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1. Arrangement and editing hacks for better bass

1 Let’s run through some top bass arrangement hacks. In a 174bpm project, we chop one or two waveform cycles of each bass note that clashes with the kick drum. This precise editing gives the kick’s initial transient adequate headroom to punch through the mix, without requiring the generic sidechain compression ‘pump’ effect. 2 Another easy and effective way to make the kick and bass sit more comfortably together is to delay the bass after the kick by 5 to 10ms using your DAW’s track delay option. This plays on the fact that we can’t easily distinguish between sounds that are less than 30ms apart, creating more separation without any obvious delay effects. 3 If a few bass notes clash with the kick, automate an EQ to carve subs from those clashing notes. This leaves you with the mid and top frequencies, which maintains the impression of bass without unpleasant frequency clashing. This trick works equally well with your snare drum, or any part that clashes with your bass. 4 Pitching the kick away from the main energy of the bass can increase separation between the two instruments. In our audio example, you’ll hear that we’ve pitched the drums so that the kick sits two semitones away from the bass when it rises up an octave. This not only makes a great edit, but keeps the mix sounding smooth and natural.