Of Mice & Men Bass Tone: Aaron Pauley’s Crushing Mix Approach

Getting a bass tone that truly slams in a dense metal mix can feel like chasing a ghost. You want power, clarity, and something that glues the low end together without turning into mud. Aaron Pauley of Of Mice & Men knows this struggle, and in a recent session, he dropped some killer insights into his minimal-yet-effective approach to mixing bass. Forget reinventing the wheel; sometimes, it’s about smart, targeted moves. We dove into his techniques, and if you’re looking to get that signature Of Mice & Men crushing bass, you’ll want to check this out. You can even see Aaron break it down himself in the full Of Mice & Men Nail The Mix session.

Let's break down Aaron's strategy for getting a bass tone that not only stands on its own but perfectly complements the drums and the entire track.

Context is King: Bass and Drums First

One of the first things Aaron emphasizes is mixing in context. Specifically, he starts by listening to the drums and bass soloed. This is crucial because it allows you to hear how these two foundational elements of your rhythm section are interacting. Are they fighting for space? Is the kick drum getting lost? Is the bass clear or boomy?

Interestingly, Aaron mentions that because he often employs a top-down mixing approach with multiple compressors in his chain, he doesn't always need to do aggressive notching on individual tracks right away. The cumulative effect of these compressors tends to tame transients and help elements sit together. However, listening to the bass and drums in isolation is still his starting point to identify any immediate problem areas.

Sculpting the Lows: EQ Moves That Matter

Once he’s got a feel for the bass in context, Aaron turns to EQ to shape the tone. His approach is more surgical than sweeping, focusing on specific frequencies that can make or break a bass sound. If you're looking to dive deeper into EQ, our EQ Strategies for Mixing Modern Metal guide is a great resource.

Tackling the "Wonkiness": The 200Hz Cut

A common problem area Aaron identifies in bass guitar is a "wonky" sound somewhere around the 200Hz mark. It’s one of those frequencies that just doesn't sound good on bass, and he consistently finds himself cutting it.
To do this, he’ll typically:

1. Create a notch filter with his EQ plugin.
2. Sweep it around the 200Hz area while listening carefully.
3. Once he pinpoints the offending frequency that’s causing that undesirable thickness or muddiness, he’ll make a cut.

This small move can significantly clean up the low-mids of the bass, making it sound tighter and more defined.

Scooping for Clarity: The Mid-Range Dip

Beyond the specific 200Hz cut, Aaron will also address the broader mid-range. He mentions taking a bit more out of the mids to further refine the bass tone. This is a common technique in metal to help the bass sit well with heavily distorted guitars and allow the kick drum's beater attack to punch through. The exact amount and frequency will depend on the source tone, but it’s about creating space and focus.

Finding the Scrape: Pinpointing Metallic Frequencies

Here’s a really cool, nuanced trick Aaron uses: he likes to find the "very odd specific frequency of the metallic sort of scraping" sound in the bass tone. This is that string noise or pick attack that adds character and aggression.
His method for this is:

1. Solo the bass track.
2. Use an EQ with a very narrow Q (bandwidth).
3. Boost this narrow band significantly and sweep it across the higher frequencies.
4. Listen for a distinct "whistling" or scraping sound that becomes prominent. He found his around the higher mids/lower treble for this particular track.
5. Once he’s identified that specific frequency, he'll then drag the gain down a little bit.

It’s a subtle move, but it tames any potentially harsh or overly resonant pick noise while retaining the aggressive character. It's these small, preference-driven adjustments that can add up to a polished, professional sound.

Leveling Out: Consistent Bass with Compression and Limiting (Sometimes!)

A consistent bass level is key, especially in dynamic genres like metal. Aaron touches on how his overall compression strategy helps, but also on a specific plugin choice for final leveling.

Top-Down Compression's Role

As mentioned earlier, Aaron's use of multiple compressors across busses or the master (top-down mixing) means that each stage of compression is doing a little bit of work. This gradual transient shaping and dynamic control helps glue the mix together and often means less aggressive individual track compression is needed. For more on this, check out these Metal Compression Secrets.

The L2 Limiter Tactic (and when to skip it)

For the Of Mice & Men track, Aaron initially used a Waves L2 Ultramaximizer on the bass. He describes it as a way to create a "low-end shelf" and ensure the bass doesn't "go out of bounds" dynamically. Even though the DI bass waveform was already quite consistent, a limiter can act as a safety net, catching any rogue peaks and keeping the perceived loudness very even.

Interestingly, upon listening back in the context of his demonstration, Aaron mused that he might not even use the L2 on this particular bass track. He felt the level was close enough and the bass wasn't disappearing. This is a great reminder that mixing is always about context and serving the song – what worked in the original mix session might be re-evaluated with fresh ears. Don't be afraid to trust your judgment in the moment!

Reinforcing the Foundation: Beefing Up Disappearing Bass

What if your bass is disappearing in the low end, despite your best EQ and compression efforts? Aaron offers a classic solution for this scenario.

The Duplicate Track Trick

If you find your bass lacking weight or punch in the very low frequencies, you can:

1. Create a duplicate channel of your main bass track.
2. On this duplicate, use an EQ to aggressively notch out almost everything except the fundamental low frequencies you want to reinforce. You're essentially isolating the sub-bass or low-end punch.
3. Compress this heavily filtered duplicate track significantly – almost to the point of distortion, but not quite. You want it super consistent and fat.
4. Carefully blend this duplicate track back in underneath your main bass track.

This parallel processing technique allows you to add solid low-end reinforcement without making the main bass tone muddy or undefined. Aaron felt his original bass amp track in the Of Mice & Men song was substantial enough in tonality and low-end content that he might not need this trick for that particular song, but it’s a valuable tool to have in your arsenal.

Bringing It All Together

Aaron Pauley's approach to mixing the crushing bass tone for Of Mice & Men is a masterclass in focused, effective moves rather than over-processing. Key takeaways include:

• Mix in Context: Always check your bass with the drums.
• Surgical EQ: Target problem frequencies like the ~200Hz "wonk" and specific metallic scrapes.
• Strategic Mid-Cuts: Create space and clarity.
• Dynamic Control: Use limiters like the L2 for consistency, but always judge by ear and in context.
• Parallel Reinforcement: Use a duplicated, filtered, and compressed track to beef up the low end if needed.

These are techniques you can apply to your own metal productions right now. But imagine seeing Aaron Pauley himself dial in these settings, explaining every decision, and showing you exactly how he gets that monstrous Of Mice & Men sound from raw tracks to a finished mix.

That’s what Nail The Mix is all about. Every month, you get to watch world-class producers mix real songs from bands like Of Mice & Men, Periphery, Gojira, and more. You get the multi-tracks to practice on and a front-row seat to see exactly how the pros sculpt these massive tones. If you're serious about elevating your metal mixes, seeing these techniques in action during the full Of Mice & Men NTM session is invaluable. And if you're ready to go beyond presets and truly understand modern metal mixing, check out our comprehensive course, Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets.