Recording with bass to align my subs with my speakers


Upgraded my cables on my Rel S812 subs to the "Blue" line and Wow what an improvement this cable makes in the bass.  So much that I need to readjust the crossover and gain.  My dealer set up my Wilson Alexia's and REL S812's when I got them a few months ago but REL suggests turning the crossover up and to adjust the gain which is necessary as well.  I checked out the REL set up videos and I'd like to get a recording as a "go to" for now and future tweaks as needed.

Mostly listen to Jazz from the late 50's and 60's.  Some Rock and Classical as well.  Would like to find something that is on either Tidal, Quboz, or vinyl but a CD would work as well.  Lots of options out there for bass recording tests but am hoping to see if the group has landed on a "must have".

Appreciate the feedback.

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White noise is best to set up with, not recorded music. There are white noise internet radio stations you can stream. Then use a sound meter or similar smartphone app like decibel app to measure. Works great! Use music after that to fine tune if needed. You might think it sounds good/right using just music but you might be surprised if you use the test signal like white noise and actually measure it. 

@millercarbon is right about different albums over time. I am a musician, DJ and sound engineer. This is where the sound engineer comes in. Play any of your jazz & R&R records at a normal (for you) listening level. What you want to do is act as the sound engineer because you ARE the sound engineer. But only for the bass signal. You want to make the bass fit in with the music. Or more accurately put mix the bass so it blends well with the other instruments that are playing.  Its really that simple. Don’t complicate it. Mix the bass response to fit with the music. Remember that.

The gain & crossover points work in conjunction. Gain/volume is easy. Now the crossover may be the tedious part. But what you want to hear from a bass guitar is a little bit of overhang on the notes. Not much. But a bass note that stops on a dime is not how a real bass sounds. It has a little bit of overhang or sustain. But only a slight sustain. I’m talking fractions of a second. This is done with the crossover. Set it just high enough to get that millisecond of the bass note sustain/overhang. I hope you get the concept of what to listen for and the simplicity of the job. BTW it takes some time. You need to get the mix roughed in. Then sit and listen for awhile until it becomes clear what is missing or what needs reducing. But listen to more than just one song or even one album. IOW take your time.You will get it