Finding the right bass guitar tone for your track or genre and getting it into the mix can be a challenge. The range of the bass is quite narrow and requires special attention to different frequencies, as even a small change can make a big difference.
How-to
There are five frequency ranges commonly used to define a bass’s qualities. Try to apply a selective EQ filter to hear how every band sounds in isolation. Remember that EQ sits at the end of your sound chain and affects all the other components before it: player techniques, strings, pickups, tone controls, so it’s the best place to start to correct obvious sound problems, but you may need to experiment with the rest of the chain to get 100% of the sound you want.
Bottom end/fullness
20-150 Hz
This is where the low end rumble lives, if you listen to the bass alone it will add a lot of richness to the sound and you can even fill it with your body, but in the mix it can create a lot of conflict with the kick and eat up the much needed headroom to bring the loudness of your track up to modern standards. So if side-chaining from the kick or other advanced techniques are not an option (e.g. playing live), rolling it off a bit can help in the mix and drastically improve your live sound, especially if you play a lot of 8th or 16th notes.
Mud/boxy/boom
250 Hz
This is another area where you need to be particularly careful if you’re playing a lot of fast phrases; turning it down a few dB will clean up the sound and give you extra room to cut through the mix. On the other hand, if you are playing a slow-tempo ballad and this range is not occupied, turning it up will add more richness to the bass tone that supports the mix.
Honkly
500 Hz
A lot of bass players complain about “cheap” sounding bass guitars, often because there’s too much of the 500 Hz range in their tone. Try turning it down to get a more modern sound. On the other hand, leave it flat or even turn it up if you’re looking for a more funky sound.
Bite
1500 Hz
By manipulating this range, you can add more or less bite to your sound, allowing you to cut through the mix in fast-paced genres, or smooth it out in slower ones.
Edge
3000 Hz and above
This range carries a lot of percussive bass guitar sounds, but also harshness and all sibilants.
This technique is used:
Genres: all
Instruments: bass guitar bass