Summary of "La CHECK LIST ULTIME pour faire des BASS qui SONNENT bien PARTOUT (Production & Mixage)"

Making Bass That Translates Well Across All Systems

The video provides a comprehensive checklist and detailed guidance on how to make bass in music production and mixing that sounds good across all listening systems—from smartphones and laptops to car stereos and large club sound systems. The main focus is on ensuring that bass frequencies translate well everywhere, which is a common challenge for producers.

Key Points and General Ideas

Goal

Achieve bass sounds that are balanced, clear, and impactful on any playback system, regardless of size or acoustic environment.

Main Problems Identified

Room Acoustics: Untreated or poorly treated rooms distort the true sound of bass frequencies, causing mixes to sound unbalanced outside the studio.
Monitoring: Small or inadequate speakers cannot reproduce low frequencies accurately, making it difficult to judge bass properly. Good monitoring combined with proper acoustic treatment is essential.
Frequency Range of Bass: The fundamental frequency of bass should ideally lie between roughly 32 Hz and 60 Hz. Too low (below 32 Hz) and it becomes inaudible on many systems; too high (above 60 Hz) and it loses the sub-bass feel.
Harmonic Content: Small speakers often cannot reproduce very low frequencies, so adding harmonics in the low mids helps create the illusion of bass through a psychoacoustic effect called the “phantom fundamental,” where the brain perceives the missing fundamental frequency based on its harmonics.
Arrangement and Sound Design: Poor arrangement or sound design choices (e.g., fundamental frequency placement, lack of harmonics) can hinder bass translation across systems.
Dynamic Control in Clubs: In large club environments, bass with too much sustain or constant sub-bass can sound muddy due to room reverberation. Tight, well-articulated bass sounds work better.

Solutions and Recommendations

Acoustic Treatment: Treat your room to reduce reflections and standing waves. Measure your room’s frequency response and find the best listening position.
Monitoring Setup: Use monitors capable of reproducing low frequencies or, if not possible, rely on good headphones that reproduce bass well and learn their characteristics.
Use Headphones When Necessary: For small rooms or untreated spaces, quality headphones that deliver low frequencies can be a viable alternative.
Keep Bass Fundamentals in the Ideal Frequency Range: Arrange and design bass sounds so their fundamentals fall between 32 Hz and 60 Hz for optimal translation.
Add Harmonics to Bass Sounds: Design bass sounds with harmonic content in the low mids to ensure bass presence on small speakers.
Sound Design and Mixing Skills: Develop sound design skills across various bass styles and genres to create bass sounds that fit well in mixes and translate effectively.
Balance in the Mix: Bass translation depends on the overall mix balance and arrangement; bass sounds must fit well with other elements.

Additional Resources and Offerings

Free newsletters with tips, Serum presets, and beginner training on home studio setup.
Advanced training courses such as Kick Bass Pro and Kick Secrets for in-depth kick and bass sound design and mixing.
A new training course called Base Secrets is in development, aimed at teaching comprehensive bass sound design techniques across genres.
Emphasis on understanding the fundamentals of sound design and combining multiple techniques to create professional bass sounds.

Philosophy and Approach

Start with good fundamentals: proper acoustics, monitoring, and sound design.
Understand your tools and environment deeply.
Recognize that many common issues arise from false perception of bass in untreated rooms and inadequate monitoring.
Use psychoacoustic techniques to compensate for physical limitations of playback systems.

Speaker

The entire video is presented by a single speaker, presumably the channel owner or music production coach, who shares his 20 years of experience in music production and mixing.

In summary, the video is an expert guide on how to create bass sounds that translate well on any system by addressing key issues in room acoustics, monitoring, frequency range, harmonic content, and sound design, supported by practical solutions and training resources.