EQ before Compression?

  • Thread starter Thread starter darnold
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darnold

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Im just wondering peoples ideas on EQ before Compression or Vice Versa.

I understand any boosts you put in an EQ will be flattened back down somewhat if you put compression on, but i still feel like it give the sound of the boost without making a huge peak in the sound.

THe EX-1 on my UAD1 card does it this way so im wondering if its a better to use stand alone EQ and Compressor and switch them around.

Danny
 
I like corrective EQ before and shaping EQ after.

You don't to compress what you don't want (hum, noise, hiss, etc.).
 
I'll do the same as MM, but if there is no corrective eq to be done I always put the EQ after the compressor so it 'piggy backs' and raises certain things above the bulk of the signal. I find you have to use less eq that way as well, and I'm one that likes to keep my eq under +6db at all times.

I did some major corrective eq/multiband compressing today to fix some acoustic guitars where the plectrum noise was just too much. While I was at it I polished this near ultimate turd bass playing... this guy was a 8:1... because moron played by *scratching* his pick on the strings.

Sometimes I hate my clients... especially bad bassists. I've had a rash of them lately. All compressed to heck and back without any groove or timing. Friggin' hacks.
 
Sometimes I hate my clients... especially bad bassists. I've had a rash of them lately. All compressed to heck and back without any groove or timing. Friggin' hacks.
Click to expand...

One of them could slip through the cracks and become famous like that hack Krist Novaselic.
 
Hmm thats interesting.

I Guess i need to start doing that to shape my snare a little more. It really has been a pain in the ass lately to get it perfect. Why is it that drummer normally can have really nice sounding toms, kick, cymbal, but the snare always sounds like crap?

Danny
 
Most of the time, it's because he has a crappy sounding snare - Not because of the EQ or compression.
 
Oh i know that, because im normally the one who has to tune the things.

Nah this last session was more because the best sounding snare we had to use was a picollo snare. It sounds good...but its a picollo snare. Not something you wonna use when your playing Metal Hardcore or something. So they best i could do is tune it down a little bit and muffle the overtones. They loved the sound because it was different but its been tough getting it to fit in the mix like i want it. Everything else on the kit worked beautifully for the amount of time we spent setting it up.

Danny
 
Massive Master said:
Most of the time, it's because he has a crappy sounding snare - Not because of the EQ or compression.
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I second this. I've recorded guys with pretty iffy starter kit snares and those are always a pain to mic. I recorded a guy the other week with a 1400 dollar OCD snare and it was pretty easy.

It's like with guitar--getting a huge sound out of a Peavey Bandit and Squire guitar is more challenging (or impossible) than trying to get a good sound out of a Les Paul and a Hiwatt DR504.
 
:D Will just add a couple of sense:

[cents==just a play on words]


When I'm doing a vocal, I do use compression; however, I don't fiddle with EQ until mixing, IF IT IS NEEDED AT ALL.

Green Hornet
Happy Halloween :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :p :D
 
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