Let’s Talk About High-Passing: Are You Hurting Your Mix?

Let’s talk about something I see all the time in sessions: people high-passing every single track in their mix.

On paper, it makes sense — “clean the mud,” “make room for the kick and bass.” But here’s what often gets overlooked: every filter you add also changes the phase of the signal.

The Phase of the Signal Gets Affected More Than You Think

So when you stack high-passes across your whole session, you’re not just cutting lows — you’re shifting the timing of those signals.

Layer after layer, those small phase changes add up, and suddenly your mix feels thinner, flatter, and less punchy.

This Habit Comes From Analog, Not Necessarily Best Practices

A big part of this habit comes from analog recording.

Engineers would high-pass on the way to tape, not because it was always sonically better, but because:

- Tape couldn’t handle big sub energy.

- It would distort or eat up valuable headroom.

- Consoles had fixed filters.

- Flipping them in was quick and practical.

But in today’s digital world, we’re not fighting tape headroom or console limitations.

DAWs can handle plenty of low-end information without breaking a sweat.

Which means — cutting it just because that’s what you’re “supposed” to do doesn’t make much sense anymore.

Be Intentional With High-Passing

Instead, try this:

- Be intentional.

- Only high-pass if there’s actually a low-end issue.

- Check phase impact.

- Always A/B and ask: “Did I fix the problem, or just kill the vibe?”

Look Beyond Filters — Other Tools Can Do More

Look beyond filters.

Sometimes a small dip around 200–400Hz clears more mud without shifting phase.

Once I stopped high-passing by default, my mixes felt fuller, more natural, and the low-end locked in way tighter.