Sound Definitions

Low range (bass)

Low range in general

Low range is that portion of the spectrum that goes from 20 Hz to about 300Hz. Contrary to popular belief in the performance of sub-woofers down to 20Hz, most speakers can never reach such frequencies for three reasons;

1. Dance music and in general audio does not explore such low depth of sound.
2. Amplifiers can rarely deliver such low outputs.
3. Speakers simply can't produce them.

On top of this misconception, there is also the misconception of audible bass down to 20Hz. Generally speaking, this is wrong. Human ears simply cannot hear anything below 32Hz. The misconception usually arises because in a complete sound environment, the human ear hears everything above 32Hz. The human body on the other hand, feels the lower end frequencies which impregnate themselves. This is where the 'chest-thumping' definition of bass comes from.

Low range and music

Dance music is very reliant on bass sounds to deliver its full effect. It is no coincidence that most dance clubs have multiple sub-woofers throughout the room to create the maximum thump. Bass is highly emphasized because of a few important reasons:

1. Bass adds depth to the sound; mainly because of its effect on the human body, rather than the ear alone. For example, try to listen to the same dance song with earphones and maximum bass, and compare to a live system. In more cases than not, the bass from a live system (w/ subwoofer) will give a more complete feeling to the sound, even though the headphones are reproducing the low range correctly.
2. Rhythm keeper; without it, dance music would struggle to keep crowds on their feet, jumping to the sound. As such, the actual beat represents a theoretical continuum for the sound, like the ticking of a clock.
3. Bass in modern progressive tracks and house, add value through the composition effects that can be achieved. Romplers and beat machines are specifically designed to do just that. Synthesizers are also effective at creative bass sounds.

Adjusting to the human ear / a complete sound

Because of the lack of sensitivity of human ears to bass sounds, most modern systems include subwoofers to boost the lower range sounds and bring them in line with the rest of the spectrum.

While bass is important to the sound and to the feeling of the song, it is important to not loose sight of the entire spectrum. A composition is not just bass, infact most of it is not bass. When choosing systems, for DJ-ing, home theatre or car, take time to listen to the balance of the system. Bass can certainly be impressive, but without proper spectrum balance, the sound will be muddy and life-less, giving the operator a rather detrimental experience. Clear mids, crisp highs and a decent boom from the lower end are the ingredients to look for.

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