Rob Williams - Mastering EQ Cheat Sheet (Enhance It)

Step 3: Enhance ItMastering EQ Cheat Sheet

By Rob Williams

©2012 Rob WilliamsProSoundFormula.com

UltimateMasteringFormula.com All Rights Reserved

Step 3 - Enhance It - Mastering EQ Cheat Sheet

! ©2012 Rob Williams - UltimateMasteringFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 2

Preface.EQ is one of the most powerful tools we have to add those final touches to

our mix, that make it sound just right.

During recording and mixing we’re simply EQing ONE instrument at a time, and if we don’t get it exactly right, it’s not going to make or break the mix.

But when it comes to mastering, we’re applying the EQ to the ENTIRE song, and so the stakes are MUCH higher.

We need to make sure that we get it just right.

And it’s very important that we DON’T overdo it.

The key difference between using EQ in mastering verses recording or mixing, is that we want to make our changes are VERY SUBLTE.

If you find your EQ curve looking like a silhouette of the Swiss Alps, something is wrong with your mix and it’s best that you go back and try changing the EQ on individual channels first.

Us i n g EQ I n Mas t e r i n g

There’s essentially two reasons we use EQ during mastering:

1. To FIX something in the mix.2. To ENHANCE the mix.

This guide focusses on ways you can ENHANCE your track using some of the most common EQ’s used in mastering.



I put this book together to serve both as a helpful guide to those who are new to mastering and using EQ, as well as a quick overview and refresher for those with more experience.

Now I just want to be clear here, this is JUST A GUIDE.

It’s a bunch of OPTIONS that you can try out on your tracks to hear what works and what doesn’t –obviously this is going to differ from track to track.

That’s why I wanted to put it in a guide like this, instead of making a bunch of presets.

Because you need to CUSTOMIZE your EQ for the specific track you’re working on.

So you’ll probably want to COMBINE some of the suggestions in here.

Th e Y i n & Yang O f EQ

Understanding how to EQ your masters starts by understanding that there is NO RIGHT OR WRONG.

Every change is RELATIVE.

Brightness in excess becomes harsh and thin.

Warmness in excess becomes dull and muddy.

Too much of one thing throws out, or clouds over, the other.

It’s about finding the HARMONY and BALANCE.

It also comes down to PERCEPTION.

What sounds nice and bright to one person, may sound thin and brittle to another.

What sounds full and fat to one, may sound muddy to another.



So you’ve got to decide what you prefer, and what works best for the SONG.

That said, although there’s no wrong or right per se, there is a CERTAIN RANGE that we need to work within if we want our tracks to sound good on the MAJORITY of playback systems.

When you think about it, it’s pretty obvious:

The manufacturers that produce the playback systems, from car stereos to iPod earphones, create them to reproduce the frequency spectrum in a way that sounds most favorable.

So it only makes sense that if we want our songs to sound the best possible, we need to work within that range.

This is why it’s ALWAYS important to keep listening and comparing to your commercial reference tracks that you’ve chosen.

You’ll notice that I’ve used an orange cross to point out the effect that overdoing a certain EQ can have.

Bandw i d t h / V a r i a b l e Q

Bandwidth, also known as ‘Q’, refers to how broad or narrow the EQ filter is.

Most EQ’s should give you the option to change this.

Because we’re going for SUBTLE and TRANSPARENT adjustments during mastering, using a BROAD bandwidth generally works best.

So although I haven’t given you a specific number (because values differ between manufacturers), just use a broad bandwidth as a rule of thumb.

Typically the only time you’ll use a very narrow Q is when notching out a problem frequency.. but that’s a topic for another book :)



Dec i p h e r i n g My De s c r i p t i o n s

Throughout this guide I’ve used some fancy and somewhat interesting terms to try and describe what the EQ is meant to achieve.

Please, take these with a pinch of salt, they’re just rough descriptions :)

I’ve used a couple of different terms because different words mean slightly different things to different people.

Also, I haven’t used inverted commas on all of them –i.e. “air”, “glisten”, “sheen” -Because there’s so many that it would start getting a little ridiculous.

...But I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out what I mean.

F o c u s On T h e Who l e

Always keep in mind that in mastering we’re focussed on the ENTIRE mix, NOT individual instruments.

You’re always looking to benefit the WHOLE, not some specific part.

So for example, you may find that a High Shelving Filter boost brings out the vocals really nicely, but at the same time now makes the cymbals sound harsh.

In this case, it may not be benefitting the overall song, and so it would be better to leave it out.

Of course, when you find something like this that works, if possible, go back to the MIX phase and change the EQ over there.

In this example, you may go back to the mix and slightly darken the cymbals or add a bit more top end to your vocals.



How do I k n ow Wh i c h One T o U s e ?

This will come with TRIAL and ERROR.

I heard a great quote not so long ago:

“Success comes from good judgement. Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement!”

In other words, when you try something and it doesn’t quite work, you LEARN SOMETHING.

And each time you learn, you get better.

So if you’re new to this, just TRY some of these out and listen to whether they make your track sound better or not.

You’ll know whether you’ve gone too far when you compare to your reference tracks.

As always, if you have questions or comments for me, you can email me at

[email protected]

Enjoy!

–Rob Williams

* NOTE: These EQ curves may LOOK drastic, but if you look closely at the dB scale on the right of the EQ, you’ll notice that it very ZOOMED IN. The very top and bottom are only 3dB. So just be aware of this with whatever EQ you’re using.



mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



{ Sub-bass . Power . Fat . Feel Thump }

Frequency: 50Hz – 65Hz

Filter Type: LSF (Low Shelving Filter), Broad Q

Gain: + 1dB to + 3dB

✓ This will increase sub-bass, power, fatness of a mix on bigger playback systems / systems with a subwoofer (i.e. Won’t be heard on smaller systems)

✓ This is the FEELING part of the bass

Too much can cause your limiter to distort



{ Bass . Sub-bass . Fat . Power . Thump }




✓ This will increase low end on virtually all playback systems

✓ Will add power, warmth, thickness, fatness, thump

Too much can start to sound dull, muddy, or boomy

Too much low end can make it difficult to get a louder mastered level without distorting the limiter



{ Sub-bass . Kick . Feel . Sub-Thump }


Filter Type: Bell Curve, Medium Q


✓ A Bell Curve filter at around 50Hz – 70Hz will bring out the SUB-THUMP

✓ You FEEL this instead of hear it

✓ This is mainly used to target just a bass drum that is lacking low-end power

Overdoing it can make it difficult to reach a commercial level as it will start to distort the limiter



{ Brighter . Clearer . Less Muddy . Thinner }

Frequency: 450Hz


Gain: – 1dB to – 2dB

✓ A broad shelf is good for SHAPING a mix, in this case, making it brighter, clearer, less bassy, less muddy

✓ Can achieve a similar result to, but sound more natural than, ADDING top end

Reducing too much bass can start to sound thin, weak and cold



{ Clearer . Less Muddy & Boxy . Tighter }

Frequency: 250Hz

Filter Type: Bell Curve, Broad Q

Gain: – 0.5dB to – 3dB

✓ Can increase clarity in a mix

✓ Similar effect to increasing the presence range, but sounds more natural and transparent

✓ Can tighten the low end by reducing muddiness and boxiness

Cutting too much can reduce bass clarity on smaller systems

Overdone can make a track sound thin and harsh



{ Bass Clarity . Thicker . Fatter . Punch }




✓ Adding this low-mid range can make a mix thicker, fatter, punchier, warmer, rounder

✓ This will increase the range where you HEAR the bass

✓ Make bass stand out more on smaller systems

Too much can start to sound muddy and boxy



{ Less Hard . Depth . Bigger }

Frequency: 900Hz – 2kHz



✓ Can reduce the hardness of a track, make it sound mellower

✓ Can add depth and distance, can sound bigger

✓ Can sound more ‘expensive’ by reducing tinniness

Too much can start to sound unclear and over-scooped

Often ‘scooping the mids’ can sound good on your monitors, but keep in mind that many music players these days have ‘audio enhancers’ (often called 3D sound / stereo enhancer etc.) that do this automatically, so you don’t want to overdo it



{ Edgier . Aggressive . Clarity . Presence }

Frequency: 2kHz – 6kHz



✓ Can add clarity, edginess, presence, crispness, more aggressive sounding

✓ Will make a track sound closer

✓ Will make vocals clearer and more intelligible

Too much can sound harsh and brash

Use this with caution as this range can be very TIRING to the ears



{ Warmer . Mellower . Less Aggressive }




✓ Cutting the presence range will darken the mix and add depth

✓ Will make the mix warmer, mellower, less aggressive, less harsh

Reducing too much can start to sound distant and unclear

Overdone can reduce vocal intelligibility



{ Presence . Brighter . Open . Clearer }


Filter Type: HSF (High Shelving Filter), Broad Q

Gain: + 0.5dB to + 2dB

✓ This will add more presence, definition, and brighten the mix overall

✓ Make vocals clearer and more intelligible

✓ Can give a track a more open sound

Can bring out harshness if overdone

Can bring out sibilance on vocals



{ Air . Glisten . Sheen . Shimmer }

Frequency: 14kHz

Filter Type: HSF (High Shelving Filter), Broad Q


✓ Will add sparkle, shimmer, sheen, glisten, air

✓ Bring out the details

✓ Can give a track a more ‘expensive’, polished sound

Conversely, too MUCH can start to sound brittle and cheap – If this is the case, CUTTING this range slightly will smooth out and darken the mix

This is part of:

The Ultimate Mastering formula

ultimatemasteringformula.com

Step 3: Enhance ItMastering EQ Cheat Sheet

By Rob Williams

©2012 Rob WilliamsProSoundFormula.com

UltimateMasteringFormula.com All Rights Reserved



http://ultimatemasteringformula.com

http://ultimatemasteringformula.com

Documents

Rob Williams - Mastering EQ Cheat Sheet (Enhance It)