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How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:01 pm
by Lectric
Sub bass, I mean.

I have a track, and the bassline has a heavy sub in it that hits around 30-60 Hz.

Is this too low? what is the ideal frequency to have sub bass hit at? I cant change it either because if i pitch up the bass sound it loses its key and depth.

WAT DO, DSF?

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:03 pm
by therapist
There's quite a difference between 30 and 60. 30 is heading towards too low I'd say.

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:07 pm
by Shum
When elephants at a nearby zoo start getting rowdy.

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:12 pm
by Today
i just did a track in C major and the lowest note in the bass is a low C at 32Hz
i thought it would be too low but it really pushed some weight even just on my car stereo (which is not that good)
i do believe, though, that any lower would've been too low

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:16 pm
by ariosa
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/uni ... sound.html this is as low as you can go. 57 octaves below middle c

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:20 pm
by Sexual_Chocolate
therapist wrote:There's quite a difference between 30 and 60. 30 is heading towards too low I'd say.
skream used to cut @ around 30

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:49 pm
by Capture pt
If you reach the brown note, you've got too low.

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:05 pm
by the_disconekt
ariosa wrote:http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/uni ... sound.html this is as low as you can go. 57 octaves below middle c
"The Perseus black hole's sound waves have a frequency of 10 million years!"

dat bassweight

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:07 pm
by Hircine
the_disconekt wrote:
ariosa wrote:http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/uni ... sound.html this is as low as you can go. 57 octaves below middle c
"The Perseus black hole's sound waves have a frequency of 10 million years!"

dat bassweight
Medidate on that results in nirvana. You'd be the bodsathiva of bass music. :o

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:08 pm
by James B
u want 50hz at -12db in the mix. perfect chest weight

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:32 pm
by 1point5
I'd avoid anything below 40. I find C such a hard key to produce in because of sub bass, but maybe it's just my monitors/room

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:48 am
by Maccaveli
Also depends on what audience you're going for, for example 60hz is about where Logitech PC speakers tend to have the most punch and a lot of people have those. They also have shit all response below 40hz, so those people are gonna miss out on anything below there. A decent standalone sub should usually take you down to about 30hz, and then better ones even lower. I'm no expert, but I'd generally say mid-to-low 30s is about as low as you should go unless you're playing your tunes out on big club soundsystems

Can anyone point me towards a simple, free program that allows you to just pick an MP3 then see a frequency chart of it?

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:53 am
by Sexual_Chocolate
Audacity?

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:57 am
by _TraX_
I think I heard in a Mala interview he's seen ppl cuttin at 20? may have heard wrong. Must have been pretty low tho, if Mala was trippin.

Don't even pay attention when I make em, really.

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:04 am
by collige
ariosa wrote:http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/uni ... sound.html this is as low as you can go. 57 octaves below middle c
Speaking of NASA, at their Goddard center they have the world biggest subwoofer for simulating the noise from a shuttle launch. It's begin enough to crawl inside:
Image

Now that's some serious bassweight.

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:06 am
by skimpi
collige wrote:
ariosa wrote:http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/uni ... sound.html this is as low as you can go. 57 octaves below middle c
Speaking of NASA, at their Goddard center they have the world biggest subwoofer for simulating the noise from a shuttle launch. It's begin enough to crawl inside:
Image

Now that's some serious bassweight.
WANT!

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:10 am
by Hircine
collige wrote:
ariosa wrote:http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/uni ... sound.html this is as low as you can go. 57 octaves below middle c
Speaking of NASA, at their Goddard center they have the world biggest subwoofer for simulating the noise from a shuttle launch. It's begin enough to crawl inside:
Image

Now that's some serious bassweight.
hello brown noise

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:14 am
by Muncey
As previously said i think below 30 is too low assuming you want it for regular people to listen to. Most people listening to this type of music have a decent pair of speakers and sub so 30-35 should be fine for the majority. Below that you'd pretty much just be looking to play it on a proper soundsystem.

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:06 am
by JensMadsen
30 hz is a bit too low. The best bass weight is achieved at F and the tones around it. G and E are good too.

Re: How low is TOO low?

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:58 am
by vSquared
I've just finished producing a track in E that reaches about 30Hz but it still sounds pretty good on all my systems (even when they're not designed for below 50 let alone 30!)