HUGO MASSIEN

The rising star of leftfield house serves up a bevy of bass-focused tricks and techniques for producers

: When producing many ‘bass’ genres, a high-pitched kick is paired with a low bass. Easy! Yet with 4/4 styles, how do you juggle a powerful kick and bass? Hugo Massien:

“With house, the kick is more of a prominent driving force – you want the kick to drive the bass, and to be thumping – but I also like heavy bass, so I have to find that compromise. It’s a real balancing act. “When I mix down, this is the area I spend the most time on: how the kick and bass’s sub and low-mids are working. I’ll often export several master versions with 1-2dB difference in sub levels, then listen in different environments. Really, the main thing is choosing the right samples, and giving yourself the least work to do with EQ.” : Did you learn that the hard way? HM: “Yes – I’ve learned to select the best sounds as soon as possible! In the past, I’ve been unhappy with this relationship, and swapped out a track’s kick at the last minute, but my ears have already adjusted to how the original kick sounded within the track’s tonal landscape – it’s hard for a fresh kick to fit that late in the game! In fact, I’ve abandoned tracks at the end stage, as I couldn’t get a brand new kick to work…”

: So how do you keep that relationship in mind from the start? HM:

“That can be solved with experience. Often, you’ll compare the kick transient and the bass transient, and they’re in exactly the same place, so you just know EQ isn’t going to really help. Basically, It’s learning to do things intuitively. When I’m working on a track, I have my creative hat on, so I’m throwing down sounds in a less analytical way. But I keep mix considerations in mind when choosing sounds from the start. You have to train yourself to get carried away creatively, but still have an analytical idea of the frequency balance. This means I have progressively less and less stress when mixing down these days.”

: How has hearing your tunes on big rigs influenced your productions? HM: “It makes you realise that subtlety is often lost in the club. The best club tracks can be the most simple, with only a few elements. The key is then making things interesting within that simplicity. The other skill is to make music that has enough subtlety and interesting features to be engaging when you’re listening at home or on your earbuds, then with the right elements to work in the club. But not all music needs to be banging club tracks. Just know what the purpose of your track is and work towards achieving this result to the best of your ability. ”

: Of your own productions, which has a kick/bass balance that works well? HM:

“My track has done really well this year. The kick and bass work nicely, as the sub is a nice and deep E. If your sub is a low E, there’s a ton of space above to chuck in a kick and low-cut it a tiny bit. Plus, the way the bass riff is delayed in the groove, almost polyrhythmically, creates a great reaction – everyone expects it to come in, then there’s a ‘WTF’ moment – and then it drops in and releases that tension!” No Return