The Frequency-Balance Checklist I Use Before Touching Loudness

The Problem

Sometimes the record is loud enough, but it still feels wrong. It sounds chaotic. Untamed. Like every instrument is trying to stand in the same spot. The kick wants the center. The bass wants the same air. The vocal is pushing forward, but it’s getting scraped by the drums and the sample. The top end is busy, but not clear. Nothing feels placed. When you take a mix like that and push loudness, you don’t get impact. You get a louder argument. That’s why I start with frequency balance. Not to “polish” the track. To stop the fight.

Low End Checks That Keep The Limiter Calm

In hip hop mastering, low end decides how far you can push. Not because you need less bass. Because bass is expensive. If the bottom is overfed, the limiter reacts early. You’ll feel it as a nervous, jumpy master that won’t hold together when the chorus lands. Before I touch loudness, I do two low-end checks. First, I listen for stability. The low end should feel like a floor, not a moving mattress. If the kick hits and the whole record seems to duck or swell, the sub is running the session. Second, I listen for shape. The kick should stay punchy across different bass notes. If the kick shrinks on certain notes, the bass is eating the headroom you wanted to spend on drums and vocal level. This is where people over-correct. They carve too much, then try to rebuild the weight with limiting. I’d rather reduce the problem slightly and keep the tone honest.

Kick Vs Bass: Who Owns Which Octave

Kick and bass can both be huge. They just can’t both be huge in the same octave. If they overlap, the limiter becomes a referee. It will pick winners at random. You’ll hear it as inconsistency: one section hits hard, the next section feels smaller, and you don’t know why. So I choose ownership on purpose. I split the low end into two jobs. One job is the deepest weight. The other job is the readable note and sustain. In a lot of hip hop, the kick (or the 808 transient) owns the deepest hit, while the bass owns the note above it. In other tracks, the 808 is the whole low-end story and the kick is mostly mid punch. Either way, the rule is the same: one element gets to dominate the bottom-most octave. Here’s the listening test that matters. When the kick lands, does it land clean, or does it smear into the bass sustain? If it smears, you’re not hearing “more low end.” You’re hearing a collision. Fix the collision first. Then your limiter stops reacting like it’s trying to solve a physics problem.

Low-Mid Cleanup Without Losing Weight

Low mids are where big records become cloudy. This range is also where hip hop mixes get tricked into sounding “full” while actually getting smaller. Too much buildup here masks vocal detail and pushes drums backward. But don’t confuse cleanup with thinning. I’m listening for fog, not body. Fog sounds like the vocal is inside the track instead of in front of it. Fog also shows up as a snare that loses definition when the bass plays. If I hear that, I don’t reach for a narrow notch first. Narrow cuts can hollow out the record fast. In mastering, small, wide moves usually do more good with less damage. The goal is simple: remove the layer that’s making everything fight, while keeping the weight that makes the track feel finished.

Vocals Up Front: Present, Loud, Not Harsh

You want the vocal up front and as loud as the drums. That target is achieved with balance, not brute force. If the vocal only feels “equal to the drums” after you push loudness, you’re setting yourself up for harshness. The limiter will hold the vocal forward by shaving transient peaks and raising density. That often turns clean presence into glare. So I check vocals before I chase level. I start by making sure the vocal has a stable seat in the mids. Then I look at what’s stealing that seat. Sometimes it’s low-mid fog. Sometimes it’s a sample that’s living in the same space. Sometimes it’s hats and snare brightness forcing the vocal to compete by getting sharper. I’m careful with the presence range. That’s where intelligibility lives, but it’s also where “loud” becomes “annoying” fast. My rule: if the vocal gets “louder” mainly because it’s getting spikier, I stop. I’d rather get forwardness from clarity and contrast, not from sting.

Top End: Clarity Without Spit

Top end is where a master can sound impressive for ten seconds, then exhausting. In hip hop, top end is usually hats, percussion, and vocal articulation. You need clarity, but you don’t want spray. I do a quick honesty check. If I lift the top slightly, does the record become clearer, or does it become more nervous? “Nervous” usually means the hats turn splashy, the S sounds get sharp, and the snare crack turns into glass. When that happens, more loudness will feel worse, not better. Also, top-end boosts can fool you because they change perceived loudness. A brighter master often sounds “better” simply because it feels louder. So I compare level-matched. If the clarity disappears when matched, it wasn’t clarity. It was volume.

When The Frequency Balance Is “Ready For Loud”

A record is ready for loudness when the limiter stops acting like a tone control. Here’s the gate I use. The low end stays stable when I lean into the input a little. The kick doesn’t disappear on certain bass notes. The low mids don’t cloud the vocal. The vocal stays up front without turning sharp. The top end stays clear without spitting. If a small push makes the track feel more chaotic, I’m not ready. I go back to balance. If a small push makes the track feel more solid, I’m ready. Now loudness is just a decision about how far, not a fight about what’s broken.

The Checklist (Compressed)

Start by asking if the record sounds untamed, like parts are fighting for the same space. Then stabilize the low end so the limiter isn’t reacting to sub swings. Decide who owns the deepest octave: kick or bass. Make the other element readable above it. Clear low-mid fog without stripping weight. Place the vocal in front without relying on harsh presence. Keep it loud next to the drums without making it sharp. Open the top end until it’s clear, then stop before hats and S sounds turn into spit. Finally, do a small loudness push as a test. If the track tightens, you’re ready. If it gets more chaotic, go back to balance.

About Dume41

Dume has been producing, recording, and mixing hip hop records since 1996, and mastering them since 2005. He is the founder of the record label Fresh Chopped Beats, where he has worked on music featuring artists such as Abstract Rude, Afu-Ra, Gabriel Teodros, Geologic/Prometheus Brown, Jeru The Damaja, Khingz, King Khazm, Macklemore, Percee P, Sean Price, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Sizzla, Specs Wizard, Vitamin D, and many, many others. His mastering chain is built around a high-end analog hardware setup designed to add depth, warmth, and polish while keeping the artist’s intent intact. To work with Dume on music contact him here.