Punchy commercial-sounding bass

Recreating the impactful bass sound of commercial hits like Jax Jones' Whistle needn't be difficult. Let's learn how...

- Dave Gale

Ever since the early days of jazz and rock’n’roll, the musical connection between drums and bass has been core. Tastes, styles and interpretations come and go, but finding the perfect bass sound, that fits against the drums in your mix, is often viewed as something of a holy grail.

Pacifying the multitude of platforms, where your mix has to translate on everything, from earbuds to a full PA system, is no mean feat. Too much bottom end, and it might sound great on lightweight headphones, but the moment you step into the domain of any reasonable hi-fi system, you could have a problem, as those low frequencies swamp your mix.