What do we mean by oscillation? Think of a singer who holds a note with vibrato, such as Adele belting out “Hello from the othersi-I-i-I-i-I-i-I-d-e-E-e-E-e.” She’s technically singing one note, but her vibrato is oscillating slowly between micro-pitches. Add oscillation to give the bass an audible rhythmĪdding a phaser or utilizing LFO oscillation to your sub-bass can help bring it out where it would otherwise be absent in certain speakers. It gives the beat a grimy feel, and it also brings out the pitch. For example, in Drake’s “Back To Back,” you can hear the low bass do several very quick slides up to higher notes. So, while those low frequencies might not be audible, if you slide an octave up very quickly between measures, it will bring out the note you’re actually playing.
Rather than going from an A up to C in one clean step, producers will slide the pitch, giving a new effect to how the bass line rides out. Slide into higher notesĪ popular technique in hip-hop has been pitch sliding. Keep the distortion to a minimum, like the fuzz on Tyler, The Creator’s new song, “Who Dat Boy.” 4. But the key is not to go overboard, or else you’re going to blow your listener’s speakers apart. iZotope Trash plugins are excellent in giving you a diverse range of options for adding distortion to your sub-bass. The appropriate use of distortion will help bring out those notes. This can be done by simply using an EQ plugin, or utilizing a saturator plugin that focuses on beefing up the mid-range.ĭistortion? Isn’t that for, like, metal? Well, yes, but it can also be used to make your 808s audible to listeners without good headphones or speakers. For example, on Vince Staples’ hit song, “Blue Suede,” producer Hadler uses a hard-hitting sub-bass, and the mid-range is front and center along with that booming low-range.
Sub-bass is all about the low frequencies, however, if you can use an EQ plugin to bring out the mid-range frequencies, it will help to make your bass more audible. Otherwise, the dynamic structure of your song is going to be lost unless the listener has on nice headphones or a good sound system, and that isn’t always the case.įor example, French producer Stwo doubles his sub-bass line with a higher synth line in his popular track, “Lovin U.” 2. You want to make it just loud enough that if someone is listening to your song on laptop speakers, they can still hear those note changes. You could also do this with a guitar or piano.īut remember that if your music doesn’t call for big noisy synths, don’t make your doubled bassline too prominent in the mix. Make sure the synth is audible - like a saw or reese sound. For example, if you’re bass line is A, C, D, G over four bars, create a synth line that plays those same notes in the same time. One of the most obvious ways to make your sub-bass melodies audible is to just double the melody with another instrument that cuts through the mix. Double the bassline with another instrument So, we compiled five secrets to making your sub-bass audible.ġ. But since humans often can’t actually hear frequencies that low, producers have to come up with ways to bring out the pitch. As electronic drums and midi instruments continue to play a bigger and bigger role in popular music, the use of sub-bass is becoming standard. For example, if you’re seeing a concert and the DJ builds to a drop, then the whole room starts vibrating with low frequencies, that is sub-bass. In other words, you often can’t hear sub-bass rather, you feel it. For those who aren’t familiar, sub-bass are low-pitched notes below approximately 60 Hz, and often go below the lowest frequencies that humans can actually hear. Whether you’re making pop, hip-hop, or EDM, chances are your music is going to include sub-bass.
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