Dubstep and bass music

Character of the mix

Dubstep: 140 BPM with a half-time feel (snare on beat 3 of the 4/4 bar at 140, i.e., on 2 and 4 at 70 BPM). Two schools: the original British dubstep (Skream, Benga, Mala: deep sub, space, dub influence) and the American brostep/riddim (aggressive mid basses, growl, wobble, extremely dense drops). The mix revolves around three elements: sub, mid bass, and the kick/snare pair.

Typical balance (drop)

Element	Level relative to the mix
Snare	−5/−7 LU
Kick	−7/−9 LU
Sub	−6/−8 LU
Mid bass	−5/−8 LU
Pads, FX, vocals	−10/−14 LU

In British dubstep the sub is louder and the mid bass more discreet; in brostep the mid bass is the dominant element together with the snare.

Bass management

Separate sub (sine or triangle) below 80–100 Hz, mono, tuned, constant level between notes.
Mid bass with HP at 80–150 Hz, multiband distortion, FM, resampling; mono below 200–300 Hz, wide above.
Sidechain the bass from the kick and snare (3–6 dB) or use synced volume shaping.
Resonance suppressor on the mid bass: growls generate strong resonances at 1–4 kHz.
OTT (multiband upward/downward compression) for density; then a clipper or bus limiter.

EQ

Snare: body 180–250 Hz, crack 2–5 kHz, often layered with a clap and short reverb; the snare must cut through the wall of mid bass.
Kick: punch 50–100 Hz, click 3–5 kHz; short.
Mid bass: cuts at 300–500 Hz if it clogs; control 2–4 kHz to avoid fatigue.
Pads and FX: high HP (200–400 Hz) in the drop.

Dynamics

Decisive clipping on drums and basses; the master uses a clipper + limiter to reach very high loudness.
Big contrast between break (airy, dynamic) and drop (dense): the impact of the drop also depends on the lighter break.

Space and stereo image

Sub, kick, and snare in the center; mid bass wide above 300 Hz.
Reverbs and delays mainly in the break and transitions; dry in the drop.
British dubstep: dub-style delays and reverbs (spring, tape delay) on stabs and snares.

Reference loudness

Brostep/riddim −6/−4 LUFS (among the loudest masters); British dubstep −9/−7 LUFS. True peak −1/−0.3 dBTP.

Reference tracks

Skream “Midnight Request Line”, Burial “Archangel” (UK, more garage), Skrillex “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”, Excision “X Rated”, Virtual Riot “Energy Drink”.

Common mistakes

Sub and mid bass in the same sound: uncontrollable low end.
Snare buried by the mid bass in the drop.
Mid bass wide in the lows as well.
Drop and break at the same loudness: the drop loses impact.

Starting settings

Parameter	Value	Why
Sub	Below 80–100 Hz, mono	Clean low end.
Mid bass	HP 80–150 Hz, mono below 200–300 Hz	Separation.
Bass sidechain	3–6 dB from kick and snare	Audible drums in the drop.
Snare	−5/−7 LU from the mix	Cuts through the wall of bass.
Brostep loudness	−6/−4 LUFS	Genre level.
UK dubstep loudness	−9/−7 LUFS	Space and depth.

Frequencies to watch

Range	What to do
30–90 Hz	Separate sub, mono, constant level.
50–100 Hz	Kick punch: sidechain the sub.
180–250 Hz	Snare body: keep the space free from the mid bass.
300 Hz–4 kHz	Mid bass: character; control resonances at 1–4 kHz.

Example chain

Step	Tool	Settings	Why
Sub	Sine synth → light saturation	Mono	Foundation.
Mid bass	Synth → multiband distortion → OTT → suppressor → EQ	HP 80–150 Hz	Character.
Bass bus	Sidechain + clipper	3–6 dB	Cohesion with the drums.
Drums	Layers + clipper	2–4 dB	Impact.
Master	Clipper → limiter	−6/−4 LUFS	Drop loudness.

How to check the result

Sub and Bass bands Side/Mid at −25 dB or lower.
Master crest factor 4–7 dB (UK dubstep 7–10 dB).
Drop short-term 4–8 LU above the break.
High-mids band (2–4 kHz): no narrow peak more than 6 dB above the neighboring bands (mid bass resonances).