Are we still equalizing vocals?

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CyanJaguar

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About a year ago, I read a post from an engineer that it was rare to find a situation where the vocal needed no eq.

Nowadays I hear people saying all the time that they dont need eq on their mics.

What changed? Are we settling for less, or is it that what plugin eqs do to vocals is worse than not eqing at all. Please enlighten me.
 
What's this 'we' crap? Use your own head! :) :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
I was being nice

I have my techniques. I am just trying to shed some light on the issue :)
 
Hmmmm...

I've heard many tracks/mixes from the folks who "don't use EQ."

They need to use EQ.

Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

"Jazz, pfffft...They just make it up as they go along."
-Homer Simpson-
 
the right mic with the right preamp for the vocalist should give you a sound where no EQ is needed.......

mere amateurs like myself still rely on EQ.......
 
I'm with you Tom - EQ the vocal, usually some around 7Khz and up.

hey I love the Homer Simpson quote:):)


cheers
John
 
One setting I often end up using is a little boost around 2,2-2,5 kHz, and a little cut at 250-300 Hz. Works well in dense rock mixes. Don't overdo it, too much cutting/boosting makes it sound like the voice is recorded through a telephone.

Cheers
/HEnrik
 
Gidge said:
the right mic with the right preamp for the vocalist should give you a sound where no EQ is needed.......

mere amateurs like myself still rely on EQ.......
Click to expand...

i agree whole heartedly,,,,,i'm still using dynamic mics for vocals so i ride the eq pretty hard, actually i don't see any reason not to e.q., if its gonna improve the sound then i say do it....even with the right mic/pre if e.q. is gonna have a positive effect, then i see no harm
 
I usually end up boosting the top end a bit on the male voice. Females I rarely have to touch. (No sexual inuendo intended :p )

Mark
 
For me it depends on the mix. I try to get a good sounding vocal with no eq changes, but the mix usually dictates a few tweaks here and there of a few db. I record on a Tascam 788 and send the mix to Sound Forge 5.0, so I'm stuck with Tascam's eq which is a high and low shelf filter and a mid with q. Generally I'll take off 2 or 3 db at around 80hz and find a sweet spot for the mid and boost 1 or 2 db which could be anywhere from 3.5khz to 7.5 depending on the song. This is for a C-1 mic, my other condensers usually need more eq.
 
I dunno. Mebbe all us bottom-feeding home-reccers with our Chineese Neumann copies, our Toob MP's tracking in a tiny clothes closet are doomed to using some eq barring absolute serendipity.

I know my vocal tracks need plenty. My wife's need a lot less. Typically, I high pass somewhere around 100Hz, cut somewhere from 250-550Hz (on me, not so much her), and a couple db of hi-shelf around 10 or 12k.

And yes, Cyan, you may count me among those who feel that our plug-in eq's suck severely, but I have nothing better. Using the plugs conservatively (never boost if a cut elsewhere will do as well, etc.) is in my case better than no eq at all.

Good thread idea!
 
It really comes down to what is available in your mic locker. If I have to eq, I have placed the mic in the wrong position, or used the wrong mic. If I must, I will add eq, but prefer not to, and that is just me.

There is no "real" way to say which method is correct, as so many hit producers use it, and just as many don't. It is more likely you will use eq on male vocal than female, provide the placement and mic are the correct ones.

In either case, this is a subject that ends up as, "What ever works for you...do it"!

Alan Hyatt
PMI Audio Group
 
Vcl EQ

With a 414, I'll have a Pultec 6k boost patched in before the singer even shows up. The voice tells me how much to dial in between 3 and 7 on the knob, lord knows what that translates to in dB. With a TLM103, I'm finding smaller boosts, higher up working, like the fixed 10k shelf on the Trident just turned to the right a bit. I'll leave backgrounds flat, though I've been cutting alot of heavily filtered back-ups to tape with EQ lately.
 
I'm confused. Are we talking about EQ on the signal getting recorded, or EQ on the vocal track in the mix? Or both?

Or are some of us talking about one, and some the other, or...

See, I'm confused.
 
I would recommend eq'ing the signal at mixdown as opposed to eq'ingthe signal being recorded. At mixdown you have the ability to determine how the signal sits in the mix and which frequencies are masking or being masked by frequencies of other signals.
 
I'm with Alan Hyatt on this one. When it comes to vocals, I never eq while tracking (i.e., going to tape) for several reasons:

1. Most board eqs aren't surgical enough to do any fine adjustments and they affect too broad a range of notes. Plus, you're adding phase distortions and messing with the time constants of the original signal, which CAN'T be restored later.

2. The eq settings become just one more thing to remember if you have to punch in a line a few days or weeks later.

3. I come from the old school (like Alan) where you learned that mic placement and mic choice was your eq. Boards (when I started) had maybe two eq knobs; high, and low. We didn't use them all that much.

If you have the luxury of several mics to choose from, the best results will still be had by using the correct mic in the correct position, then make adjustments during the mixdown phase, if you have to adjust it.

Microphones are like flavors; you try to choose the right flavor that compliments the artist as perfectly as possible. Sometimes, it's a Neumann 67 with a .6 micron Stephen Paul diaphragm (a very expensive delicate flavor), and sometimes, it's a Radio Shack megaphone (a gritty taste).

The trend seems to be to just put up the mic and if it doesn't sound right, reach for knobs and start turning. You might get better results by having the artist move around and try different angles and distances, or try a few other mics, before you start "fixing things" with eq.
 
Are we talking about EQ during tracking or mixing? I'm talking about both. I will often Lo and Hi pass vocals during the tracking stage, but rarely boost any freq's. During mixing there are no rules, it fully depends on the track.

I am fully with Harvey on getting it right the first time. This however does not exclude Hi and Lo pass filters at the tracking stage IMHO. There are frequencies that just do not need to be there, so I get rid of 'em.

Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

"Jazz, pfffft...They just make it up as they go along."
-Homer Simpson-
 
Tom is right - I will ocassionally use a high pass filter to get rid of any low end garbage that's leaking into the track. I'm less certain about using a low pass filter on the top end. I just like to have it all there and deal with it later, during mixdown, if needed.

With the exception of bass and drums, I just like to get as close as I can to the final sound without mucking with any extra controls.
 
EQ or not EQ ?

I'm sorry but Pluggin eq sound pants, if you haven't got a decent outboard eq unit then get one. If not at least spend the money on a decent pre amp, in my opinion this gives most timeless result. Mic choice & placement also has alot to do with frequency response, the near the mic the warmer the vox, the more valves the better. Also room with very little acoustic are prone to sounding dull and lifeless.
 
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