EQ - listen single frequency?

[luist]

Hey guys.. the usual way to EQ is to raise a single frequency and see if it sounds bad. I personally don't like this way.
When using a hardware mixer, i can basically mute everything but that single frequency to listen only to it, which shows me what it really sounds like.

Is this method worse in any way?
Is there any plugin that allows me to do this in a simple way?

Thanks

 

[Steenamaroo]

Unless there's a plug that does this as standard,
duplicate your track,
flip polarity on the duplicate,
put an eq on one of the original.

Now when you manipulate the eq you'll only hear the changes made, if that makes sense.

Personally I'd want to hear my changes in context, but everyone's different.

 

[miroslav]

...i can basically mute everything but that single frequency to listen only to it, which shows me what it really sounds like.

EQ is usually applied to one element, relative to how it sounds with other elements.
Isolating a single element and just a single frequency is not going to give you an accurate picutre of how it should sound when mixed with everything else.

Can you elaborate more on what you are actually doing?

 

[Steenamaroo]

+1 to that.

 

[luist]

EQ is usually applied to one element, relative to how it sounds with other elements.
Isolating a single element and just a single frequency is not going to give you an accurate picutre of how it should sound when mixed with everything else.

Can you elaborate more on what you are actually doing?

Sometimes when i raise a frequency, i get some unwanted noises, like a constant beep, so I'm not sure if it's a problem on the frequency itself because it went too high, or anywhere else, because the frequency without the gain boost sounds just fine.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Hmm. That's interesting.

Just out of interest, turn the track down pre-insert (maybe the plugin has an overall gain knob?).
Bring it down about 12db then try boosting a frequency as normal.

I'm wondering if boosting as you describe is causing the track to clip.

 

[TripleM]

Sometimes when i raise a frequency, i get some unwanted noises, like a constant beep

That sounds like what can happen if you boost a very narrow range by a huge amount. Like boosting 1/30th octave around 1K by 18db. Or something like that. Sounds like a tone you'd hear in a hearing test. Is that what you're hearing?

 

[miroslav]

You are probably hitting and boosting a resonant frequency for that given element....and you can get a howl or chirp/beep...etc.
Basically...you're over boosting in a too narrow range.

 

[luist]

That sounds like what can happen if you boost a very narrow range by a huge amount. Like boosting 1/30th octave around 1K by 18db. Or something like that. Sounds like a tone you'd hear in a hearing test. Is that what you're hearing?

Yes, it's basically that.

Thanks for the info guys.. ill try again with these tips