sub bass frequency question

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oxith_lo
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sub bass frequency question

Post by oxith_lo » Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:36 am

how low is too low? i know this differs from situation to situation. but would say a low C be audible/present on most systems or good speakers? what is the lowest note audible/present for say a simple sine. this is just a question about frequencies not really saying im going to follow this when making music.
thanks

neonmansion
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by neonmansion » Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:17 am

i read some where that 40 is low as shit so i cut at 35 with ozone, meh..

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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by yeolechap » Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:27 am

oxith_lo wrote:how low is too low? i know this differs from situation to situation. but would say a low C be audible/present on most systems or good speakers? what is the lowest note audible/present for say a simple sine. this is just a question about frequencies not really saying im going to follow this when making music.
thanks
I never go below 40 hz , and i always cut at 30 hz... And i find that F is usually the most present note.

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Barka
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by Barka » Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:00 pm

What the most prominent note is depends greatly on the system and the room acoustics. If you are writing music to be played on a club system, you are safe to go down to 32 Hz (C) and, but many shittier quality or smaller speaker systems start to lose a lot of power at 40-42 hz or so, so keep that in mind.
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mthrfnk
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by mthrfnk » Sat Nov 17, 2012 6:26 pm

Never too low, I'm all about the 1Hz vibe, so deep.
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Kit Fysto
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by Kit Fysto » Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:20 pm

You have these things called ears. They allow you to hear things. I'd suggest using those
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by wub » Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:45 am

Kit Fysto wrote:You have these things called ears. They allow you to hear things. I'd suggest using those
Ears can only hear what the system you're using to playback can cope with though. I've had to 'guess' my sub in the past when I've been mixing down on shitty equipment...sometimes I got it right, sometimes I'd hear it played on a decent sysytem and be like "woah, fucked that up...".

Plus the comments re; in a club environment...not every 'club' is going to have a fantastic soundsystem capable of handling all the low frequency stuff. The medium could well be a DJ in a small bar in Helsinki (true story) playing back on a pair of Mackie monitors to handle front of house sound.

oxith_lo
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by oxith_lo » Sun Nov 18, 2012 8:42 am

thanks for replies guys. much appreciated.

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OfficialDAPT
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by OfficialDAPT » Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:33 am

yo it depends on the system it's intended for
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by RandoRando » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:30 pm

cut at 20. 30hz is the best frequency to listen to on subs in a car. people saying that 40hz is high are crazy. 40hz isnt that low
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musicandme
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by musicandme » Mon Nov 19, 2012 5:47 am

Didn't want to start a new thread for such a similar question, but...where do you guys normally like your mid range synths fundamentals to be hitting at? I normally low pass them at 150 to give room for the kick, and am having some trouble finding a good frequency to start them off at. I'm talking a burial-esque reese that sits low down, but is still above the kick.
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OfficialDAPT
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by OfficialDAPT » Mon Nov 19, 2012 5:53 am

150 is probably a little high for your kick but it depends on the sample. Try combining eq and sidechaining to clear up your kick
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musicandme
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by musicandme » Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:12 am

My kick hits much lower than that, but given the nature of a gradual slope on a low pass I've just been feeling comfortable giving in plenty of room to breathe. I want it to dominate the lows while the bass sits ever so slightly above it. idk if i'm making sense.
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bassinine
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by bassinine » Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:24 pm

40hz is usually where you get the most power from good sound systems.

that's why people write so many edm songs in F through A. because the sub bass hits the hardest in that range. Em is too low, Fm is pushing it, F#m is perfect - unless you're trying to write in modes, of course.

you don't need anything passed 28hz. 30hz is almost inaudible, but that's about as low as anything should ever need to be. unless you're designing like soundscapes and effects for movies or something.

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koncide
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by koncide » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:14 pm

By low C if you mean C 1, I would find that probably a bit TOO low for most systems. I myself normally never go lower than D#.

E, F, F#, G are all good keys.

I high pass my tunes around 30.

As for a mid range bass, that would depend on the nature of the bass. Doctor P's Big Boss would probably have been low passed at around 100,000,00 hz, whereas if you're making dungeon somewhere around the region of 150-500 maybe.
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by mthrfnk » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:18 pm

musicandme wrote:Didn't want to start a new thread for such a similar question, but...where do you guys normally like your mid range synths fundamentals to be hitting at? I normally low pass them at 150 to give room for the kick, and am having some trouble finding a good frequency to start them off at. I'm talking a burial-esque reese that sits low down, but is still above the kick.
For reeses I'd cut them for the sub bass, but for the kick I'd notch an EQ in the reese rather than cutting above the kick.
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fv2k
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by fv2k » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:43 pm

It's a sine wave... no need to high pass the sub, there's no content below (or above) the fundamental

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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by bassinine » Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:11 pm

fv2k wrote:It's a sine wave... no need to high pass the sub, there's no content below (or above) the fundamental
while true in theory, it's rarely true in practice. tend to get pops and clicks from the synth's envelopes, which is usually easier to fix by just low passing.

also, most people saturate their sub a little, and low pass it so the harmonics are subtle but still present.

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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by koncide » Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:50 pm

A sine wave that is PURE will have no additional content, but as per post above, DAW processing will normally add artifacts either desirable or no, so I'd say it's good practice to LP/HP your sub.
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Re: sub bass frequency question

Post by Sparxy » Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:07 pm

Human ears can't hear anything below 20hz. 40hz and above is typically good for a chest rattling sub. E,F and G are favoured root keys to achieve this, C is probably a bit too low. The lowest i've personally written anything is D#. Have a play and find out what works for you.

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