How can i get a consistent low end across monitors with high-pass filters?

[StellaTW]

I’ve been trying to get a more consistent low-end in my mixes, but every time I think I have it right, it either disappears on smaller speakers or turns into a muddy mess on a proper system. I’m wondering if my monitoring environment is the real issue, or if I’m just not using my high-pass filters correctly to clean up the sub-bass region before it hits the master bus.

[Ethan.W]

I’m pretty sure the room is a big part of it. On small nearfields the low end collapses; on my main stereo it turns muddy. I rearranged the desk, added a couple of bass traps and treated first reflection points. It helped a bit, but the consistency still isn’t there.

[Charles61]

I tried high-pass filters earlier, mainly on the intrusive sub-40Hz stuff. It cleaned up the sub, but then the kick lost some weight and in a proper system it still showed up as a blubbery mess. No magic fix yet.

[EllaL]

Are we sure the real problem is the room or is something else off? Maybe the kick and sub content are fighting in the same octave on some tracks. Or the sample choice is making things behave oddly on different systems. Not sure.

[DanielHD]

I did a quick test, played the same rough mix on a phone speaker, a car stereo, and a proper rig. The low end behaved differently in each, which made me doubt the approach. I did pull back some low end from a couple of tracks and rebalanced, but I’m not confident it’s the right move and I haven’t found a stable answer yet.