Many church sound guys ask me the same question: How do you get your low end to sound really good? We all want clear low end but so many times there just isn't that clean sound that we want. So for those of you that struggle with this here are a few tips.
Start with the Kick Drum
A huge mistake I see a lot of guys make is that the kick drum is tuned wrong. If your kick sounds like crap, then simply mic'ing it won't help it. If you polish a terd it's still terd. If you want tight low frequencies the kick must be pretty loose. If there is a tone of air hitting the microphone then it will sound muffled and be more prone to low-end feedback. For some of you, this is going to involve having a talk with your drummer about tuning and helping him transition to a looser kick drum sound. Secondly, you want to make sure that there is a hole for your kick mic. Make sure that your mic can pick up the sound of the beater, not just air.
Pick Kick Mics
Yes I said mics. Make sure that you have one mic that is for the top end (or the snap) and one that you can capture the low end. My personal preference is an AKG D112 or a Shure Beta 52a for the kick. I choose a D112 for more gospel-styled music and the 52 for more rock. Then I prefer to pair it with a Shure Beta 91. I've found the Beta 91 captures the snap perfectly. But if you can't afford to buy a new mic throwing an SM57 or 58 in the kick drum will be better than nothing. For those of you that have digital consoles the easiest way to start with these two microphones is to take your high-frequency mic and put a high-pass filter at around one kHz, and take your low-frequency microphone and low-pass it around 500 Hz. This will keep you from wasting a lot of time EQ'ing to get the sound you want and it will also keep you from having some phasing issues. You may still have to switch the polarity but this often keeps you from being forced to switch it. Using two different microphones is a game changer.
Know Your Subs
For many churches, subwoofers are not really a priority. So most churches have cheap subs. The two biggest differences between a cheap sub and an expensive sub are, 1) volume, and 2) low-frequency spectrum. You need to know where your subs are made to shine. The more expensive the sub, the broader range where they are able to shine. Most specs tell you from 30 Hz – 120 Hz where they sit from -10 dB to 10dB. If your subwoofer hits 45 Hz at -5 dB then you probably don't need to try and boost your bass or kick any lower than 60 Hz to 65 Hz. However, if your subs hit 40 Hz at -3 or higher than it is probably OK to work in that area of frequency. Keep both your kick and bass guitar inside the sweet spot of the subwoofer. The reason knowing your sub's parameters is important is because of the next tip…
Put Space Between Your Kick and Bass
You want as much space between the kick and bass as possible. So, if you know the spectrum of your subs it gives you parameters to work in best. If I know the lowest I need to really boost an instrument is 60 Hz because of my subs then I will go ahead put either my bass or kick around 60 and try to leave the other around 85 Hz or above. The more space you have the cleaner it's going to be. I personally prefer to have my kick lower than my bass but that is only preference. It does not matter. Do what sounds right to you. I have done both depending on the kick and bass situation. Another thing I have done at times is slightly cut the frequency on the opposite instrument. For example: if I am boosting the kick at 60 and the bass at 100 I would go to the kick and pull 100 out by 3-4 dB and vice versa. This creates definition when your bass or kick is being a frequency hog.
These techniques have helped me in nearly every situation over the years. There are different ways to EQ a kick and bass together, but if your kick sounds good and there is frequency space between the two instruments then you are well on your way to a phenomenal foundation to your mix.
