Sound & signal
Bassline
The bassline is the low melodic part that moves underneath the drums. It carries the track’s harmony as much as its weight, which is why two of them at once clash in a way two melodies do not.
Measured in our catalog
Bass weight runs at a median of 88 across 443,242 analysed tracks and is clipped at the top of its scale — this catalog is built almost entirely from bass-led music.
The distribution starts at 1 and pins at 100, so the interesting comparison is never "does this track have bass" but how much of the record is down there relative to everything else. A high reading means the low end is doing the work, which is precisely the material that cannot be overlapped with another record doing the same.
88
Median bass weight
1
Lowest in the catalog
100
Highest — the ceiling
443,242
Analysed tracks
Measured on 11 August 2026 across public tracks carrying an analysed bass-weight value.
Why it matters
The bassline is where key actually bites. Two records can share a Camelot code and still fight if both basslines are moving, because the low end has no room for two competing root notes — harmonic compatibility is a statement about whether they *can* agree, not a guarantee they will.
It is also the part you are actually swapping in a transition. "Bringing the bass over" means handing the low end from one record to the other, and the moment you choose to do it is the moment the mix commits.
Frequently asked
Why do two basslines clash even in the same key?+
Because the low end has no room for two moving root notes. Sharing a Camelot code means they can agree harmonically; it does not stop them competing for the same frequencies and the same rhythmic space.
When should you swap the bass in a transition?+
On a phrase boundary, in one move. Roll the outgoing track’s low end off as you bring the incoming track’s up — a gradual crossover leaves both half-present, which is the muddiest possible state.
What is the difference between bass and sub-bass?+
Sub-bass is the lowest part of it, roughly below 60 Hz — felt more than heard. The bassline is the melodic part above that, which is what carries the harmony.
Related terms
Sub-bass
Sub-bass is the lowest band of a record, roughly below 60 Hz — the part a club feels through the floor rather than hears. It is where most of a track’s physical impact lives.
Kick
The kick is the low drum that states the beat — in most dance music, on every one of the four beats in a bar. It carries the pulse and most of the energy a floor actually feels.
Three-band EQ
A three-band EQ splits each channel into low, mid and high and gives you a knob for each. It is the primary tool for deciding which parts of two records are audible at any moment.
Harmonic mixing
Harmonic mixing means choosing the next track by key as well as tempo — staying on the same Camelot code, moving one step around the wheel, or swapping between the major and minor of the same number.
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