John
I wonder if it could be an octave issue? Your hardware synths may be at a different octave. 

I have a feeling John has it - It isn't room related if your hardware synths all sound good to you in the same room. It might be the patches, but it sounds like you feel this is more wide-spread than just a single patch or two. It is common for differences to exist in how a softsynth creator interprets what Midi key corresponds to a particular note on the softsynth - I.E What octave "C3" refers to is up to the softsynth producer. Try going to the Midi tab of the inspector for the track you want to test, and set the "Key+" field to "12" to move it up a whole octave. Easy to check.

Brando

John
I wonder if it could be an octave issue? Your hardware synths may be at a different octave. 

I have a feeling John has it - It isn't room related if your hardware synths all sound good to you in the same room. It might be the patches, but it sounds like you feel this is more wide-spread than just a single patch or two. It is common for differences to exist in how a softsynth creator interprets what Midi key corresponds to a particular note on the softsynth - I.E What octave "C3" refers to is up to the softsynth producer. Try going to the Midi tab of the inspector for the track you want to test, and set the "Key+" field to "12" to move it up a whole octave. Easy to check.

Hello,
 
It definitely is not an octave issue, move it up an octave and it's too high.  I feel like I should be able to take a simple drum machine synth and bass patch and it shouldn't be overbearing which it always is.  I find myself having to HPF the crap out of every mix of mine always do to the kick and bass just being overbearing.   I understand a little might be necessary, but something just doesn't feel right with this.   
 
The mix I uploaded (i created in literally 1 minute), i chose default patches for drums, bass, pads, and it just sounds so bass heavy wherever I take it.  The car is always a good test (as I have a nice balanced system in there).
 
 

Do all your post come with a free analogy CJ

I'm in one of those moods!!
 
To the original poster: Patches are made by a human. The human that makes these patches have their own personal preference. They make them to stand out and be dramatic!! This is why i never use presets.  Patches and presets where not specifically made for you and your music. They where made to be picked by people like you and the onyl way for them, to be picked is for them to be so over dramatic and heavy that they stand out. This is normal for most patches.
 
Make your own patches. All synths are tweakable. Learn how to work and program a synth and you will be able to dial in your own sounds that will fir your music. 
 
CJ
 

I agree with CJay. Patches are very commonly programmed to impress when performed as solo instruments while auditioning synths on the sales floor of the music store. That means kick drums and basses are often going to be way over the top with chest-thumping fundamental frequencies, especially anything made since Hip Hop put the "boom" in Boombox.
 
I don't know what era your hardware synths are from, but if they're older, their kicks and basses are quite likely to be more subtly programmed than most soft synths. If they're also of a more recent vintage, it probalby just comes down to the specific synth/programmer. You may also be getting an overall lower level out of your hardware synths, depending on what type of audio connection you're using, that makes them seem not so in-your-face initially.
 
 
 
 

It's my understanding that he's getting this from  softsynths, not the hardware.  I listened to the example and heard nothing unusual about those patches.  I think there's a lot to be said about room treatment and the type of monitors being used.  I recently installed the ARC 2 system from IK Multimedia which corrects faults in your room to compensate for your monitors.  Perhaps this might solve the OP's problem.

Also, levels have to be matched for a true comparison...Fletcher-Munson, and all that. Even a few dB of extra level can make bass seem overbearing.
 
When I mix, if the vocals seem a bit too high at low levels and a bit too low at high levels, I know the balance is just about right. The highs and lows "pivot" around the midrange.

I hear nothing particularly bass-heavy in the sample file. Even the deep synthetic kick is about where it should be. What's that file look like in a spectrum analyzer? 
 
And are you judging it with headphones, speakers, or both? If so, what models? 
 
If speakers, it may be that the patches are exciting a room resonance that makes them sound boomy.
 
If headphones, they may be bass-hyped, as so many models are nowadays. If you tell us you're using Beatz by Dre that you got for $400 at the AT&T store, that would be the answer! :D
 

It's a bit the same when you post your songs in the song forum, there will always be a few who think the song is to boomy, yet it's not really the fact. it's their monitors. I think bass heavy monitors are popular, Now me, I have NSM 10's so I'll say no more...

Lynn
It's my understanding that he's getting this from  softsynths, not the hardware.

Yes, what I was getting at is that the hardware synth(s) he's using as a reference might be both quieter and less bass-heavy depending on what era they're from, making the soft synths seem excessively bass-heavy by comparison. Personally, I thought the example sounded a little boomy on my Behringer Truths, but it's hard to draw any conclusions from a single example with a sparse composition that's inherently bass-heavy.

Hi:)
 
I find the Sounds not Bassheavy, normal, in the Mix, it depends on the Music, I would lower the Bass a little bit, perhaps -3 dB, depends on the Arrangement and the additional Instruments, for Dance Music it's very OK!
 
Baseman.