“…exactly what I needed to get back into mixing. Adding to certain key frequencies in a sound source can make them more present or add certain characteristics to the sound source. There is always something added, cut, or filtered. – Reduce to remove "cheap" sound of guitars. Synthesis Basics: How to Create Audio Effects From Scratch, Meet the Newest Member of the Cartoon Universe - Executive Producer Liz Pocock, The Importance of Failing w/ Emily Dolan Davies. If that EQ chart isn’t enough and you want more EQ information, get my free EQ cheatsheet that gives you over 70 different tips and tricks on creating balance and definition in your mixes. Crush It With EQ – 71 EQ Hacks for Better Home Studio Mixes, Give Me Six Weeks And You'll Never Doubt Your Mixing Skills Again, Here's My Perfect Solution for Taming Your Low-end, 3 Things You Must Do for Better Vocal Recordings, Why Persistence is More Important Than Talent in Music. Boosting 700 – 900 Hz can bring out the bass line without cluttering up the low end. Using a graphic equalizer for mixing is generally not that effective, as there is no control over the bandwidth of each individual band. Check it out: (All credit of this EQ chart goes to MusicRadar / Future Music). These tips are broken down by instrument and help you fix your frequency problems with simple solutions that you can use right away. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The lowest frequency range adds fullness to those bass instruments like the kick drum, toms and bass. Subtractive EQ repairs problematic sounds, meaning that you find the problem frequency and cut down on it, either completely eliminating it or reducing it until it ceases to be a problem. So use the eq chart as guide, not as a magic formula. We do this by offering simple and practical music production and success skills they can use right away to level themselves up – while rejecting negativity and gear-shaming from the industry. How to Use an EQ Chart. Also, a quick note on the topic of high pass filters: use them. Especially if the vocalist keeps dancing and kicking the mic stand. Cut to reduce nasal sound of vocals.. 3 kHz adds attack to most everything. This is most often used in loud basslines in rock. I check my email everyday and feel like I have a personal Engineer mentoring me. I like calling this the muddiness frequency because I always used to cut it so much when I was doing live sound. It doesn’t always sound good so don’t go boosting everything up there excessively. Increase to add sharpness to synthesizers, rock guitars and piano. It brings out the clarity of the voice. Filters and Bands. It can quickly result in a trebly and obnoxious high-end craziness. It’ll reduce boxiness and give it a thicker sound. Examples include adding a lot of 2-4 Khz for a metal-type kick drum or 5 Khz to make the vocal more present. Boosting between 2 – 4 kHz brings out the beater of the kick drum. It really adds muddiness to live venues but it can also fill up your mix in a negative way. This is your starting point for finding out how to get the most out of your Loopmasters samples. – Increase to add attack on low frequency drums (more mettalic sound). Knowing your EQ ranges is essential to mastering your mixing and furthering your production know-how. – Reduce to decrease ambience on cymbals. A simple graphic equalizer will have 2 or 3 bands (frequency areas) and can be found on guitar amplifiers and small Hi-Fi. You’re targeting the upper harmonics to make them audible in the mix, all while leaving the bass sound itself alone. Cut in the 50 – 100 Hz area if they are getting too thick and interfering with the clarity of the low-end of your mix. Equalization is probably on every track in modern recording. Learn to clean up your low-end, reduce bleed in your drums and eliminate annoying resonant frequencies from your recordings. – Increase for maore clarity/hardness in voice. – Increase to brighten cymbals, string instruments and flutes. EQ charts are a great way to learn to make intentional decisions when using an EQ.