Low end farty bass

This is more a general mixing question I’ve always had issues with but I’m going to use the Analog 4 as an example here. When you want to play something on the much lower end - like 2-3 octaves down from middle C, how do you stop it sounding so “farty” for lack of a better word? I’ve always had issues with trying to get my very low (non sub) basses to sound heavy but also comprehensible. I’ve had luck with a bit with filtering but it’s just not sounding right. I’m wondering whether anyone has any tips for how to approach this?

Use a sine wave. If you need a bit more harmonic content, you can use a bit of drive to introduce some.

Also, really low sub bass is a bit of a psychoacoustic effect. Your brain will actually interpret really low sound with just the harmonic content being more prominent. It’s not about having a really loud fundamental.

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… together with overdrive.

And you can add a sine triangle an octave higher on OSC2 and make it quiet, almost inaudible. Maybe even just to excited the overdrive a bit more.

Otherwise … what kind of sounds do you like (link)? How does it sound now (upload)?

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Yes, Sin Wave.

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The forbidden wave.

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That’s why I like the PERfourMER (well, one of the reason).

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Nice Title for a Track or an Album.

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Tempting me with fart jokes this early in the morning makes it hard for me to hold it in.

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Use the wave with the least amount of harmonics (triangle on the A4), low pass filter to remove the buzzing on the high frequencies, and very important - high pass filter with high resonance to boost exactly the sub frequency you want.

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Let it out, you’ll feel much better.

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A good sub is silent but deadly.

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It’s the only reason I’m here.

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I thought you were going for the submachine gun.

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I don’t have the proper ammunition, I’m still low passing.

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Thanks all. Looks like a sin wave is the way to go (or the triangle on the A4). Will report back!

@shigginpit this is a fart friendly zone, please feel free to let it rip as long as you teach me how to filter it.

@Jeanne I’m out of the country atm so can’t update any examples from the A4 until next week, but will do so once I am back. In regards to what kind of sounds I like, I hear it quite often in mid-tempo/EBM stuff but off the top of my head, the main line in this that comes in around 0:18 is a good example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lOQXeMU9Qk
I’m sure there is a bit more going on there (your thoughts are very welcome on what that is btw because I love that sound) but I just want to be able to play things that low and have it still sound that dirty but clear if that makes sense? Like you all said though, sin/triangle wave, barely audible octave up and some drive + filtering may accomplish that.

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For this sound … if only one track … Saw with PWM on OSC 1 (to have some kind of supersaw) and Triangle for low-end on OSC 2 would be my first idea … and use the Filter envelope to create this “plucked” character.

If two tracks layered, then one Track with what was said above, and the other Track with both OSCs tuned to the same octave, but slightly detuned (again, to have some kind of supersaw - and they could both get PWM to taste), filter envelope for Filter 1 (plucky) and Filter 2 set to highpass - extremlely highpassed :wink:

Edit: Listening again I believe the sub bass is coming from the kick, or invented as an element of the kick.

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This is great for kicks to give them more oomph (or with an inverted envelope to dip down into the sub region on each hit but not boost that region all the time).

For sub bass, it’s not about a really boosted fundamental. And, unless you’re using keyboard tracking, you would just be boosting a single frequency and not each note that you’re playing.

Great sub bass is about harmonic content added through drive and not waveshape i.e. overdriven sine vs. harmonically rich saw.

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Legend, thank you! I’m going to try this on Ableton now since I actually have access to that at the moment. Should also translate pretty well to another sound I tried to figure out awhile back: https://youtu.be/g-3D9LQu8BQ

Though there is quite a bit of noise on that too I believe to give it that extra slap. Each of the first 2 notes of the riff are a very good example of what I’m wanting to do regarding the low end. :slight_smile:

Went a different route using FM here …

after the pause two quick examples representing what I wrote before

here’s another one, no FM this time, with a static pulse width change to the two saws

However, both don’t sound anywhere as good as the example :wink:

both approaches combined …

… “best” version below :stuck_out_tongue:

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This is all on the A4??? :exploding_head:

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