Opinions on compression and eq

[PlnsMstkn4Jacob]

I would like to know where most of you stand when dealing with compression, eq, etc.

Do you feel that every track in a mix should have compression applied to it, including guitars, cymbals, etc. or do you feel that can ruin a mix and some tracks should be left raw?

How about EQ. I personally don't usually EQ everything in the mix because sometimes I think it sounds fine how it is, but maybe I'm wrong. Should everything in a mix be EQ'd to fit it in it's place even if it's just some slight cutting of certain frequencies???

What about limiting, gating, etc?

 

[LeeRosario]

I think use of compression and EQ is political.


Some people are all liberal and absolutly swear by compressing and EQing the living shit out of everything. Of course, those are the same people that will stay stuck in thier liberal niche. They lack the delicacy needed for emotional mixing. Surprisingly enough, these are the people that convey boring and emotionless mixing.


So if you want to be a brute, use this method.



I for one am conservative (in this case). You give the song what your artistic vision has for that day. But you never use force unless the song demands war. This method is by far more holistic and better suited for unique mixes. Not every track needs EQ, not every track needs compression, not every track needs everything.

I think the beauty in mixing is when you've learned how to hold yourself back and stay minimal.

 

[Fireal402]

When I first started recording, I thought that the only good sound came from a track with effects.

When I finally grew up and stopped listening to the marketing departments of various companies, I realized I'd been a jackass the whole time.

A track should only have effects (EQ, compression, 'verb, etc.) if it NEEDS it. If that guitar cab you just miked up with a nady dynamic sounds awesome, then leave it alone. Don't get sucked into FX-frenzy, as you'll just look back and realize you went waaaay overboard. And that is not a pretty sight.

But at the same time, don't feel you shouldn't use effects at all. Trust your ears, and most of all, experiment. If you're not sure that piano sounds amazing, try different 'verbs, different EQs, etc. You may find something that sounds better, or you may find it doesn't need anything, but at least you know you've explored all the options and won't miss out on an awesome sound.

 

[michaelst]

I rarely EQ or put EFX on guitars and keyboards. Those can, and should be controlled by the musician at the source. Occassionally an EQ tweak may be need in the mix if they are stepping on other instruments and if panning doesn't work.

Drums and vocals are completely different. In order to get the desired punch and clarity, compression, EQ and efx are needed on a mix to make the drums noticable.

Bass guitars are usually compressed to fit better with the drums, unless it is an acoustic bass.

Then, after all that ... if you try and fit the vocals in the cradle you've made with the instruments, chances are it'll be way too low. Therefor, compression, EQ and efx are almost required.

At least thats the way it is for me. I record live a band during the show and later remix on a PC.

 

[leddy]

I hate what compression does to cymbals, so I leave it off the overheads. I only record jazz so I leave the dynamics alone as much as I can, anyway.

Bass and vocals almost always end up needing some compression. Piano and guitar - depends on the mix, the playing, etc.

I try to EQ only when necessary, and cut rather than boost. Like how most people would say to do it I'm sure.

 

[pingu]

I would like to know where most of you stand when dealing with compression, eq, etc.

Do you feel that every track in a mix should have compression applied to it, including guitars, cymbals, etc. or do you feel that can ruin a mix and some tracks should be left raw?

How about EQ. I personally don't usually EQ everything in the mix because sometimes I think it sounds fine how it is, but maybe I'm wrong. Should everything in a mix be EQ'd to fit it in it's place even if it's just some slight cutting of certain frequencies???

What about limiting, gating, etc?

No everything should not have comps and eq's on it.

But if you want to shape your mix with these sounds and know what you are doing then go for it.

But each process pays a price.

 

[PhiloBeddoe]

Being a musician first and engineer later, I think it's as simple as doing what it takes to get the sound you want. Having a political stance on the use of compression or eq seems inappropriate. Compression and eq are tools and sound shapers just like knobs on a guitar amplifier, effect unit, synthesizer or whatever.

I recently watched Charles Dye's "Mix It Like A Record". Some people disagree with his methods, but the thing I took away from it is that you should not be afraid to use the tools any way you like to get the sound you want. Occasionally you'll read a post saying "never use more than 5dB of eq on anything" or something. That's completely ridiculous. Like any other type of processing, these things can be overdone and that's why then can get a bad rap. But you should turn the knobs until you say "That's it! Exactly what I wanted!". Of course, you'll develop habits and favorite settings this way.

 

[SonicAlbert]

If the track sounds the way you want it to sound the way it is, then there's no reason to add compression or eq. A lot of it depends on the style of music, too. Some styles have a compressed sound and require compression to get that sound. In other styles you can ruin the sound with too much compression.

Some tracks can be compressed, some tracks can be fine without it. This is the whole art of mixing, it's a big subject and even the great engineers takes yaars to master it.

I do think that using compression artfully can improve a mix. "Artfully" means knowing when to use it, how much or how little, and when not to use it. I find mixes that have compression properly applied tend to sound more finished and polished to me. Even applying just a couple dB or compression to a track can help it sit better.

I also prefer to use buss compression as opposed to the plugin thing where every track has it's own compressor. Buss compression seems to glue things together better.

But it really comes down to being a lot of opinions, and you just need to experiment with compression yourself and form your own opinion.

 

[LemonTree]

if someone steps into the booth and gives me an absolute stunning vocal 9 times out of 10 I'll EQ the living shit out of everything else in the mix to give it the space I think it deserves.

Compression is more of a taste tool than EQ. I'll often heavily compress stuff like kick drums, bass guitars and vocals if the singer is inconsistant.

If a song breaks down from 2 crunchy guitars, pumping bass and crashing drums to a quiet spoken word with one guitar I want to keep that emotion in the song and not have it peaking where the middle eight is when everything is goin hell for leather. But I guess song dynamics are a lot less common in the digital age.