# How to Master Reggae: Bass Weight Without Mud > Reggae lives on a bass line that has to be huge and still legible. The target, the two frequency decisions, and why mono bass matters more here. [All guides](/blog) # How to Master Reggae: Bass Weight Without Mud Published 26 August 2026, 15:00 UTC · updated 12 August 2026, 21:30 UTC · by Loopin Reggae asks for a bass line that is enormous and still has identifiable notes in it. Those two requirements pull against each other, and that tension is the whole job. ## Target −10 to −13 LUFS Reggae and dub sit comfortably between −10 and −13 LUFS integrated. The genre carries a lot of low-frequency energy, and the limiter reacts to exactly that — so pushing louder costs the bass first, which is the last thing you want to lose. If the bass is thinning as you raise the level, you have gone past the target for this material. [Master at a set target](/mastering) and judge the bass, not the meter. ## The notes live at 80–120 Hz, not below The pitch of a bass line is carried by its fundamental and first harmonic, mostly between 80 and 120 Hz. Everything below about 50 Hz is weight without information — you feel it and you cannot tell what note it is. So if the bass sounds huge and you cannot follow the line, the answer is usually a small boost around 100 Hz rather than more sub. And a gentle high-pass at 25–30 Hz removes rumble that costs headroom while nobody hears it leave. ## Mono the bottom, and mean it Reggae is played on sound systems, in cars, and on single-speaker radios more than most genres. Stereo content below about 120 Hz partially cancels when summed to mono, and on a big system that cancellation is the difference between a track that moves air and one that does not. Check by summing to mono and listening for the bass level dropping. If it does, centre the low end in the mix — this is a bigger deal in reggae than in almost anything else. ## Protect the skank The offbeat guitar or keyboard chop sits around 1–3 kHz and it is the rhythmic anchor of the whole record. Heavy limiting driven by the bass and kick will duck it on every downbeat, which turns a steady groove into something that breathes unpleasantly. The tell is that the skank feels less consistent in the loudest sections. Lower the loudness target, or address the low end so the limiter is not working so hard, rather than boosting the skank to compensate. ## Ceiling at −1 dBTP and check on something small Dense low end makes inter-sample overshoot more likely, so the ceiling matters here. Set −1 dBTP and re-render rather than turning a finished file down. Then listen on a phone or laptop speaker, which reproduce nothing of the bass at all. The record still has to work when only the skank, the vocal and the snare survive — if it falls apart there, the arrangement is leaning on the bottom end more than it should. ## Frequently asked questions ### What LUFS should reggae be mastered to? Between -10 and -13 LUFS integrated. The genre carries heavy low-frequency energy and the limiter reacts to exactly that, so pushing louder costs the bass first. ### Why can I not hear the notes in my bass line? The pitch lives between 80 and 120 Hz; everything below 50 Hz is weight without information. A small boost around 100 Hz usually fixes legibility better than adding sub. ### Does mono bass matter in reggae? More than in most genres. Sound systems, cars and single-speaker radios sum to mono, and stereo content below 120 Hz partially cancels when they do — which is the difference between moving air and not. ## Related reads - [Master your track free](/mastering) - [How to master a beat](/blog/how-to-master-a-beat) - [Why does my master sound thin?](/blog/why-does-my-master-sound-thin) --- Source: https://onloopin.com/blog/how-to-master-reggae