Bass sounds woolly? Cut 250 Hz on the bass, keep the sub

Cut about 3 dB around 250 Hz on the bass with a medium-wide bell, and leave everything below 100 Hz alone. The 200 to 300 Hz range is where a bass turns woolly and covers the keys, guitars and vocals. Taking a little out there makes the bass tighter and the rest of the mix clearer, while the sub keeps its weight.

How to do it

1. Put an EQ on the bass.
2. Add a bell at 250 Hz, medium width, and cut about 3 dB.
3. Sweep between 200 and 300 Hz to find where the bass sounds most woolly.
4. Don't touch the sub below 100 Hz.
5. Listen with the full mix: the keys and vocal should come forward.

Why it works

Bass sounds have strong harmonics in the low mids, the same place many other instruments have their body. When they all pile up there you get mud. Clearing a little room on the bass is often the quickest fix.