Cutting Low End On The Sides: Why You Might Be Losing Power

A lot of producers and engineers are told to cut low frequencies on the side channels of their mixes. The common reasons given are to gain headroom and make space for the kick and bass. But does this actually make mixes better, or does it just rob them of power and energy?

Key Takeaways

• Cutting low end on the sides is often taught to gain headroom and make space for kick/bass, but this can actually reduce a mix's power.
• Analyzing top charting songs across various genres reveals significant low-end information present on the sides.
• Headroom gained from cutting side low end is minimal (often less than 1 dB) and unlikely to be the limiting factor compared to the louder center channel.
• Low-end energy on the sides contributes to a mix's width, fullness, and perceived power.
• While specific situations might call for cutting sub-energy on the sides (like noise or specific synth patches), it shouldn't be a default technique.
• Focusing on production and proper arrangement is more effective for kick and bass clarity than aggressive side-channel EQ.

The Common Advice: Cut Those Lows!

One of the most frequently repeated pieces of advice you'll hear from online tutorials, channels, and instructors is to cut the low frequencies on the side channels of your mix. The two main justifications usually given are:

1. To gain more headroom: The idea is that low frequencies on the sides are useless and just eat up headroom.
2. To make space for kick and bass: By removing lows from the sides, you supposedly create more room for your kick and bass to punch through.

While these reasons sound logical on the surface, let's take a closer look at whether they hold up in practice.

What The Pros Are Doing: Analyzing Top Mixes

To see what's really happening in professional mixes, it's worth analyzing some popular tracks across different genres. What we often find is that there's actually a good amount of low-end information present on the side channels.

For example, in tracks like Dua Lipa's "Levitating" or "Love Again," you can hear substantial low-end content on the sides, even when using a gentle slope like a 12 dB/octave filter. This isn't just limited to pop music. Bands like Parkway Drive, with their massive guitar and bass presence, also show significant low-end on the sides. Even in electronic music or heavier genres, monitoring the side channel alone can reveal a surprising amount of energy and movement in the low frequencies.

Consider tracks from Rihanna, Eminem, or even the more natural room sound found in Perfect Circle's music. Monitoring just the side channels often makes smaller monitors vibrate, indicating a considerable amount of low-end energy. This stereo width and rumble are often part of what gives a mix its power and fullness.

Does Cutting Side Lows Really Gain Headroom?

Let's talk about headroom. When we analyze the level of the side information in the low end compared to the full stereo signal, it's usually much lower. The idea that this small amount of side information is what's preventing your mix from getting louder is generally not true. The main limiting factor for loudness is almost always the louder, more powerful center image, especially the low end there.

A limiter will start to clip because of the massive energy in the mid-channel, not because of a tiny bit of low energy on the sides. If cutting side low end does allow you to push the mix into limiting just a hair more, we're talking about maybe half a dB, perhaps 1 dB at most. Is that tiny gain worth sacrificing the width and power that low-end information provides?

Making Space: Kick, Bass, and Stereo Width

The second common reason is to make space for the kick and bass. But think about it: kick and bass are typically centered (mono) in the mix. If panning works for mid-range elements to separate them, why wouldn't it work for the low end? If you have a kick and bass that are clashing in frequency, that's often a production or arrangement issue, not a mixing one that needs to be solved by cutting side information.

Mixing isn't about carving out perfect holes for each element to fit into. Sounds are meant to overlap to some extent; otherwise, the mix sounds disconnected and weak. While some genres might have a higher degree of separation, it's rarely about elements existing in complete isolation.

If you're worried about the kick and bass clashing, sidechain compression is a standard technique. Some people even carve out the bass EQ to make space for the kick. However, doing this aggressively, combined with cutting lows on the sides, can lead to a thin, weak low end that lacks power.

When Is Cutting Low End On The Sides Okay?

There are specific situations where cutting low end on the sides can be useful:

• Problematic Rumble: If a specific track, like a stereo synth recording or a room mic, has actual unwanted rumble or noise in the sub-range that isn't musical energy.
• Excessive Sub Energy on a Single Element: If you've used saturation on a synth patch or another element, and it's created a massive, unwanted sub-frequency buildup specifically on the sides.

In these cases, using an EQ on the specific track to clean up the sides might be appropriate. However, as a general, go-to technique for every mix, cutting low end from 35 Hz and down on the sides is often unnecessary and counterproductive.

The Bottom Line

For most mixes, especially in genres like rock and metal that thrive on low-end power and width, keeping that low-end information on the sides is important. It contributes to the overall fullness, weight, and perceived size of the mix. While pop and EDM might sometimes have less side low end, their power can also come from skillfully mixing that width.

Instead of defaulting to cutting side low end, focus on good production, arrangement, and using tools like sidechain compression to manage kick and bass relationships. A mix that is wide, has weight, and sounds powerful, even if it's 1 or 2 dB quieter, is often more impactful than a slightly louder but thinner mix.