Brief EQ mindfuck- Mixing to the Key of the Tune at Hand?

[kev]

Been reading some articles recently about some of the top guys really homing in tightly on notes during production, and im not sure we've had much of a discussion on it here. Does anybody get particularly detailed with this stuff or are you happy to generalise the instrument areas?

For example, if you're pounding away on your Low B, would you ever consider automating up the 248hz area for that period?

Possibly absolute overkill I know, but from what I read it seems quite an interesting slant on things.

 

[Metaltastic]

You know, I've always thought about that too, how eq'ing really is just boosting/cutting a certain range of pitches, but my feeling is it's so imprecise and broad (not to mention the fact that you're only boosting/cutting the fundamental, and most stuff has tons of harmonic stuff going on, especially distorted guitars) it's not really worth it - would be interested to hear if anyone has had any success with this philosophy though!

 

[John_C]

Surely everyone ends up doing this to a certain extent with bass guitar, not the automation but just the general eqing to the key of the piece.

 

[Soundlurker]

I found that approach interesting for a while but I quickly realised that most of the time the fundamental is not the main thing you should be worrying about. If you get rid of all the standing waves, comb filtering, etc and then make a good low/mid/high balance things pretty much arrange themselves, unless of course there's something wrong with the music, to begin with.

 

[Metaltastic]

Surely everyone ends up doing this to a certain extent with bass guitar, not the automation but just the general eqing to the key of the piece.

Wait, are you implying everyone does this consciously, like it's a common practice that I've been utterly out of the loop on? Or just that it ends up being that way?

 

[Melodeath]

Ends up being that way.

A lot of people EQ by boosting and sweeping, so where it sounds "best" will probably be around the fundamental.

 

[derfbonker]

Ends up being that way.

A lot of people EQ by boosting and sweeping, so where it sounds "best" will probably be around the fundamental.

I disagree, i usually end up boosting bass the 1st harmonic, and sometimes the guitar at the second.

 

[egan.]

Been reading some articles recently about some of the top guys really homing in tightly on notes during production, and im not sure we've had much of a discussion on it here. Does anybody get particularly detailed with this stuff or are you happy to generalise the instrument areas?

For example, if you're pounding away on your Low B, would you ever consider automating up the 248hz area for that period?

Possibly absolute overkill I know, but from what I read it seems quite an interesting slant on things.

Well low B on a 7 string guitar is 62Hz (31 on bass). I think that having a general understanding of where the fundamentals in use are is helpful but I wouldn't over think this.
For example the fundamental of most bass lines is going to be between 30-80hz.

Regarding the EQ sweep someone else mentioned, I think that point is pretty moot given that few of us are using a Q narrow enough to emphasize just a single note (when boosting anyway).

 

[Melodeath]

Well, I said "around the fundamental." This doesn't have to be a really narrow Q.

 

[greyskull]

gotta be careful to avoid one note bass on the Bass, some REALLY pop out on one note and the bottom end is fucked!! you can either very narrowly multiband compress or just notch it out a tad

 

[kev]

Well low B on a 7 string guitar is 62Hz (31 on bass).
For example the fundamental of most bass lines is going to be between 30-80hz.

Thanks Egan! My flu is pretty bad lol

 

[Hodie Ballswap]

I think a lot of us apply this philosophy in simpler ways, say by cutting the fundamental of the kick drum out of the bass a little to let the kick punch through. Something I've been experimenting with recently is carving out room for the vocal by cutting the vocal line's average fundamental frequency out of the instruments that are stepping on it:

First I figure out the pitch range of a vocal section (for example, let's say I'm working on the verse and the vocal extends from a G3 (196Hz) at the lowest to a B4 (493.88Hz) at the highest). Then I average the lowest and highest note (here, 344.94Hz) to get roughly the average fundamental frequency of that verse vocal. I make some cuts in the guitars and bass, sometimes kick too, to give the vocal some more power by letting its fundamental through some more. Then I automate that frequency cut in the other sections (chorus, bridge, etc.) to do the same thing. Seems to work for making the vocal sound "bigger."

 

[Fox Mulder]

I'm not that bored.

 

[Erkan]

Oh man, this is really overkill for me... I'm not even close to even call myself an audio guy yet, and for the moment I just try to use my ears and get the mix good by just "feeling" it.

Very interesting read though, it's definately gonna be in my thoughts now and then while doing audio stuff.

 

[GarethSE]

and for the moment I just try to use my ears and get the mix good by just "feeling" it.

this is how it should be done kids

 

[Erkan]

It's much easier to mix by "feel" in Nuendo though... considering you're "feeling" "it" up your.... you know. It really does help!

 

[Fox Mulder]

It's much easier to mix by "feel" in Nuendo though... considering you're "feeling" "it" up your.... you know. It really does help!

Wasn't that mentioned by Diego once? Something like, "To mix a song in nuendo is like mixing with a dildo up one's ass".

 

[chonchball]

If you do it like this, your song would have to consist of only that note for it to count mathematically in the mix

 

[Erkan]

Wasn't that mentioned by Diego once? Something like, "To mix a song in nuendo is like mixing with a dildo up one's ass".

Haha yes and that was exactly what I was referring to. Was hoping people would get it instantly but hey, this works too...

(For the record, I have not tried Nuendo so I do not know... it was only a joke! Just avoiding a possible flame war)

 

[GarethSE]

mixing a dildo up my ass is the secret to how that bow down cover came out sounding so damn meaty