How much do you think bass or loudness influences a song

[rdej47]

I've been really curious about this question for a while. As i've been sorting through my track selection i've been deleting stuff, but i've been reluctant because so many times i've found a situation where i'll delete a song and hear it again later and enjoy it. Often when I listen to songs in my car is when I most enjoy them or in a club. I think it has to do with the volume level or the thump. When I listen to tracks on my laptop a lot of tracks just don't seem to have the same oopmh or impact. What do you think?

[Shane Says]

If it's going to sound that different, then yeah definitely. But it also depends on your mood. You may be or may not be in the mood for that type of music, whether you know it or not.

[sarasin]

What are you using to preview the tracks?

If you are using studio equipment, chances are that you are hearing a FLAT response and not something that has coloured the sound.

If you using cheap cans.....again....it could be colouring the sound.

If the track is not at least 320khz....then you have also lost some of the OOMPH.

[A-Dag-Io]

From my early days on I always prefered big woofers and full sound.
It's a shame lots of young ppl forgot that and grow up with 128 kbs mp3s from those disgusting in-ear-plugs.

[The Vly]

I won't turn my music on (for personal enjoyment) unless I have proper speakers or headphones. Listening to Techno without bass is like trying to get yourself off without using your hands

[grazz16]

I won't turn my music on (for personal enjoyment) unless I have proper speakers or headphones. Listening to Techno without bass is like trying to get yourself off without using your hands

aaaand thank you for that visual :P

but seriously, it makes a huge difference. I've been listening to my ipod at work for the last couple of days with my awful skullcandy headphones in which everything sounds muddy and unclear. Listening to the songs with these headphones i dont think many of them sound all that special, but listening to the tracks at home with my home speakers/headphones and its night and day.

Often when im previewing songs on beatport, for example, i'll listen to a track through my speakers and be lukewarm on it, then listen through my headphones and it will change my mind completely.

So yeah, i think previewing tracks with good sound is essential especially with electronic music where the dynamic range can be so wide.

[photojojo]

Listening to Techno without bass is like trying to get yourself off without using your hands

Now that belongs in someone's sig line!!

I don't think it's just the bass, but the overall clarity of how everything sounds on good speakers. At the very least you should listen with decent headphones.

[Accidental-DJ]

i think bass is a very big part of a song, i love when your mixing or listening to a mix an you can hear the build up an someone does a phat bass change!
thats what i like to hear

[dafe]

Gotta have that bottom end impact. Actually, you mentioned playing choons on your laptop, dunno what your listening through, but I actually find myself getting aggravated when people play music through laptop speakers (especially at the office). Might sound kind of ok for the person sitting directly in front of the laptop, but for everyone else it is just a tinny hiss. Infuriating.

Went and saw Orbital live not long ago - they were lugging around their own sound equipment. Talk about loud! but oh so clear, and so much bottom end it was ridiculous. Couldn't stay on the dancefloor for long. Coulda sworn my heart was gonna go into palpitations.

But I know what the OP means. I've listened to heaps of tracks before and kinda gone "meh", only to hear someone smashing it out at a club and being blown away.

[sine143]

in the words of earl panda... EVERYONE IS EQUAL IN THE EYES OF THE BASS. I love the feeling of my chest cavity being compressed.