Removing Bass from an Instrumental clip without altering overall sound?

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Removing Bass from an Instrumental clip without altering overall sound?
Posted on: 22.01.2013 by Antoinette Harbst
I've searched just about everywhere but seem to keep coming up empty handed.

I'm making a remix of a song and in a specific part of the song I want to keep everything except the bass line. I've tried looking up different ways to see if I could recreate it, google, so on. All it really points to is 300$ programs and common cures like "just put it in an eq and turn the bass down." Problem with that is (idk if anyone else has a way around this) normal EQ-killing the bass in most any song makes it a complete different sample.

Anyone have any solutions?
Sheilah Kurzhal
22.01.2013		I knew that was coming. Started to mention this initially. Your going to want to side chain compress the snare of the remixed song to a snare that you add .. so that every time your snare hits, it ducks or forces the snare of the remix to remain at a level that doesn't spike. You can also notch the the bulk of the original snare out .. but with it, will go parts of the vocals and melody. You have to find a balance.

Side chain compression is simple to setup in Ableton. Drop a compressor LAST on the bus that contains the remix. Turn on "side" button that by default is not illuminated. Click the arrow that allows you to access the sidechain settings ... There's a drop down "source" menu. Select your snare. Your snare is now controlling the activation of the compressor. Pull the compressor threshold down until you hear the effect start to work on the remix. You should notice that when your snare hits the volume of the remix gets quiet ... you can control the duration of the compression via the attack and release settings. One or the other will need to be relatively short. You can then dial the other parameter (release or attack depending on what works best) to taste. This is harsh technique ... but I use it all the time on tough remixes that contain wild dynamics (after I've filtered them).

Originally Posted by davoh
New challenge is snare. ~_~
Sheilah Kurzhal
22.01.2013		haha!

If you don't have a solution by this evening ... I got you.

Originally Posted by davoh
Though it might be kind of funny for your coworkers to hear a bunch of clicks randomly. And if you would actually do something like that and then mess around with it I'd be more than willing to put you in a song
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013
Originally Posted by jshawpro
I could recreate that in 5 minutes ... using my macbook pro built in mic ... EQ / Filter ... reverb (very light, short decay) .. and a compressor. But I'm at work.
Though it might be kind of funny for your coworkers to hear a bunch of clicks randomly. And if you would actually do something like that and then mess around with it I'd be more than willing to put you in a song
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013
Originally Posted by jshawpro
I could recreate that in 5 minutes ... using my macbook pro built in mic ... EQ / Filter ... reverb (very light, short decay) .. and a compressor. But I'm at work.
No real mic access sadly or recreating it would have been easy for me :/
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013
Originally Posted by Tarekith
Have you tried putting an EQ on it and turning the bass down?

Really no magic solution for stuff like this, you just need to really fine tune your EQ to remove as much bass as possible without altering the rest of the song. This is what makes remixes not the easiest thing in the world to create like some people believe

Sometimes using a Mid-Side EQ like Live's EQ8 can offer better results than just a regular stereo L-R EQ too.
Normally I would, but's a 808 kick/bass line so its mostly DUN DUN DUNUN DUN you know what I mean. Muting out the bass means taking chunks off the parts that I'm wanting. I'll try that mid slide real quick though.

Originally Posted by jshawpro
I use Ableton and usually go with a steep slope on a high pass filter. Up to as high as 400 - 500hz. But I'm usually just trying to leave a texture or the vocals from the original, for a remix.

You're not going to be able to remove 1 part from any song. Almost impossible. Sounds contain most frequencies, if not all ... but at varying levels of prominence which determine tone and key.

So you just strategize as to what you've removed (frequency-wise) .. and what you need to "refill" there, so that there are no holes in your mix (which hurt peoples ears) as you execute your vision.

It's harsh ... but I use a steep high pass filter (for sub and bass removal) + EQ 8 ( to shape the remaining signal) on ALL my remixes. The Goo Goo Dolls remix below was a great challenge ... but I executed my vision exactly how I heard it in my head .. before I ever started.

Practice and experience ... and STRATEGY.

I'm going to have to look up how to do this even further. I have Albeton (for my launchpad) but I'm still VERY new to it.

Pretty much I'm trying to pull the bass out of "Drop It Like It's Hot" to get the mouth clicks out. I'm actually a little surprised that I cant find a FL Stuido pack or something with some mouth clicks in it.
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013		I've searched just about everywhere but seem to keep coming up empty handed.

I'm making a remix of a song and in a specific part of the song I want to keep everything except the bass line. I've tried looking up different ways to see if I could recreate it, google, so on. All it really points to is 300$ programs and common cures like "just put it in an eq and turn the bass down." Problem with that is (idk if anyone else has a way around this) normal EQ-killing the bass in most any song makes it a complete different sample.

Anyone have any solutions?
Antoinette Harbst
24.01.2013		I've got to the point where I've got the snare and the bass out but it leaves a good sound gap ON the clicks themselves. The 808 kick leaves a build in and the snare just almost cuts off the sound. Sounds like it'd be neat but it's choppy and hard to work with :< I'm going to keep messing with it ofcourse and try to master this.
Sheilah Kurzhal
22.01.2013		I knew that was coming. Started to mention this initially. Your going to want to side chain compress the snare of the remixed song to a snare that you add .. so that every time your snare hits, it ducks or forces the snare of the remix to remain at a level that doesn't spike. You can also notch the the bulk of the original snare out .. but with it, will go parts of the vocals and melody. You have to find a balance.

Side chain compression is simple to setup in Ableton. Drop a compressor LAST on the bus that contains the remix. Turn on "side" button that by default is not illuminated. Click the arrow that allows you to access the sidechain settings ... There's a drop down "source" menu. Select your snare. Your snare is now controlling the activation of the compressor. Pull the compressor threshold down until you hear the effect start to work on the remix. You should notice that when your snare hits the volume of the remix gets quiet ... you can control the duration of the compression via the attack and release settings. One or the other will need to be relatively short. You can then dial the other parameter (release or attack depending on what works best) to taste. This is harsh technique ... but I use it all the time on tough remixes that contain wild dynamics (after I've filtered them).

Originally Posted by davoh
New challenge is snare. ~_~
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013		New challenge is snare. ~_~
Sheilah Kurzhal
22.01.2013		haha!

If you don't have a solution by this evening ... I got you.

Originally Posted by davoh
Though it might be kind of funny for your coworkers to hear a bunch of clicks randomly. And if you would actually do something like that and then mess around with it I'd be more than willing to put you in a song
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013
Originally Posted by jshawpro
I could recreate that in 5 minutes ... using my macbook pro built in mic ... EQ / Filter ... reverb (very light, short decay) .. and a compressor. But I'm at work.
Though it might be kind of funny for your coworkers to hear a bunch of clicks randomly. And if you would actually do something like that and then mess around with it I'd be more than willing to put you in a song
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013
Originally Posted by jshawpro
I could recreate that in 5 minutes ... using my macbook pro built in mic ... EQ / Filter ... reverb (very light, short decay) .. and a compressor. But I'm at work.
No real mic access sadly or recreating it would have been easy for me :/
Sheilah Kurzhal
22.01.2013		I could recreate that in 5 minutes ... using my macbook pro built in mic ... EQ / Filter ... reverb (very light, short decay) .. and a compressor. But I'm at work.
Antoinette Harbst
22.01.2013
Originally Posted by Tarekith
Have you tried putting an EQ on it and turning the bass down?

Really no magic solution for stuff like this, you just need to really fine tune your EQ to remove as much bass as possible without altering the rest of the song. This is what makes remixes not the easiest thing in the world to create like some people believe

Sometimes using a Mid-Side EQ like Live's EQ8 can offer better results than just a regular stereo L-R EQ too.
Normally I would, but's a 808 kick/bass line so its mostly DUN DUN DUNUN DUN you know what I mean. Muting out the bass means taking chunks off the parts that I'm wanting. I'll try that mid slide real quick though.

Originally Posted by jshawpro
I use Ableton and usually go with a steep slope on a high pass filter. Up to as high as 400 - 500hz. But I'm usually just trying to leave a texture or the vocals from the original, for a remix.

You're not going to be able to remove 1 part from any song. Almost impossible. Sounds contain most frequencies, if not all ... but at varying levels of prominence which determine tone and key.

So you just strategize as to what you've removed (frequency-wise) .. and what you need to "refill" there, so that there are no holes in your mix (which hurt peoples ears) as you execute your vision.

It's harsh ... but I use a steep high pass filter (for sub and bass removal) + EQ 8 ( to shape the remaining signal) on ALL my remixes. The Goo Goo Dolls remix below was a great challenge ... but I executed my vision exactly how I heard it in my head .. before I ever started.

Practice and experience ... and STRATEGY.

I'm going to have to look up how to do this even further. I have Albeton (for my launchpad) but I'm still VERY new to it.

Pretty much I'm trying to pull the bass out of "Drop It Like It's Hot" to get the mouth clicks out. I'm actually a little surprised that I cant find a FL Stuido pack or something with some mouth clicks in it.
Sheilah Kurzhal
23.01.2013		I use Ableton and usually go with a steep slope on a high pass filter. Up to as high as 400 - 500hz. But I'm usually just trying to leave a texture or the vocals from the original, for a remix.

You're not going to be able to remove 1 part from any song. Almost impossible. Sounds contain most frequencies, if not all ... but at varying levels of prominence which determine tone and key.

So you just strategize as to what you've removed (frequency-wise) .. and what you need to "refill" there, so that there are no holes in your mix (which hurt peoples ears) as you execute your vision.

It's harsh ... but I use a steep high pass filter (for sub and bass removal) + EQ 8 ( to shape the remaining signal) on ALL my remixes. The Goo Goo Dolls remix below was a great challenge ... but I executed my vision exactly how I heard it in my head .. before I ever started.

Practice and experience ... and STRATEGY.

https://soundcloud.com/iambreed/iris-breed-remix
Monserrate Rupnow
22.01.2013		Have you tried putting an EQ on it and turning the bass down?

Really no magic solution for stuff like this, you just need to really fine tune your EQ to remove as much bass as possible without altering the rest of the song. This is what makes remixes not the easiest thing in the world to create like some people believe

Sometimes using a Mid-Side EQ like Live's EQ8 can offer better results than just a regular stereo L-R EQ too.

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