ANCMusic Blog • Mixing & Mastering

Sub-Bass Management for Maximum Cinematic Impact (Below 100 Hz)

**Published:** October 22, 2025 • **Estimated Read:** 9 minutes

The low end is the foundation of cinematic atmosphere. It’s what you **feel** in a theater—the chest rumble during an explosion or the unsettling hum of a spaceship. The sub-bass range (generally below 100 Hz) is the most critical and often the most problematic area in a mix. Poor sub-bass management leads to muddy mixes that translate poorly across different speaker systems. For ANCMusic’s dark aesthetic, control is everything.

1. Monophonic Purity

The first rule of sub-bass: **Keep it mono.** Frequencies below 150 Hz should contain no stereo information. When low frequencies are spread across the stereo field, phase cancellation can occur, which completely wipes out the bass when the track is played in mono (like on a phone speaker or a club system).

**The Technique:** Use a utility or stereo imaging plugin to collapse all frequencies below 150 Hz to mono. This locks the bass in the center, giving it maximum focus and loudness without introducing phase issues.

2. The Sine Wave Standard

In the deepest sub-bass range (20 Hz - 60 Hz), complicated waveforms are inefficient and often lead to clipping. The purest, most effective waveform is the **Sine Wave**.

Many cinematic tracks use a dedicated sub-oscillator playing a clean sine wave one or two octaves below the main bassline. This dedicated sine wave provides a clean, deep rumble that is highly energy-efficient, allowing you to maximize perceived volume without wasting headroom on unnecessary harmonics.

3. Mid-Side Compression (M-S) for Clarity

While the sub-bass should be mono, the mid-range bass (150 Hz - 400 Hz) benefits from stereo separation. M-S compression is an advanced technique that allows you to control the dynamic range of the center (Mono) signal and the sides (Stereo) signal independently.

• **The Goal:** Aggressively compress the **Side** channels in the mid-bass area to prevent unnecessary rumble and wideness that causes mud.
• **The Result:** The main bass elements remain focused and powerful in the mono center, while higher-frequency instruments (like plucks or pads) can retain their stereo width without competing for the sub-bass space. This provides a deep, yet clear, low end.

4. High-Pass Filtering the Competition

Every track in your project, except the dedicated sub-bass layer and kick drum, should be high-pass filtered. This is non-negotiable.

Even instruments like pads or distorted guitars generate unwanted low-frequency content. By applying a high-pass filter to every competing element at a frequency slightly below where they truly start (e.g., 100 Hz for pads, 60 Hz for bass), you create crucial breathing room. This "cleaning" process frees up headroom for the sub-bass and kick, allowing them to hit harder and lower, giving ANCMusic's tracks their visceral weight.