Got roasted by a sound guy for my kick drum mix and it actually helped

So I played a set at this small club in San Miguel last month, and after I got off the decks the sound engineer pulled me aside. He told me my kick drum was eating up all the headroom and making everything sound like mud. I thought I had it dialed in, you know, like punchy and tight. But he showed me how I was boosting way too much around 60 Hz instead of letting the sub bass breathe separately. So now I cut the low end on the kick by about 4 dB and use a sidechain compressor on the bass line instead. Made a huge difference in my last mix for 'D11-04' actually. Has anyone else had a live sound person call them out on something they thought was perfect?

2 comments

2 Comments

jackson.jenny1d ago

Nah, that sound guy was just projecting his own insecurities onto your mix. A kick drum needs that low end thump to cut through in a live setting, especially in a small club where the subs are usually garbage anyway. You probably lost all your punch when you cut those frequencies. Sidechain compression is overrated for techno and house, it just makes everything sound like a washing machine. Next time, tell the sound engineer to fix his room acoustics instead of messing with your creative choices.

taylor.jordan1d agoMost Upvoted

Are you seriously blaming the sound guy for your own mix choices? Cutting low end from a kick in a small club is practically asking for a weak, flabby sound. Those subs arent great, but they still need something to work with. Sidechain compression is a tool, not a gimmick, and using it wrong doesnt make it overrated. The room matters sure, but you cant just ignore how your mix translates. If your kick lost its punch, thats on you not the engineer.