The kick and bass both sound good alone but become weak, muddy or unstable together.
Kick and Bass Conflict Checker
Estimate kick-and-bass collision risk from fundamentals, BPM, kick-tail length and note timing, then receive a diagnostic sequence before using EQ or sidechain.
Collision estimate
Context score
Pitch relationship
Timing relationship
What the score means
The score is a screening aid, not proof of masking or phase cancellation. It gives time overlap slightly more weight than pitch proximity because a similar frequency cannot mask another source when they do not occupy the same moment.
Conflict has more than one cause
A kick can disappear when the bass enters because the two sounds overlap spectrally, because the kick tail occupies the next note, because mix-bus dynamics reduce the kick, or because low-frequency summation changes across notes. These mechanisms can sound similar while requiring different solutions.
The checker combines two relationships that can be entered reliably: fundamental spacing and time overlap. It then tells you what to test before choosing EQ, sidechain or a different source.
What to listen for
- The kick onset stays readable without needing extra peak level.
- The bass recovers with a natural beginning rather than an audible hole.
- The relationship remains stable across different bass notes.
- The master compressor or limiter is not undoing the separation.
Questions producers ask
Frequently asked questions
Can a calculator prove that kick and bass are masking?
No. It can identify combinations that deserve attention, but the final diagnosis requires listening, level matching and checking the actual envelopes and harmonics.
Does a high score mean I must sidechain the bass?
No. First choose low-end ownership and test timing, note duration and level. Sidechain or dynamic EQ is useful only for overlap that remains.
Why compare pitch by the nearest octave relationship?
A kick fundamental and a bass fundamental can still share strong spectral relationships when separated by an octave. The checker treats that proximity as a reason to listen carefully, not as proof of a problem.
What if the checker reports low risk but the mix is still muddy?
Inspect bus compression, distortion harmonics, upper-bass and low-mid overlap, room modes and monitoring. Not every low-end problem comes from the two fundamentals.
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