How drastic does your eq look?

[AntonioPetrole]

I have a question for all you guys, when you eq something like guitars or snare, how drastic does your eq look? I mean this like when you clear some low mids, do you reduce them like -2db with a thin band? Or do you drop it like -6 or more db? I know it depends on the source and how good the raw take sounds, but i always notice when i EQ something, its usually something like HP, LP and 1 or 2 small notches -2db (subtractive in this case, i do everything i can before i boost frequencies) and i feel like im not doing enough or doing a good enough job listening for bad frequencys.

Thanks for any responses

 

[TheDriller]

for me, a little goes a long way if its being used right.

eariler on, i used to be cutting 10db or more and wondering why it wasn't effective, the problem being that i was cutting the wrong frequencies to solve the problem i had.
and when i found the right frequency i'd be cutting 10db out of habit and then thinking "wow thats shit, that can't be what im looking for".

usually my EQ doesn't go much further than 3db in either boost or cut. but hey, there are always exceptions.

 

[dcb]

totally depends on the density of your mix.

at the moment im mixing a band that has heavy guitars + strings AND piano + tons of vocal layers.
in this case, you need space in you mix. i even end up cutting 15 db on the pianos lower midrange to leave
space for the guitars body/note range.

there is no right or wrong to equalizing, if it helps your mix. especially when cutting. but boosting 20db @300 Hz for example would never seem like a good idea to me...

also, some eqs can be used with extreme settings without sounding harsh or unnatural. ffor boosting id always prefer analog eqs or the massive passive from uad.

 

[amarshism]

Try different eqs. They all sound different on different source material and are suited to cuts and boosts in different areas. Try multiband compression or different compressors too for some eq. If it's a resonant freq that rly bugs me I'll find it with waves q-eq(1-10) and pull it right out with highest q. Boosts never go higher than they need to.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Pft. I have a kick right now that I'm boosting a mega shelf at +20db at 3k ssl emulation. I'm also cutting at around 400hz and when I say cut I mean around 15db or so.

Do I give a fuck? Nope, shit sounds good.

 

[Trevoire520]

The unfortunate answer is "it depends"

For guitars I try to get the sound right with the guitar/amp/speaker/mic combo so I have to do as little eq as possible.
For drums you normally need to get a bit more drastic.
Vocals tend to get only a little eq if they need it.

Two good general rules to follow:
Cut first, boost later
Boost gentle and wide. Big tight boosts sound unnatural.

 

[HCL]

I have a related question. I try to keep my eqing subtractive on guitars/bass but on drums I find myself using additive eq. Is this a good rule of thumb or not?

 

[reg3n]

My rule is no more or less than 4db, 4db being the line where shittyness starts.

 

[Star Ark]

I keep it pretty tame for boosts and don't think twice about cutting huge amounts.

I've never been able to really change the overall tone of an instrument with eq without it sounding nasty, but if I run a signal through a cab simulator (which is kinda like a fixed eq plugin ) it can sometimes radically change the sound without it sounding nasty. Not sure what the cab sims are doing that I'm not. Maybe they use a lot of cuts to achieve their sound.

To the op do you mean your guitar buss or just individual channels? If I set up a guitar buss it gets very small cuts and boosts, where as individual instruments get rougher treatment

 

[greyskull]

depends really.
Depends what the source needs. If i tracked it, probably not a lot, but I've been know to go crazy mixing other peoples stuff.
It's odd how the workflow changes depending on the GUI
When using a graphic eq like the eq 3 or the sonnox eq i tend to do more subtle surgical stuff maybe like 2 - 7 here and there.
But if i use the ssl eq on the channel ive gone to +12 db and -12 db at times. Sounds good... soooooo

 

[Emdprodukt]

I have pretty drastic EQ on bassguitars. always.

 

[Mattayus]

Drums are the things that get EQ'd the most by me (in terms of how 'extreme' the EQ is anyway). With guitars I tend to do very very little indeed. A high/low pass, and maybe some band rejections here and there if there's any harshness, but besides that I think if you're having to adjust guitar EQ really drastically in post-prod then you did something wrong in tracking. Get it right at the source.

 

[P-E]

If I need to eq it to fuckery to make it sound good (considering I didn't track it or can't track it again) I do so.

If I don't I don't.

 

[timislegend]

in my experience:

i will use eq post dynamics processing... this will change (lower) the overall dynamic range of the signal by also adding some sustain (to whatever instrument). as a result, the eq will perform far less work or become a lot less "drastic."

the compression will control the signal enough to the point that all frequencies are audibly subdued... then i will adjust those "subdued" frequencies with a less-aggressive outboard/plug-in eq (hw: massive passive/weiss or sw: sonox/flux).


*...this is what works for me. i am not saying this method is the only way to do it. just great results.

 

[BLUElightCory]

I try to use as little EQ as possible; if I'm tracking and mixing I'll switch mics/placement/instruments/amps/players during the tracking phase before I start reaching for EQ (except for high-passing).

For some sounds and music styles (i.e. metal drums and the like) sometimes you have to really dive into the EQ to give the band what they want (i.e. sounds that don't actually occur in nature).

 

[laszlozsolt82]

generaly i prefer to cut more and somethimes drastic, and try to boost frequencies as little as possible and only if it`s a must...

 

[timislegend]

(except for high-passing).

oh yeah... hp filter everything.

not just a common practice... (essential) it will allow you to reduce the amount of eq function.


good point.

 

[The Unavoidable]

If I have to do more than 4-5 db I stop for a moment to re-think my mix as a whole. Otherwise, who gives a shit if you add 29db at 234hz as long as it sounds good?

 

[LeSedna]

depends really.
Depends what the source needs. If i tracked it, probably not a lot, but I've been know to go crazy mixing other peoples stuff.
It's odd how the workflow changes depending on the GUI
When using a graphic eq like the eq 3 or the sonnox eq i tend to do more subtle surgical stuff maybe like 2 - 7 here and there.
But if i use the ssl eq on the channel ive gone to +12 db and -12 db at times. Sounds good... soooooo

Can't agree more I don't mix the same on my ssl emulation than on a graphic eq.