20 Useful EQ Tips

8/12/2019 20 Useful EQ Tips

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EQ is a vital tool in any producers arsenal, but knowing when and how to use it isntalways easy. Allow us to give you some guidance

1. Try and avoid massive cuts and boosts unless theyre absolutely necessary.Generally, an adjustment of just a few dB will be enough.

2. FX channels, particularly reverb, can often harbour untreated low rumble, even ifyouve cut most of the unwanted low-end from the tracks feeding to them. A mix

can really benefit from applying high-pass filtering to its reverb channels.


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3. Remember that while soloing a track can be helpful at times, it wont necessarilyhelp you sit the instrument in a full mix.

4. If you add 10dB at 150Hz, 10dB at 1kHz and 10dB at3kHz, all youre really doingis boosting the volume of the track by 10dB. Just because the volume is louder, youmight mistakenly perceive the track as better dont be seduced.

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When it comes to the bottom end of a track, youre looking for clarity rather thanjust lots of woofing. Be sure to apply a high-pass filter to instruments that have noreal low-end content. Below 50Hz, guitars will just add cabinet rumble to the mix.

Below 80Hz, rumble from the mic stand (or a tapping foot) is all youre likely to get

from a vocal.6. You may find yourself automatically adjusting EQ just because you feel you should

dont make changes unless your ears tell you theyre needed. Many parts wont

need any EQ at all.

7. While modern EQ plug-ins can work wonders, nothing beats having a high-qualityoriginal recording. Dont rush the process of getting a great tone to record youllsave time in the long run.

8. Its always better to remove frequencies you dont want to hear rather than boost thegood ones. As we mentioned earlier, raising the volume of something can make itdifficult to distinguish whether the end result is better or just louder.

9. If a certain frequency is bothering you and you want to get rid of it, set your EQ to anarrow Q setting and slowly sweep through the frequency range with a 5-10dBboost until the errant sound jumps out at you. Once youve identified it, change the

boost to a cut.

10.Dont make EQ adjustments blindlythink about which part of the instrumentsfrequency range youre adjusting.

11.Dont make changes unless your ears tell you theyre needed. Many parts wontneed any EQ at all.

12.Its easy to get lost in a world of colourful plug-ins and EQ curves, so make sureyou hit the bypass button every so often to hear whether or not your adjustments are

really making a positive difference.

13.Although you may not be recording live drums, lots of drum ROMplers, likeEZdrummer, authentically recreate the microphone spill that occurs when a real kit

is miked up, so its important to remember that EQ adjustment in the overheads will

also affect the tone of the snare drum in particular.

14.Remember that even minor EQ adjustments can have quite an effect on how aninstrument sits in the mix. Not only can it make it more or less audible, but it can

also change the weight of the panning. So watch out!

15.Always try and listen to your mixes through as many different sets of speakers asyou can. This way, you can triple check that your EQ adjustments dont just soundgood on your studio monitors.

16.When it comes to adjusting upper frequencies, consideration should also be given tosibilance (unwanted s sounds) and noise, both of which can be dramaticallyincreased if a high-frequency boost is coupled with compression.

17.Recording instruments near reflective surfaces will add unwanted frequencies to asound. Be under no illusion: this is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove lateron, regardless of the quality of your plug-ins, so dont take a chance isolate your

instrument from these reflections before you switch those mics on.


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18.EQ modifications made during the mastering process should be very subtle. Stick to1-3dB adjustments as much as possible. If you feel heavier changes are necessary,

you might need to revisit other parts of your mix, as they might be the real cause of

the problem.19.When dealing with a crowded mix, its sometimes a good idea to just focus on the

key part of an instruments sound. Cutting out everything apartfrom the main areain which an instrument is playing will leave room for other instruments elsewhere inthe frequency range, while the one in question still cuts through.

20.Mastering the use of EQ isnt something that just happens overnight it takes lotsand lots of practice. Dont be afraid to experiment by mixing multiple versions ofyour tracks in order to discover how different EQ treatments affect the end result.

Eventually, youll instinctively know how to get the sound you want.

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20 Useful EQ Tips