For the mixing novice, this can require a degree of discipline at first, but assessing EQ tweaks in situ absolutely needs to become your norm, so step away from that solo button. When applying EQ to a single element within a track, while it’s perfectly fine to solo the channel occasionally to hear it on its own, most of the time it should be kept in context, as changing the frequency content of an individual sound can have a profound effect on the overall mix. Do, however, keep such gain increases as small as possible and apply them across a broad bandwidth, as sharp, heavy boosts can sound very unnatural. Of course, this shouldn’t be taken as law, and if a boost is required, don’t be shy about applying it. With headroom being an important factor in any mix, you don’t want to risk eating into it by significantly increasing the gain of a specific frequency range within any sound, when you could, instead, reduce the gain of competing frequencies in other parts to bring out the one you’re looking to draw attention to. One of the central tenets of mixing is that, when dealing with EQ, it’s better to cut than boost. Without doubt, there are plenty of third-party EQs out there that are objectively ‘better’ than those in your DAW when it comes to features, algorithmic heft, etc, but honestly, for the majority of mixing and engineering tasks, you need look no further than the EQ tools you already own. DAW-based equalisers also have the added benefits of being highly optimised within the host software, of course. Don’t just try to commit them to memory, though, as they’re not meant to be prescriptive: get some tracks up in your DAW and play around with the suggested settings to gain insight into their nuances and application.īefore you splash out on that fancy EQ that you just heard your favourite producer uses, are you quite sure you can’t get the results you’re after using the EQ plugin(s) built into your DAW? Stock EQs have come a long way in recent years, and the likes of Logic’s Channel EQ, Cubase’s Studio EQ, Live’s EQ Eight and Pro Tools’ EQ III are more than good enough to nail any conventional frequency-shaping task, generally offering at least five bands and the gamut of filter types. Googling ‘EQ frequency guide’ turns up numerous informative charts and diagrams. ![]() There are two aspects to this: knowing the frequency ranges in which the various instruments operate, and knowing what sonic effect cutting or boosting a certain range will have in general terms, regardless of the source material.Īs ever, there’s no substitute for experience when it comes to learning your way around the frequency spectrum, but when you’re getting started, there’s plenty of assistance to be found online. While it’s certainly possible to EQ ‘intuitively’, starting with a flat response curve and carving away at it until you hit the result you’re after, it’s far better to understand at least roughly where you should be concentrating your efforts in order to get the sound in question where you want it to be. Again, don’t be beguiled into blindly firing up the most powerful EQ in your arsenal when all you need is an aerating high shelf. ![]() As great as these things are, though, they’re not intended to be sweepingly ‘superior’ replacements for conventional EQ, and thus shouldn’t be your automatic first port of call in every frequency-shaping scenario. There’s considerable variation within each type to bear in mind, too, with vintage analogue EQ emulations generally being less surgical than modern equivalents, but desirable for their warmth and vibe, and, often, the inherent musicality of the curves they’ve been designed to facilitate.Īnd then there are dynamic EQs, including FabFilter Pro-Q 3 and Sonnox Oxford Dynamic EQ, which combine compression and EQ, enabling frequency-targeted gain changes to be made based on the volume level of the incoming signal ‘smart’ EQs such as oeksound Soothe 2 and Sound Theory Gullfoss, which literally do the hard work for you, constantly adjusting their EQ curves to optimise the spectral balance Sound Radix Surfer EQ 2, which tracks the pitch of a monophonic signal to maintain equalisation as it rises and falls and Eventide SplitEQ, which lets you EQ the transient and tonal components independently. But if you want to get into the details of that vocal, emphasising its defining frequencies by attenuating problem areas in the signal, a parametric ought to be your weapon of choice. If, for example, you’re looking to get rid of low-end rumble in a vocal, a simple high-pass filter will suffice. When you reach for an EQ plugin, you should always know what it is you’re aiming to achieve with it, and, therefore, what type of EQ you need.
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