max out your eq's - care to discuss?

  • Thread starter Thread starter shackrock
  • Start date Start date
S

shackrock

New member
so i talked to a local guy the other day about recording...me being 17, and him being 40, i figured i had plenty he could teach me.

i asked him how he got his drums to sound so damn fat and crips and etc. etc....with using almost equal equipment as me...he's got some better mics/pres though.

he said besides that fact, MAX OUT YOUR EQ'S. He near mics all the drums/cymbals/etc. etc., and push's his mackie's EQ to the limit... he said make it distort, then back off till you hear no distortion.
for the toms, pump up the lows, mid-lows.
for the cymbals, cut ALL the lows.
for the snare, add whatever it needs to be thick enough for your taste.
etc.

now, as for as i was taught by internet articles, etc. - it was NOT to do such a thing. But HE said that the only way to get it to sound like that is if it is there in the first place, and when we aren't recording in pro conditions, you gotta just put that range in there when you record it, then you can tweak it afterwards to your perfect liking. You can't add a low end to a cymbal, if there is NO low end to add.


well it confused me, care to discuss??
 
IMO........

...if you've got the mic selection/placement right, you shouldn't have to use a shitload of EQ!
 
Most probably it will sound very 'artificial' if you add lots of EQ... I'm still not sure whether I do not like this sound, but reading a lot of tips from here (and especially getting a feeling of how much time to spend on mic placement!), I tend to use less and less EQ. OK, I do bass cuts as my pres can't, but I use more subtractive EQ, and it sounds nicer to me now... But that might just be the better recording techniques. Hmmm...

aXel
 
while I don't believe in the "cut never boost" theory, I try not to go to extremes. Still I do use a bunch of boost in tracking and/or mixing if I desire. think this guy may have gotten good results by lucky coincidence but I don't think any formula will automaticly sound good. Only by careful listening can most of us get a good sound. Cymbals certainly do have some low end (24" ride, gong, china)but cutting the low freq's may help clean a drum mix.
 
maybe he's a practical joker.

or just a pathological liar...
 
I use EQ, judicially, to make up for sonic deficiencies in my room.
My current room has a LOT of high end absorbtion, so I find myself replacing some of that high end with EQ, but to simply "max it out", unless he's recording in a padded cell, seems like the advice of a novice.

You're room and chain are going to be different than his. Experiment, and find what works for you in your room with your chain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top