[Lcjones]

**

Dear Abby,

I've been told my sound is laden, no saturated, with mid-tone frequencies causing my recordings to sound, well, for lack of better terminology, flat chested. They lack the high and low end punches found in a really *good* full sounding recording. I've done some reading on EQ and frankly, the guru's explaining EQ must think I have a brain the size of a Montana blue sky. Fooled them, didn't I!

On my little Behringer UB1202 (non-FX) I have three EQ knobs. Lo, Mid and Hi. The Hi/Lo EQ has a cut off @ 12Khz & 80Khz. The Mid range is configured as a peak filter with a center freq of 2.5Khz. (and honestly, that might as well be Greek to me) It's also equipped with a Low Cutout feature. Here is a nice image of the UB1202 for reference. Of course, I understand that each track, each situation, instrument and/or vocal is going to require different EQ to bring out the best in its respective track. In other words, I realize there is no magic bullet or unique *catch-all" setting.

My question though is this....

Where do you start with EQ and how do you know when you hit the *sweet* spot? For example, a mic'd up acoustic guitar? Personally, I prefer a sparkley acoustic sound. What would be a good reference point to start out for a sparkling acoustic guitar tone? And would you adjust all the ranges or just one range? If I adjust the HI and then adjust the Low freq's, do they cancel out in some fashion?

Abby, I just don't know what to do! I can't hear the sound for the music.

Signed,

Freq'd Out

**

[Andy S]

Originally Posted by Lcjones

**

On my little Behringer UB1202 (non-FX) I have three EQ knobs. Lo, Mid and Hi. The Hi/Lo EQ has a cut off @ 12Khz & 80Khz. The Mid range is configured as a peak filter with a center freq of 2.5Khz. (and honestly, that might as well be Greek to me) It's also equipped with a Low Cutout feature.

LC, ( or Freq'd out) I think you meant a cut off at 80 HZ. No one can hear at 80kHZ, that would be 80 THOUSAND HZ.

What that means is: the low control will stop trying to affect the lower tones below 80HZ. The Hi EQ will stop at 12Khz. (which is...12,000 HZ) One reason for that is many people do not hear the sounds above 12K-15Khz. Especially older folks, or, guys that have been playing at LOUD volumes for a while. The lower frequencies will be mostly rumbling or booming stuff. So with a smaller mixer, I THINK that they are looking at the applications of the mixer and figure it isn't going to be used for major P.A. systems.

Of course, I understand that each track, each situation, instrument and/or vocal is going to require different EQ to bring out the best in its respective track. In other words, I realize there is no magic bullet or unique *catch-all" setting.

My question though is this....

Where do you start with EQ and how do you know when you hit the *sweet* spot? For example, a mic'd up acoustic guitar? Personally, I prefer a sparkley acoustic sound. What would be a good reference point to start out for a sparkling acoustic guitar tone? And would you adjust all the ranges or just one range? If I adjust the HI and then adjust the Low freq's, do they cancel out in some fashion?

Try to set any EQ at flat. This usually is with the control knobs pointing directly to the 12:00 position. For that sparkle sound, slowly add some Hi freq. Also, you can try to slightly tweaking the mid control up JUST a bit.

Now, record just a little bit and listen. You may want to add a little of the low freq to add the bottom of the acoustic so it sounds more like a live acoustic.

Each mixer and their controls will add or subtract differently, so you will need to experiment.

I once heard the EQ controls explained as if it were colors. The Lo controls are the reds. The mids are the yellows and the Hi Freqs are the Blues. By tweaking each control, you can add a touch of red and yellow, erase some blue.....stuff like that.

The best thing you can do is record little bits, make notes of what the settings are and see what sounds good to you AND a friend. Don't be afraid to make some extreme changes, just so you can really hear the differences each control makes. DO this and after a short while, you will understand better and your ear will hear the differences easier.

Hope that helps.

[X4StringDrive]

Hey Freq'd out...I'm attempting to learn more about this as well, heres a few links that are helping me understand a little bit about this EQing "stuff"
USING EQUALISATION

http://www.recordingwebsite.com/articles/eqprimer.php

XO Wave: How to Use EQ (Audio Equalization)

[cshude]

The way I understand it (and I'm by no means an expert- your recordings and mixes sound a ton better than mine), the fine tuning is done in the post-recording phase. One of the things I really like about the recording software I use (PowerTracks) is that I have a 10 band eq plugin that I can use in real time.

Another thing that I have learned is that eq is most effective when you are cutting certain frequencies rather than trying to boost something that might not be there in the first place (if that makes sense to you).

Also, I've learned that, to cut muddiness, be aware of the ranges of different instruments, voices, etc, and plan your mix to give each part a piece of the frequency range. This minimizes different parts getting stepped on.

There's my 2 cents. Hope it helped at least a little bit....

[Doug]

Hey Les,
You are an excellent musician with tons of creativity. And you are very serious about your music. I really think you should seek the advice of a professional. I think you should get advice about which recording studios in your area are good for the type of music you create and then rent some studio time. I believe that the time spent with a pro would be invaluable.

As an alternative, there is a usenet group (I know - you get all kinds of penis enlarging, MI5 persecution, etc spam) named rec.audio.pro where there are a lot of sound recording profesionals. You can start by googling things from that specific news group (ex,, how does a schoeps mic compare with a Neumann for acoustic guitar) or you can post a specific question of the group. I've seen people post samples of music and ask advice about the mix. The responses are honest and come from experienced pros.

Anyway, that's what I'd do...

-Doug

go to google, click on groups, type in "rec.audio.pro". and click on the group that is displayed. It's an interesting group...

[eddiez152]

Kenny,
Nice links. Thanks.

[eddiez152]

Andy,
Thanks for the info too.

[knight46]

Not sure if this has been added but...
EQ and the Limits of Audio
this is a pretty good explanation.

[eddiez152]

Knight,
Thank you for the link.

[Lcjones]

Thanks to all who have posted topical links and advice. I have found enough reading on EQ to last several months. Just in time to find a few months more worth.

Doug-mon! Excellent thought. I haven't usenet'd in quite a few years. Very cool.

**
LC

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by Lcjones

**

Dear Abby,

I've been told my sound is laden, no saturated, with mid-tone frequencies causing my recordings to sound, well, for lack of better terminology, flat chested. They lack the high and low end punches found in a really *good* full sounding recording. I've done some reading on EQ and frankly, the guru's explaining EQ must think I have a brain the size of a Montana blue sky. Fooled them, didn't I!

On my little Behringer UB1202 (non-FX) I have three EQ knobs. Lo, Mid and Hi. The Hi/Lo EQ has a cut off @ 12Khz & 80Khz. The Mid range is configured as a peak filter with a center freq of 2.5Khz. (and honestly, that might as well be Greek to me) It's also equipped with a Low Cutout feature. Here is a nice image of the UB1202 for reference. Of course, I understand that each track, each situation, instrument and/or vocal is going to require different EQ to bring out the best in its respective track. In other words, I realize there is no magic bullet or unique *catch-all" setting.

My question though is this....

Where do you start with EQ and how do you know when you hit the *sweet* spot? For example, a mic'd up acoustic guitar? Personally, I prefer a sparkley acoustic sound. What would be a good reference point to start out for a sparkling acoustic guitar tone? And would you adjust all the ranges or just one range? If I adjust the HI and then adjust the Low freq's, do they cancel out in some fashion?

Abby, I just don't know what to do! I can't hear the sound for the music.

Signed,

Freq'd Out

**

Dear Freq'd out--

Use the Force, Luke! Just kidding. It can't be done with knowledge alone, it takes a ton of experimenting and it takes good equipment.

Les, I've written several articles on this topic that are designed to get an idea for mixing with topics such as Mix Space, Stereo Pan Space, EQ Space, Volume Space and Effects Space. These areas just touch on ideas for each. My idea in writing these is that these are the five main areas to concentrate on to get a clear mix. Here's a link to the Overview article and to the rest of the articles.

You're freq'd out when it comes to thinking about EQ, and that's totally understandable when you have a ton of things in the mix. You already get it that each component needs to be treated differently so they all have their own EQ identity in the mix. But also take advantage of the five areas to spread out the clutter so you can distinctly hear, say, the acoustic.

Just starting with Stereo Pan Space, where everything in the mix resides as far as on the stage in your mind will either help you hear a part or bury it.

Each area will help you hear the intended eq on each part.

But now to the equipment. I know you already know this, but I gotta say it: if you want good recordings, get good mic's. Andy said it: capture your guitar with a flat eq setting and a good mic. Then when you're in the mix you can treat it with eq but have a balanced sound from which to work. That's not cut-and-dried, though. Like Andy said, just experiment. Maybe you need a little boost in the highs, or whatever, and it also depends on how sound bounces around, or not, in your recording space.

But like Doug said, you are an excellent musician with alot to offer, Les. Unless you're only intending on making simple demo quality stuff, get into a studio.

Chris also hit on a very important area when it comes to EQ'ing stuff. Learn a bit about the audio spectrum and where you expect to hear the guitar, the bass, a trumpet. Here's a link to that particular article, Sub-ranges of the Audio Spectrum.

Chris also hit on a great point: when using EQ, generally think subtraction rather than addition. Most of the time the idea is to remove unwanted or non-desireable frequencies rather than add more. This is another reason to use good microphones. They can capture everything so you have stuff to work with.

Here's a mixing trick that will help give your tracks some attention: use compression. Some engineer I read from somewhere said that the big difference between pro recordings and amateur ones is the use of compression. When you want to make a track stand out, loop it through a compressor. When you find the right settings, use either auto-make up gain or manual gain. Pump it up a bit. This is a trick used also in bass and kick drum tracks.

Yet another reason for using good mic's is the ol' addage: garbage in, garbage out. It's not just the quality of sound, it's just that when inexpensive microphones are used then there is a ton of noise artifact being pumped up in the mix.

Lastly, there are some great books on mixing and recording out there. My favorite one so far is by Australia's own Mike Stavrou (I'll bet Kirk knows him or has worked with him). He has a great book called Mixing With Your Mind and talks about microphone use and recording techniques. The main idea for the book has to do with phsychoacoustics and is not a pile of technical info.

Like I said, I know you already know most of this stuff, my friend. I'm also writing this for the bene of those who might be checking this stuff out.

Steve

[eddiez152]

Steve,
Thanks for the guide and super links. Oh so much to know. Great articles.

[Tekker]

Hey LC,

I've been following this thread a little and now that I'm out of school for the week, I can throw in my $0.015 cents worth.

I've collected several EQ frequency charts over my years spent at recording forums (several have already been posted) but I tend not to use them and just follow my ears.

One trick that works pretty nicely is to use a bandpass with a moderate Q (bandwidth), and turn the gain fairly high (you can turn the volume down on the track so you don't clip), then use the frequency control to sweep this band through the frequencies while the track is playing. This will emphasize narrow frequency bands so you can hear what spots may need some adjusting (either boosting or cutting).

You can also use a spectrum analyzer (such as Voxengo SPAN - which is FREE) to visually see what frequencies are present in your audio. While this is not an "end all" solution, it will help you see if you have any anomalies, such as a sharp peak at a certain frequency that may need to be reduced. If there are gaps (or very low valleys) in the frequency curve, it will be much difficult (if not impossible) to deal with these as you can't boost what isn't there in the first place. If you're not happy with this, then re-recording may be in order. You can use the Voxengo SPAN analyzer in real time, so you can set it up to see what the frequencies look like while you place your mics..... If you are recording in another room away from your computer, then you may have to recruit (ie, "bribe") someone to help. Try to get the curve as even as possible so you have stuff to work with later.

Another thing is to listen to "professional" music along side of yours. Rip some CD's and load them into your recording program on separate tracks, then you can use the analyzer on them to see how their frequency response looks compared to yours. Load in similar acoustic style music and see what the response of their solo acoustic guitar looks like. Are there gaps or peaks? If so, are they similar or different from yours? Play with the EQ on their tracks also. Can you make theirs sound similar to yours by matching the frequency curves?

The best way to learn is to "play" with it. Experiment with your own tracks AND other professional recordings so you know what it should sound like.

The most important thing though is it comes down to the recording phase. I've heard some rough mixes that were posted on other recording forums that were recorded with flat EQ, no effects, and faders up only for mixing that sounded amazing! Because they had good mic placement, good equipment (both instruments and recording equipment), good sounding rooms (usually acoustically treated), and good musicianship.

With all of these things, the mix will pretty much "mix itself".

Originally Posted by cshude

One of the things I really like about the recording software I use (PowerTracks) is that I have a 10 band eq plugin that I can use in real time.

Check out this one, it's got 64-Bands and its FREE.

AiXcoustic Creations: Electri-Q (posihfopit)

-tkr

[cshude]

OOOOOOOH!!!! A new toy to play with!!!!!
Thanks for the link!

[Lcjones]

**

A virtual wealth of information. Thanks folks for keep things simple and informative and on course. I've read much from you all as well as many of the links provided.

As a foundation to build on, I think my primary goal is to manage my sound space. I'm currently recording in a rather large family room. And while it certainly has items in the room to alleviate sound bouncing off the walls, it is an uncontrolled environment. Of course, the room has all the gadgets and gizmo's a-whirring, clicking and making their respective retorts as any normal family room. Obviously, not an area to attempt any quality recordings.

At the moment then, I'm going to devote a large amount of time to testing and experimenting all facets of EQ that I can manage. I do however, have one question with regards to studying EQ from other artist music. Obviously, when I read the music EQ frequencies from a completely mixed and mastered file, the EQ I'm seeing is an overall EQ. Is there anyway to understand or even guess how EQ was applied to a particular instrument?

In the meantime, I'll be designing plans to occupy a different portion of the homestead and build a recording room. A longer term project to be sure.

Thanks again to everyone.

**
LC