Bass and Kick definition

[Benny]

I'm looking for some advice about how to clarify the bass and kick drum in my mixes. I want to figure out how to carve space so they are working together but still can be heard as individual instruments. I understand there is no receipe for establishing this relationship, but if anybody out there has some advice, books, websites to recommend, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Scott Gould]

Hmm... that's a tough one. The best place to start is with monitors that really let you know what's going on in the bass frequencies - and they ain't cheap! Maybe a really good set of headphones (like the Sennheiser HD600s or Beyerdynamic DT831s). Once you have the monitoring covered, the style of music must be considered. For most pop, rock, country, blues etc. you don't need the really deep frequencies on the bass, but for rap, hip-hop, techno, maybe some metal - you need to go almost sub-sonic. The latter (deep bass) types may require you to carve out a 'hole' in the bass for the kick to fit in - a fairly narrow notch at the fundamental frequency of the kick, maybe another little notch an octave above it. Don't ignore the 'thwack' of the kick, usually somewhere around 1khz - it may need boosting to help with definition. A compressor with a side chain can be inserted on the bass track with the kick on the trigger input to cause the bass to 'duck' whenever the kick drum hits. Don't get too extreme with this or you'll have holes in your bass line!
There's a couple of ideas to get you started. Don't forget that the tuning, mic selection & placement on the kick drum will have a radical effect on how it 'sits' in the mix. If you get it right going in, you don't have to 'fix' it later.

Scott