Florian Harres
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MYTH BUSTER: DO I ALWAYS NEED TO LOW CUT / HIGH PASS EVERYTHING EXCEPT BASS AND KICK
🕑 Added 2022-10-24 06:00:05 +0000 UTCHey fam,
I am finishing off this month with looking at another music production myth. I very often hear "one always needs to get rid of all unnecessary low/bass frequencies to leave room for bass and kick". The myth is rooted on the following thought: "If the sound is a midrange or top-end sound, then it doesn’t need unnecessary bass or low end clutter. Simply use a steep low cut to get rid of all the unwanted low freqs on all those respective channels other than kick and bass."
It's true, low cutting is an easy fix to eliminate unnecessary frequencies in the lows to reclaim headroom. So it feels logical that low cutting all elements which are not bass-centered will result in more or better opportunities for loudness , more optimal sound and control.
Whereas the technical side of the myth's thought is pretty much correct (less clutter in the lows will bring you more headroom/loudness), I feel it's not a good rule to follow always.
Of course you can achieve great results with it, but following this advice all radical is not a good way to go. The devil is as always in the detail, so in the end it really depends on the specific sound and vibe in your track you look at. Also, depending on song or should I better say genre, removing low end body from all midrange or top end instruments will probably end up making your mix sound too thin or sterile.
Think of low end parts of all sounds as their anchor. With simply low cutting everything except kick and bass f.e., you will end up cutting all those elements body or low room resonances below the root harmonic. Many instruments in fact do rely on their low end to give them body. Removing the body resonances will un-anchor them, so to speak. So in case a sound/instrument does own resonance below what appears to be its fundamental harmonic, the feeling of that sound or even whole song will benefit from keeping it in (at least to my ears and to the extent it doesn't put all other low end on jeopardy, as for example creating too much phase issues down there or simply just cluttering the mix with a huge amount of badly recorded or too over-effected low end).
I do recommend to often first look at less complex layering, voicing, sequencing of sounds, or on the arrangement itself in case there are too many low end freqs clashing. If all this is as good it can be, but the low end is still too busy, or 'unnecessary" cluttered, then it is surely okay to EQ, filter, or compress based on what the sound, instrument or track needs to perform better. If f.e. a stab sound or drum break sounds great with a steep high pass at smth. like 200 or 250 Hz, then ofc feel free to do so. Usually it is important to judge this based on the track though.
Also, I would like to note that you do not always need those steep high pass filters to reduce low frequencies in a track. Next time when you are unsure if the element or instrument does need a big low cut, maybe consider trying to use a low shelf filter curve with a wider Q instead or first. If you still need to create more room then you can surely alter to a steeper hi-pass. Just try to listen as carefully you can to what each intervention will do to the feeling of your track or sound.
Soooo, to sum things up, I think it usually is wiser to not apply this myth based strategy as an "always go to solution" to all tracks at all times. Simply use low-cutting based on the situation’s requirements. Know about the beneficial side of reducing or controlling your tracks low-end. No doubt have it in your toolbox for quickly accessible solutions. Just try to not hit every channel with it like it’s an obsession to control everything possible. I hope this did help :D
Sneak preview for next month/November: will probably start the month with a new production live stream and and exciting new sample pack. Also working out a new production insight for you, will most likely have some new LINKED music finished coming to you too + more.
Sending much love to the bunch of you <3
Flo
