Steven (BlindTruth). It sounded wonderful on the Yamaha HS80Ms and looked fine on the spectrum analyzer, but...

...when I played it in the car it shook my defenseless speakers so much, I was concerned for the well being of my car audio system!!

What was/is going on here? I'm still not certain, TBH.

Stuart

Could be one of those clever auto EQs or perhaps your sample exactly matched the resonant frequency of the space inside your vehicle-rolling down the windows would tell the tale, unless you were maybe in a garage. Some car audio has something called 'dynamic bass boost', usually under some proprietary set of trademarked letters, which compresses the low end to make better use of the typically weak wattages in stock car stereos. (and also significantly boosts lows, while reducing dynamic range)

Could also be down to the vagaries of mixing in a small space; usually, it's the other way 'round, but some small rooms suck bass, sometimes. Maybe if your monitors feature 4-5" woofers, it's time to move up.

Any case, I'm finding the Maxxbass processor to be key in adding super low sounds while still having them read across smaller systems, and without losing punch and presence. It's easy to overdo, but the PDF manual presents some intriguing possibilities, including the option of having more apparent low frequencies than actual ones.

[jayjay78]

Usually i use filters on individual tracks depending on the needs. Everything should sound natural. On kicks & bass it really depends on how much the filter is taking away. Especially in Hip Hop and bass heavy music where the punch is important, too much filtering could negatively impact it. Its always a good idea to use a few reference tracks and to listen on different systems, monitors, car as well as headphones & little iPhone in ears.