Any Help?

[rnb259]

Hey guy's, i was just wondering are there any sites which offer a good read on eq techniques.

Thanks

 

[Ethan Winer]

RB,

> any sites which offer a good read on eq techniques <

See "The art of equalization," 6th in the list on my Articles page:

www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html

--Ethan

 

[rnb259]

thanks man

 

[masteringhouse]

Hey guy's, i was just wondering are there any sites which offer a good read on eq techniques.

Thanks

What are you trying to fix?

The best EQ technique is proper microphone choice/placement and no EQ.

 

[Bulls Hit]

Well maybe in a perfect room with perfect accoustics, perfect mics & cables, perfect A/D D/A converters, blah blah.
People recording at home have to make all sorts of compromises.

You're not seriously suggesting you've never used EQ?

 

[masteringhouse]

Well maybe in a perfect room with perfect accoustics, perfect mics & cables, perfect A/D D/A converters, blah blah.
People recording at home have to make all sorts of compromises.

You're not seriously suggesting you've never used EQ?

On some tracks, absolutely. There have also even been a few very well mixed CDs that I've mastered where I felt EQ was hardly needed.

My point is that EQ can be used for a variety of ailments and effects. Trying to find a cookbook approach to using an EQ is going to do you more harm than good. For example, are you making a rap album? Then how you EQ a kick is completely different than how you will EQ it for a rock album. Is the sound muddy? Boxy? Thin?

I've always hated those EQ charts that say, for snare boost 5k, reduce 650, etc. You need to listen to all of the elements together before you even touch an EQ. What you want to emphasis will effect how you EQ things, how distant or "in your face" effects EQ. Maybe you want a special effect on a guitar so you will want a drastic EQ that sounds "un-guitarlike".

The best EQ technique that works in all situations is how to a parametric. Basically LISTEN to the sound in the full mix, if there is something that you don't like about a track, pick a particular frequency on a paramteric with a relatively narrow Q. Then boost (or cut) the frequency and sweep it over a range until you find the frequency that you want to cut or boost. Next adjust the Q to affect the band of the frequency and boost or cut to taste.

 

[chessrock]

EQ rules! rules!

 

[Bulls Hit]

I've always hated those EQ charts that say, for snare boost 5k, reduce 650, etc. You need to listen to all of the elements together before you even touch an EQ.

Sure, but they are a useful guide to a beginner who doesn't know where to start looking. I played drums for 20 years before I started recording. I had no idea what or where the significant frequencies of my snare were until I found one of those charts and started sweeping through the recommended areas.

This may mark me as a rank amateur, but I also find those spectrum analyser plugins like the Voxvengo one very useful. On my last project I had a killer kick sound that completely disappeared when I added the bass. Using the spectrum I could see the principal kick freq was 100Hz, while the bass was topping at 110Hz. So a quick sweep through the bass, a narrow cut at around 95Hz, and viola welcome back kick

 

[masteringhouse]

Sure, but they are a useful guide to a beginner who doesn't know where to start looking. I played drums for 20 years before I started recording. I had no idea what or where the significant frequencies of my snare were until I found one of those charts and started sweeping through the recommended areas.

This may mark me as a rank amateur, but I also find those spectrum analyser plugins like the Voxvengo one very useful. On my last project I had a killer kick sound that completely disappeared when I added the bass. Using the spectrum I could see the principal kick freq was 100Hz, while the bass was topping at 110Hz. So a quick sweep through the bass, a narrow cut at around 95Hz, and viola welcome back kick

I'm fine with spectrum analyzers, especially for folks starting out to help identify problem frequencies. This type of tool is dealing with the problem at hand. The issue that I have with the charts is the type of microphone, proximity to the source, how a drum is tuned, and the issues I brought up before all play a part in what to do with EQ.

Just blindly setting anything up using your eyes (and not your ears) as well as someone else's idea on what a "proper" EQ is without even hearing the material total B.S.