WHY BASS MATTERS
As the wise philosopher Meghan Trainor once said, “it’s all about that bass”. That might not be entirely true as far as music production goes but it’s not far off. The bass, or low end, of a track is often the second element to be set in the mix, once the rhythmic components have been dealt with. This approach will likely stand you good stead but, if you want what Nicki Minaj calls that “super bass”, you’ll have to approach the low end with care – the way we mix low frequencies depends on the style of music we’re working on and the type of bass we’re using.
PICK ’N’ MIX
Though bass comes in many shapes and sizes, it mostly falls into three shades. The double bass is the grandaddy of them all. Dating back hundreds of years, its look is akin to the much smaller violin but it tends to stand at about 180-190cm, depending on the make and model. Its flared body acts as the instrument’s resonator, much in the same way that its smaller string counterparts such as the violin and acoustic guitar’s does. The double bass features acoustic sound holes – described as ‘F’ holes due to their similarity to the letter – on either side of the strings. The player’s left hand is placed upon the fingerboard that rises past their left
