Understanding EQ frequencies and how they affect our mix, is critical to creating a professional sounding project. In our last Podcast episode we've started dealing with EQ in a very general sense. Let's continue down that road and add a little more meat to our discussion.
As we begin, let me also remind us that there are truly no hard rules with how much, or how little, we are using specific EQ frequencies. On the flip side of this truth, there are ways to adjust certain EQ frequencies that may not be adding much value to your mix.
My desire in this post is to give you a general guide to begin experimenting with. The exact settings don't matter as much as the audio flavor you're communicating in your final project. Don't get me wrong. The exact settings do matter to a certain degree. Knowing how you've achieved a certain mix can help you do it again in a future project. However, the final feel, emotion, and energy of the song matters far more than the exact settings you used to get there.
To help us better understand EQ frequencies I'd like to take a closer look at what specific ranges tend to communicate in our mixes. I've also included an image to give a visual picture to experiment with.
10-15k
Adding a few DB here can add that extra sparkle or shine to, vocals, guitar, synth, and even an overall mix. Too much here, like many other frequencies, can make a mix sound cheap depending on the system it's being heard on. This range is not always heard in some laptop speakers and home stereo systems.
6-10k
Presence and siblence clarity. This is often the area where de-essing is needed (sometimes a bit lower as well). Get this right and the vocal is often much easier to understand.
4-5k
I often see this area as the clarity spot of many tracks. A few DB here can pop a high hat out of the mix and add overall clarity to many middle range instruments. Don't push this area too hard or things start to be very ear piercing and unpleasant to listen to.
1-3k
Often times this is the power and energy spot of a track. This area can cut like a knife. Use enough here and your vocal track can pop out of the mix where it needs to be. Use too much and your vocal track may encourage the listener to hit stop.
500-1000 Hz
I call this area the "Sasquatch Zone". Everyone knows it's real but few know how to categorize it ;). Truth is, this region is critical to avoiding the amateur mix. The meat and body of many instruments lies here. However, use too much of these EQ frequencies and things start to sound very cheap and "tin canny".
250-500 Hz
These EQ frequencies provide much of the warmth and fullness in many guitars, keys, and vocal lines. In most cases, too much here, is the culprit to a muddy sound.
100-250 Hz
Here lies the crack to most snares, the top end power to many bass lines, and the boom to many tracks. Too much is very boomy, too little is thin and lifeless.
50-100 Hz
This EQ frequencies are typically the warmth, thunder, and thump in most kick drums. Often the bottom end of the bass line thunder is here as well. Get this area right and your mix will have girth to it. Too much here is cardboard sounding (I know, not very technical). Too little here and your mix will lack bottom end power and warmth.
Below 50 Hz
I don't personally boast a lot below 50 Hz. I often find too much in this range to push my compressors more than they need. I typically use a low EQ slope to taper off this range and keep it under control.
Experiment with your own mixes
Now that you have a general idea of what is happening with EQ it's time for action. I would suggest using the above as a guide to experiment with your own projects. See how adjusting EQ frequencies in these ranges change the feel, emotion, and energy of your music. Learn to develop a theory of using EQ to shape your sound. Don't just rely on stock settings to get the job done.
I'd love to hear your questions or comments. Please add them to the comments section below.
Hi Dave. Very useful advice regarding use of reverb. My problem seems to be that if I can’t set up my guitar somewhere near to the desired sound before I start to record, I just don’t seem able to play the tune in anticipation of the effects I wish to incorporate at mix stage. In other words, if I record it dry, I can’t relate expression to finished article. (I hope this is making sense to you). Recording wet leaves a lot less room for sound adjustments. How is this resolved in a professional studio. Thanks.
This can be as simple as splitting your output. A decent direct box with a parallel output can let you run say a 1/4 output to an amp or guitar pedal input for FX and the other XLR direct into an audio interface. There are other ways but this is a simple way to monitor your FX while recording a dry signal.
Hi Dave. Thanks for a prompt reply. I play an electro-acoustic guitar into a Yamaha THR5A amp into cubase elements 9 DAW. So if I understand you correctly, I plug the guitar into the splitter. One output from the splitter goes to the amp (I will hear the output in my headphone output from the amp). The other output from the splitter goes into my pc where the amp is normally connected. (This will require usb connections, presumably a splitter with usb output connections is available). Question. How is the sound from my guitar processed into the DAW without having first gone through an amp. Is it done via the sound card in my pc? I know I can switch the DAW output to a generic source (other speakers) so I think I should have facility to input signal from a generic source (presumably sound card)? Have I grasped the principle of your advice?
So the idea with the DAW signal is that you record it completely dry or unprocessed and then use your DAW to add FX/cabinet/amp emulation, ect. Again, the goal would be to listen to the amp single for recording but mix the dry signal with FX in the box at that stage.
Thanks very much. I understand now.
Dave, can I ask you a question about reverb please? If I have several reverb sends for my tracks, how do I stop the whole thing becoming a reverb mess? Is there any special way to handle multiple reverb sends in your tracks? Thanks Dave.
The best way to use reverbs is through aux sends. So you create a new track and insert your reverb plug-in there. Make it 100% with no dry signal. Often I’ll have a mono reverb and a stereo one, and one for the drums as well. Then on the track you need reverb for just create a dry aux out and send it to this track. Do this with as many tracks as you need.
Here’s how I keep the reverb clean, 1.) don’t add too much reverb to any one track. Resist the urge to crank it up, but only add just enough to get the job done while listening through monitors.
2.) I always EQ my reverb aux’s rolling out some lows and well as the mids to keep it from getting muddy. 3.) In most every project I do, I’m also automating my FX’s like delay’s and reverbs to keep them balanced according to the song dynamics. 4.) If I have a track that is going to be panned, I’ll often use a mono reverb so as not to add a full stereo image to that same track from a stereo reverb.
These few tips go a long ways so I’d start there for sure.
Great show!!!
That really helps and makes a lot of since. i’m downloading the blue cat free ware now.
I cant wait to get in my mixes and see whats going on!
Thats for telling us products like blue cat and the other one, i think it was melda productions. The compression from it is great and very useful.
I have since finished all of your shows and every one is great! I really appreciate you taking the time to make them. You have helped me greatly.
I listened to a couple of other home studio pod cast and your is honestly the best. I have gotten so much more out of them i don’t even waste my time listening to other shows .
While finishing the rest of your podcast you answered a few more of my questions. One being how to “thicken up my mix”. You’re doing great.
Thank you,
Josh
You are very welcome Josh, Have a great Thanks Giving!