EQ Settings

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cjacek

cjacek

Analogue Enthusiast
Hi,

Can anyone please suggest Parametric EQ settings for lead vocals ? (I also welcome your own personal settings as a good place to start). Thanks.

Dan
 
It depends. That's all I can say <i>for sure</i>.
First, roll off that low-end stuff. Get rid of everything below, say, 100Hz - if it doesn't harm the signal. Set lower, if necessary.
For some extra 'warmth' (like the bass-boost, when you are really close to a mic - how is this called in english?) boost at 180 Hz. For less, cut it. To make the vocals more understandable, add some dBs at 3-5 kHz. Keep the rest flat, and it shouldn't be too nasty-sounding. If the vocal doesn't cut through the mix, try to cut between 1-3 kHz in the track that is making the problems (e.g. crunchy guitars). These are the most general things to say about that. The rest really depends on the voice of the singer, the mic used, etc. What I like to do for a more vintage-like sound is to cut everything above 12 kHz (this is what the old mics do all by themselves). I hope I could help you,

David
 
every mic is different and every singer is different. for example the singer in my band sounds absolutely horrible through a SM58, but sounds amazing through a AKG D880(at least for live). it totally depends on these 2 factors. set the eq so it sounds natural. not too bassy, not too bright, not too middy. use your ears and different playback sources like home stereo speakers, head phones, car stereos, boomboxes to get a feeling of what it will sound like if you don't have good monitors allready.

Trust your ears! they are your friend!

lates
matt
 
From suggestions at this site, I purchased "The Musician's Guide to Home Recording", which is great and has specific eq suggestions. Using that as a starting point, I've been using some combination of the following so far for my low-tenor voice:

boost at around 350 hz about 1 octave (adds power),
boost somewhere between 4-5 khz about 1 octave or less (adds crispness),
boost over 11 khz (adds "brightness" -- this is very subtle)
cut somewhere between 7-10 khz very narrow band (to cut out nasties)

I usually boost no more than 3-6 dB. But when playing around with it I try turning it up or down all the way to help me hear what I'm doing.

If you add compression after eq you need to go back and do it all over again.

I'm no expert, just a guy.
 
bvaleria said:
LI Slim said:
...I'm no expert, just a guy...

Not quite! You're a guy with a Recording Manual!!! :D

Hi Bruce,

Just a quick question ... Is it possible to do all of these frequency cuts/boosts with the Tascam 424 MK3's parametric EQ ? OR do I need to buy a seperate parametric EQ ? Are there any serious limitations with 424's mid sweep EQ ? (I mean, can I "de-ess" and also manipulate the frequencies with the 424 with a similar way as with other external para eq units ?).

Dan
 
Hey Dan...

First off - there are 2 "types" of parametric EQs.
A "Full Parametric" (or simply "parametric") EQ found on the better consoles and on outboard units has 3 areas of control per each band (usually 3-4): sweepable frequency, "Q", boost/cut levels. The sweepable frequency pot allows you to select the frequency you wish to adjust. The boost/cut pot control is obvious. The Q setting controls how wide or narrow the boost/cut being applied will occur centered at the selected frequency. (Meaning, at higher Q settings, the affected frequency range will be very narrow - so if your selected frequency is 10K, you will pretty much affect only 10K, as opposed to the semi-parametric settings which will not only affect the 10K frequencies, but also much of the surrounding frequencies.)

"Semi-parametric" (often incorrectly referred to as simply "parametric") - has 2 controls: sweepable frequency, and boost/cut levels. This is typical in budget mixers and PortaStudios. Semi-parametrics are a bit of a compromise since, without the Q control to limit the scope of your adjustments, they have a tendency to affect too much of the surrounding frequencies of the one you're trying to work with. You just don't have the same level of control as with a full-parametric.

De-essing is not accomplished only thru EQ - it is a 2-step process involving a parametric EQ (set to boost the frequency you want to de-ess) and have it drive a compressor's sidechain to provide frequency-dependent dynamic cutting.

Using a PortaStudio's EQ may not have enough flexibility to give you the de-essing capability needed. If you decide to buy an outboard unit, make sure that for each frequency band (typically 3 or 4 bands of control), you get the Q control. There are a lot of budget Parametrics billed simply as Parametric EQ when in fact they are "Semi".

Hope this helps...
Bruce
 
Re: Hey Dan...

bvaleria said:
First off - there are 2 "types" of parametric EQs.
A "Full Parametric" (or simply "parametric") EQ found on the better consoles and on outboard units has 3 areas of control per each band (usually 3-4): sweepable frequency, "Q", boost/cut levels. The sweepable frequency pot allows you to select the frequency you wish to adjust. The boost/cut pot control is obvious. The Q setting controls how wide or narrow the boost/cut being applied will occur centered at the selected frequency. (Meaning, at higher Q settings, the affected frequency range will be very narrow - so if your selected frequency is 10K, you will pretty much affect only 10K, as opposed to the semi-parametric settings which will not only affect the 10K frequencies, but also much of the surrounding frequencies.)

"Semi-parametric" (often incorrectly referred to as simply "parametric") - has 2 controls: sweepable frequency, and boost/cut levels. This is typical in budget mixers and PortaStudios. Semi-parametrics are a bit of a compromise since, without the Q control to limit the scope of your adjustments, they have a tendency to affect too much of the surrounding frequencies of the one you're trying to work with. You just don't have the same level of control as with a full-parametric.

De-essing is not accomplished only thru EQ - it is a 2-step process involving a parametric EQ (set to boost the frequency you want to de-ess) and have it drive a compressor's sidechain to provide frequency-dependent dynamic cutting.

Using a PortaStudio's EQ may not have enough flexibility to give you the de-essing capability needed. If you decide to buy an outboard unit, make sure that for each frequency band (typically 3 or 4 bands of control), you get the Q control. There are a lot of budget Parametrics billed simply as Parametric EQ when in fact they are "Semi".

Hope this helps...
Bruce


Well, once again, thank you sooo much for the prompt and detailed answer ! You made my decission A LOT easier. I'm very happy with my 414 mk2 and to that I'll add an external (true parametric eq) instead of getting the 424 for its limited semi para eq. Hey, I'm beginning to understand !
Thanks again. :)

Dan
 
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