One of the hardest things to make room for in a mix is the low end – as soon as anything else enters the frequency range, of course. And it’s even harder to give the impression of having bass, when listening on lesser systems like small speakers, phones and the like.
That’s why Denise Audio’s latest plugin Bass XXL focuses on your lows in an extended and heavier bass enhancing version than their smaller plugin xxx did. And did you know that you can hear bass even if it hits higher than 100db? Or at least perceive it. That’s exactly what Bass XXL does: It helps give the impression of bass by adding harmonics to the higher frequencies. And the case use for this can be anything from making sure your kicks are audible on lesser systems, to adding sculpted fatness to your sound in a controlled manner not as easily possible using just a saturator, for instance.
Sleek and to the point
Bass XXL is a lightweight and clean looking, visually guided plugin with BIG buttons and a visualized low end. And I must say that I’m quite a fan of using my eyes when making music, especially in complex territory like bass, despite the old saying about trusting your ears. If a machine shows some hertz peaking, and my ears don’t hear it for some reason, it’s always nice to know that mechanically and physically that’s what is really going on. So I’m all for visual guidance, if I get the sense that it’s programmed well. And having tested Bass XXL with both Ableton’s Spectrum unit and Voxengo’s Span, I’m satisfied that the readout on the plugin is pretty accurate for quick reference – but I would probably use one of the others in addition for added precision, to be honest.
One of the first things to notice about the interface is the pure focus on the low end. Displayed in the upper horizontal half of the UI is a graphical spectrum, starting at the very low sub 20hz and going up to 320 hz, with guide marks at 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 hz. So this is basically the range at which the plugin operates. You turn up the Boost button to add the plugin’s output to the dry signal.
Low blow rules
With that squared away, it’s a great added feature to choose between frequency/note and MIDI as the source for the plugin. Frequency and note are basically the same, the only difference is what your reference is: Notes on the keyboard or the scale you are using, contra a specific frequency desired. For instance, one creative use of the plugin could be a boost to say the 40hz sub bass, so you set the frequency knob to that and will gain the dialed boost. A great feature on this plugin is the pre-delay. Not often associated with tone enhancing tools, this lets you effectively push the effect a few milliseconds after the dry signal. This lets you create some serious oomf, usually associated with compressors, an icon like the Tube-Tech CL 1B comes to mind.
Bass XXL is not just about beefing up the bass. You can also get some fun results playing around with the Root button. There’s a bit of Disperser (the plugin by Kilohearts) about the way the pre-delay button works with the slope setting when used in note / frequency mode. You can sort of pinch the sound. If you automate the Root button, you’ll have a traveling pitch enhancer laying down harmonics to the current note state, and if you adjust the pre -delay at the same time, you will end up creating in essence two sounds: Your played instrument or sample, plus the ghostly harmonics. So you can get quite creative with it, even if it’s marketed as a bass enhancer. Just keep in mind that the operation range is 20-320 hz. But then you got the Disperser-like effect for free on top of a pretty handy bass enhancement plugin. That wins.
Pain and gain
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I would have loved it if the plugin featured automatic gain reduction. Evidently it’s something a lot of plugins don’t have, but in this case it would have been very convenient, since most of what you do with the boost knob to get anywhere, raises the output volume – and for good reason. But it’s not impossible to keep an eye – or ear! – on the meters and adjust accordingly in parallel with operating Bass XXL. It’s something we’re used to across DAWs and plugins, and something we should all be able to do anyway. I’m just talking about pure convenience here. There’s also something justifiable in the price tag of 69 USD, where it’s fair enough that this feature is left out, the selling point, bass enhancement, is still there, and it works really well.
But here’s an idea: Maybe, instead of Boost adding to the dry signal, Boost up should mean Dry goes down. Mix them. Because the plugin already has the solo button available, letting you hear just the added harmonics. But again, if Bass XXL would have had more features, the price would likely reflect it. At this price you get a bass tool that works, as long as you engineer your way to the final output.
Verdict
In conclusion, Bass XXL is a handy tool for tactile and visual control of your low end signals. If you pair it with EQ cutting of the super low frequencies and other relevant mixing techniques, you will soon find the way it works a timesaver, especially the MIDI mode, where the plugin actually follows the played key. Bass XXL is perfect for adding guts and bite, in particular with the pre-delay knob, to drum or bass tracks to let these cut through across the spectrum. So what you get is something that works just as well on high end sound systems, rather than merely making the bass audible on lesser systems. So even if the latter was the original selling point, what you get with Bass XXL is really something much more valuable than making your song sound better on an iPhone speaker. But it got everyone’s attention, right? Good on Denise Audio!
