Three cost-effective sub-bass enhancers

Need a tool to add punch and power to your low-end? Try these three affordable options…

Usually, when creating a track from the ground up, it’s best to design or select low sounds that naturally contain adequate sub bass from the get-go, so you can build the desired weight in from the start. However, if you need to fix a bass-deficient mix, or magically imbue a non-bass signal with sub-rattling power, these tools can work wonders – try ’em on weedy kicks, limp synth basses or badly-recorded bass guitars. These types of enhancers can do more harm than good when overused, though, so apply with care. With so many bass enhancement plugins available, we’ve narrowed down three that do a single job well while offering the best bang for buck. More flexible (but more costly) options include Brainworx bx_subsynth, MeldaProduction MBassador and Universal Audio’s UAD Precision Enhancer Hz.

1

Waves MaxxBass: This classic tool was one of the first plugins to exploit the ‘missing fundamental’ phenomenon, whereby we perceive a signal’s fundamental frequency, even in its absence, if its related harmonics are present. RBass is a simplified alternative.

2

Metric Halo Thump: An old mixing trick for adding sub to an acoustic kick is to load a noise gate on a weighty sine signal, then use that kick to open the gate over each hit. This awesome free subharmonic synth makes this way easier, and can do plenty more besides.

3

Fielding DSP Reviver: Clean sub bass can lack the harmonic overtones required for radio-friendly punch. If you need precise bass excitement, use this plugin: dial in a combo of second-order harmonics for tube-style warmth, and third-order harmonics for tape-esque girth.