chadsxe
Super Rad Member
- Dec 13, 2005
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EQ
One thing that is *ESSENTIAL* to a professional sound is mastering the parametric equalizer. Graphic equalizers just don't cut it for recording; in fact, I *NEVER* use one personally.
Parametric EQ is easier to use than you think, but it can appear tricky to master at first. It's not--just use your ears and don't over EQ.
KEEP IN MIND THIS GUIDE MAKES MORE SENSE IF YOU OPEN UP A PARAMETRIC EQ AND MESS WITH IT A LITTLE BIT WHILE YOU READ THIS!
This is a quick and dirty guide to parametric EQ.
First off, parametric EQ's have multiple bands--typically 4 or 6 bands. Each band is independent and can have its own individual settings. Most parametric EQ's have a number of MODES or FILTER TYPES available to them for each band:
HIGH PASS FILTER: will not affect freqs *higher* than the center frequency--in other words this cuts out lower frequencies (the highs PASS thru--get it?).
LOW PASS FILTER: reverse of the high pass--the freqs *lower* than the center frequency are unaffected--this cuts off high frequencies.
Both high pass and low pass filters have something called a *roll off* which may or may not be user definable; a roll off will determine the slope of how the frequencies are reduced--such as 6db per octave, 12db per octave and so forth. The greater the db reduction the more frequencies are reduced.
High and low pass filters are usually only available on the ends of the parametric EQ bands. Thus, a 4 band parametric could have a high pass filter, 2 band filters, and a low pass filter as its options.
NOTE: both low and high pass filters *ALWAYS* are used to cut frequencies--these cannot be used to boost.
SHELF FILTER (LOW OR HIGH): affects ALL frequencies from the center frequency and upwards (for high shelf filter) or below (for low shelf filter). Use carefully and sparingly. This is basically a relative of the high/low pass filters but contains no roll off.
BAND FILTER: this is the "typical" mode you will use--this will accent or cut a certain range defined by the user (see below).
After the mode, which 90% of the time you will be using a band filter type of mode, the next important thing to look at are the actual controls of the parametric eq--the center frequency, Q, and gain.
CENTER FREQUENCY: this is the epicenter of the where you are applying EQ at. Usually ranging from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz (20 khz). This is just the center of your eq adjustment, other frequencies will be affected.
Q: this determines the width of the eq around the center frequency. The higher this number is the narrower the range. Very narrow boosts can sound "ringy" and actually go into a (bad sounding) self-oscillation due to the feedback used to create the boost.
GAIN: the "height" or "depth" of the equalization. The gain, which can be positive or negative, determines how much cut or boost you are using in that frequency range.
In general, keep all gain cuts/boosts within 6db. Most of my cuts are under 2 or 3 db's these days. If you record sounds to be *exactly* what you want you don't have to mess with them very much--resulting in a much cleaner, pro sound.
One thing that is *ESSENTIAL* to a professional sound is mastering the parametric equalizer. Graphic equalizers just don't cut it for recording; in fact, I *NEVER* use one personally.
Parametric EQ is easier to use than you think, but it can appear tricky to master at first. It's not--just use your ears and don't over EQ.
KEEP IN MIND THIS GUIDE MAKES MORE SENSE IF YOU OPEN UP A PARAMETRIC EQ AND MESS WITH IT A LITTLE BIT WHILE YOU READ THIS!
This is a quick and dirty guide to parametric EQ.
First off, parametric EQ's have multiple bands--typically 4 or 6 bands. Each band is independent and can have its own individual settings. Most parametric EQ's have a number of MODES or FILTER TYPES available to them for each band:
HIGH PASS FILTER: will not affect freqs *higher* than the center frequency--in other words this cuts out lower frequencies (the highs PASS thru--get it?).
LOW PASS FILTER: reverse of the high pass--the freqs *lower* than the center frequency are unaffected--this cuts off high frequencies.
Both high pass and low pass filters have something called a *roll off* which may or may not be user definable; a roll off will determine the slope of how the frequencies are reduced--such as 6db per octave, 12db per octave and so forth. The greater the db reduction the more frequencies are reduced.
High and low pass filters are usually only available on the ends of the parametric EQ bands. Thus, a 4 band parametric could have a high pass filter, 2 band filters, and a low pass filter as its options.
NOTE: both low and high pass filters *ALWAYS* are used to cut frequencies--these cannot be used to boost.
SHELF FILTER (LOW OR HIGH): affects ALL frequencies from the center frequency and upwards (for high shelf filter) or below (for low shelf filter). Use carefully and sparingly. This is basically a relative of the high/low pass filters but contains no roll off.
BAND FILTER: this is the "typical" mode you will use--this will accent or cut a certain range defined by the user (see below).
After the mode, which 90% of the time you will be using a band filter type of mode, the next important thing to look at are the actual controls of the parametric eq--the center frequency, Q, and gain.
CENTER FREQUENCY: this is the epicenter of the where you are applying EQ at. Usually ranging from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz (20 khz). This is just the center of your eq adjustment, other frequencies will be affected.
Q: this determines the width of the eq around the center frequency. The higher this number is the narrower the range. Very narrow boosts can sound "ringy" and actually go into a (bad sounding) self-oscillation due to the feedback used to create the boost.
GAIN: the "height" or "depth" of the equalization. The gain, which can be positive or negative, determines how much cut or boost you are using in that frequency range.
In general, keep all gain cuts/boosts within 6db. Most of my cuts are under 2 or 3 db's these days. If you record sounds to be *exactly* what you want you don't have to mess with them very much--resulting in a much cleaner, pro sound.