The trick to EQ is to first get the sounds you are working with right. For electronic sounds this is relatively easy because no one really knows what they are meant to sound like anyway, but for live productions this all depends on the equipment you have and where you record. The sound should be pretty good on its own already and recorded so that certain “unfixable” problems are avoided. A sound that is dull and booming may never come right and always sound a little cheap.
It is important to understand the frequency spectrum and learn what each part of the spectrum offers for different sounds:
Understanding the sound you are working with in this spectrum can guide your EQ choices. Every sound may have a characteristic which falls into the spectrum and may need to be emphasised or cut. Certain sounds have more of one part of the spectrum than another. Bass sounds, for example, will have far more emphasis on lower mids and down. I say “emphasis” because the bass sound may have frequencies all the way up to the highs, but these only add to the sound and not the main part of it.
Generally, in a record-ing environment you will want to “EQ” the sound by moving the mic around and doing some general EQ changes to record. Then, you will want to balance the sounds in the mix by “keeping” the frequencies you want and removing those you don’t. This is called subtractive EQ, where you only reduce the volume of certain frequencies. Additive EQ is just the opposite. Cutting away sounds is easier on the ear than boosting frequencies, but for a little brittleness additive EQ is fine.
I often cut away what I don’t want in the lower mids to bass and add some clarity in the upper mids and presence bands if the sound is indistinct. That said this principles can also be applied in micro amounts. This is important when working with similar frequency sounds. You’ll want to remove frequencies in one sound while leaving or boosting them in another.
A trick to help find what this may be is to cut the sound, say the kick, with a very tight notch filter and sweep around the bass band until you find that the “thump” of the kick disappears. This may be at 120 Hz, for example. Reset the EQ on the kick and then cut this frequency out of the bass guitar with a mild notch filter around 3 to 6 dB. Bearing in mind that the bass guitar can mask this frequency, the kick and bass will now fit around each other better with a warm surrounding bass and a nice thump from the kick.
This concept can be applied to the lower mids allowing clarity from your bass guitar. You can do this all the way through the spectrum. The more sounds you add the more complex it gets – that’s why arranging instruments for use in the spectrum helps your mix incredibly.
Other general tips for improving clarity is to apply high pass filters with a low Q (bandwidth) on all sounds which are not obviously part of the bass spectrum. Things like vocals, piano, brass and general sounds which have their fundamental frequency (their pitch range) above the lower mids. This lets the bass and sub bands have more space. Doing a general lower to upper mid cut with a broad Q on background sounds can help them take less dominance. Similarly pushing the mids can help lost sounds sound bigger provided they don’t muddy the mix. Adding a gentle rise with a mild Q at 6 kHz on most sounds help get them to cut through.At the end of the day there is no silver bullet for EQ, train your ears to know why you are pushing the buttons you are. Good luck!
Play long and prosper!
Resistance to better sound is futile!
Jonathan Shaw is a professional record producer who has worked with a multitude of artists and record labels in a freelance capacity. Outside this, he lectures music business at the University of the Witwatersrand and provides business consultation to the music industry. jshaw@smstudios.co.za
Written By : Jonathan G Shaw
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