bass or kick goes lower?

[PrograMentalist]

I'd say bass for the most part. Most kicks sit around 60-80Hz but a bass guitar (and synth obviously) can go way lower (40Hz for the open E-string or so? Closer to 30 if you have a 5 string bass with a B string I think).

With electronic, 808-like kicks it's a different story, you could have a good thump at 40Hz or even lower, like always it "depends"

[rumbletone]

Generally speaking I let the bass decide - esp if 5 string or 'sub bass' - and most of the time the bass ends up lower. And if the bass is, for example, pulsing 8ths, I might sidechain it to the kik so that it ducks when the kik hits (i.e., since otherwise the kik may not have enough punch).

I often spend more time on kik and bass than anything else in a mix . . .

[dave gross]

No rule of thumb, whatever the song calls for, and depends greatly on the instrument.

[filipv]

Originally Posted by nomoreflakes

Just wondered what people are doing. Do you generally allow the bass guitar to go lower down than the Kick drum in terms of frequency real estate or the other way round?

Obviously depends on the song, but, generally how do you approach it ?

There's no general approach. Just make sure they live in separate time/frequency windows.

[heyjonlow]

Like everyone says, it really depends. Also a little ducking can go a long way in making these play nicely.

[deft_bonz]

For EDM, like I do, kick goes lower. Most of the time I cut the bass at around 50-80 Hz.

[waxx]

it all depends on the style of music and the instruments used. For reggae the bass must go as low as possible, and the kick often get hpf-tered till even 100hz, for mainstream dance the kick must go lower than the bass because the hit gives the groove ppl are dancing to, and everything in between is also possible. They even often duck the bass by the impact of the kick trough sidechaining (lowend kick in the sidechain to bass compressor)

[deft_bonz]

For EDM sidechaining definitely can give the kick the right punch. But I find myself once in a while where this just sounds crappy, so I leave it

And yes, sidechaining on a trancey 1/8th off beat bassline doesn't make much sense. In this case the bass can go low as the kick.

Summary: IT ALL DEPENDS

[filipv]

Originally Posted by deft_bonz

For EDM sidechaining definitely can give the kick the right punch. But I find myself once in a while where this just sounds crappy, so I leave it

I have certainly heard tons of psytrance tracks with the bass lower than the kick.

Originally Posted by deft_bonz

And yes, sidechaining on a trancey 1/8th off beat bassline doesn't make much sense.

I agree.

[deft_bonz]

Originally Posted by filipv

I have certainly heard tons of psytrance tracks with the bass lower than the kick.

True, there are a/very few EDM genres that do that. Forgive me to have jumped over Psytrance

Jungle could be also one of them.