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The Mother of all EQUALIZATION thread
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Digital Somadhy
Digital Somadhy
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2
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17
Posted : May 11, 2006 13:55
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In process of making music,one of the main troubles in way to "produced quality" is understand of role of equalization. Possible several simplify this.If you there is that to say or ask best way to do this here. |
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Rubik's Cube
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
14
Posted : May 11, 2006 17:33
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Well..my basic eq setup
Closed Hihats - cut hipass 1500hz, boost 12000hz
Open Hihat - cut hipass 400hz, boost 6000hz
Loops - cut hipass 800hz bost hishelf 2000hz
Bass - cut hipass 20hz cut 250,700 boost hishelf 2000
Leads - cut hipass 200-400hz boost 5000-6000hz
FX - cut hipass 400
Master - Cut hipass 20hz Lowpass 18000hz
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Rubik's Cube
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
14
Posted : May 11, 2006 17:41
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Tsabeat long ago post similar eq table. I has not found this  |
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illusions
Erebus
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40
Posts :
626
Posted : May 11, 2006 18:51
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ooh - all these rules i dont like. remember, we dont want everything to sound the same.
we could however start a discussion on if one should actually BOOST frequencies or if it is better to cut around it, and lower everything else around the desired frequency ? |
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fregle
IsraTrance Junior Member
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11
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982
Posted : May 11, 2006 19:01
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well, as a rule of thumb you should never boost, only cut. If you have a very high quality EQ, you might consider boosting, but only if absolutely necessary |
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fregle
IsraTrance Junior Member
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11
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982
Posted : May 11, 2006 19:14
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another rule of thumb:
put a highpass filter on the bottom and a lowpass filter on the top with your parametric EQ, use the other bands for notches.
First bring the filters as close to each other without changing the sound dramatically (losing a little oomph is no problem, the bassline has enough oomph).
Then notch out frequencies in the center where it doesn't disturb the sound of that track. That is to leave room in that area for other tracks.
Do that with every track and you're on the right track... The rest is experience and personal taste. |
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jivamukti
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
21
Posts :
342
Posted : May 11, 2006 20:26
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Note: I have copied these from http://www.dogsonacid.com's forum and some of them were copied there from other websites.
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I thought I'd start a thread dedicated to collecting good frequency ranges and EQ settings for different sounds - kicks, snares, hihats, basslines, pads etc etc... in order to help each other out making our mixdowns tight and tidy.
Myself I'm struggling right now with getting a kick that has enough *thump* yet not too much bass content (in which case it collides with the bassline) - where to put the low shelf on the kick? And do you lowpass filter your basslines or just create sounds that work in the mix?
Let me start off by sharing a few frequencies...
20 Hz and below - impossible to detect, remove as it only adds unnecessary energy to the total sound, thereby most probably holding down the overall volume of the track
60 Hz and below - sub bass (feel only)
80(-100) Hz - feel AND hear bass
100-120 Hz - the "club sound system punch" resides here
200 Hz and below - bottom
250 Hz - notch filter here can add thump to a kick drum
150-400 Hz - boxiness
200 Hz-1.5 KHz - punch, fatness, impact
800 Hz-4 KHz - edge, clarity, harshness, defines timbre
4500 Hz - extremly tiring to the ears, add a slight notch here
5-7 KHz - de-essing is done here
4-9 KHz - brightness, presence, definition, sibilance, high frequency distortion
6-15 KHz - air and presence
9-15 KHz - adding will give sparkle, shimmer, bring out details - cutting will smooth out harshness and darken the mix
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The "Q" control sets the width of the band of frequencies that will be boosted or reduced.
60Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Add fullness to kicks.
100Hz with a Q of 1.0 -- Add fullness to snare
200Hz - 250Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds wood to snares
3Khz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds atack to snare.
5Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds attack to Kicks
7Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds Sharpness to snares and percussion
10Khz with a Q of 1.0 -- Adds brightness to hats and cymbals
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for your vynil masters make a harsh cut at 12khz or preferably de esser in that region.(this applies to mastering tasks for vynil only)
for cd masters, that gives the desired air on top......
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if you want to add OMMF to the kick or snare..
tune an oscilator to the same pitch as the kick or white noise to the snare...
and KEY it with the Kidk or the Snare and it will add that ommf your lookin for..
heard alot in hip hop on the kicks and in the 80's on the snare..
another way of doing it if you dont know how to key an oscilator... is just get a sample and have it play at the same time as the kick or the snare.. the keying just does that for you.
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on some sounds where it seems too sharp & hurts your ears, lower/notch it at around 3KHz.
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fatness at 120-240Hz
boing at 400Hz
crispness at 5kHz
snap at 10kHz
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Bassdrum:
EQ>Cut below 80Hz to remove rumble
Boost between 80 -125 Hz for bass
Boost between 3 - 5kHz to get the slap
PROCESSING> Compression 4:1/6:1 slow attack med release.
Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)
Snaredrum:
EQ> Boost above 2kHz for that crisp edge
Cut at 1kHz to get rid of the sharp peak
Boost at 125Hz for a full snare sound
Cut at 80Hz to remove rumble
PROCESSING> Compression 4:1 slow attack med release.
Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)
Hi-Hatz:
EQ> Boost above 5kHz for sharp sparkle
Cut at 1kHz to remove jangling
PROCESSING> Compression use high ratio for high energy feel
Reverb: Looser than Bass n Snare allow the hats and especially the Rides to ring a little
BASS:>
Compressed, EQ'd with a full bottom end and some mids
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50Hz
Boost: To thicken up bass drums and sub-bass parts.
Cut: Below this frequency on all vocal tracks. This should reduce the effect of any microphone 'pops'.
70-100Hz
Boost: For bass lines and bass drums.
Cut: For vocals.
General: Be wary of boosting the bass of too many tracks. Low frequency sounds are particularly vulnerable to phase cancellation between sounds of similar frequency. This can result in a net 'cut of the bass frequencies.
200-400Hz
Boost: To add warmth to vocals or to thicken a guitar sound.
Cut: To bring more clarity to vocals or to thin cymbals and higher frequency percussion.
Boost or Cut: to control the 'woody' sound of a snare.
400-800Hz
Boost: To add warmth to toms.
Boost or Cut: To control bass clarity, or to thicken or thin guitar sounds.
General: In can be worthwhile applying cut to some of the instruments in the mix to bring more clarity to the bass within the overall mix.
800Hz-1KHz
Boost: To thicken vocal tracks. At 1 KHz apply boost to add a knock to a bass drum.
1-3KHz
Boost: To make a piano more aggressive. Applying boost between 1KHz and 5KHz will also make guitars and basslines more cutting.
Cut: Apply cut between 2 KHz and 3KHz to smooth a harsh sounding vocal part.
General: This frequency range is often used to make instruments stand out in a mix.
3-6KHz
Boost: For a more 'plucked' sounding bass part. Apply boost at around 6KHz to add some definition to vocal parts and distorted guitars.
Cut: Apply cut at about 3KHz to remove the hard edge of piercing vocals. Apply cut between 5KHZ and 6KHz to dull down some parts in a mix.
6-10KHz
Boost: To sweeten vocals. The higher the frequency you boost the more 'airy/breathy' the result will be. Also boost to add definition to the sound of acoustic guitars or to add edge to synth sounds or strings or to enhance the sound of a variety of percussion sounds. For example boost this range to:
Bring out cymbals.
Add ring to a snare.
Add edge to a bass drum.
10-16KHz
Boost: To make vocals more 'airy' or for crisp cymbals and percussion. Also boost this frequency to add sparkle to pads, but only if the frequency is present in the original sound, otherwise you will just be adding hiss to the recording.
Specific Instruments
Vocals
General:
Roll off below 60Hz using a High Pass Filter. This range is unlikely to contain anything useful, so you may as well reduce the noise the track contributes to the mix.
Treat Harsh Vocals:
To soften vocals apply cut in a narrow bandwidth somewhere in the 2.5KHz to 4KHz range.
Get An Open Sound:
Apply a gentle boost above 6KHz using a shelving filter.
Get Brightness, Not Harshness:
Apply a gentle boost using a wide-band Bandpass Filter above 6KHz. Use the Sweep control to sweep the frequencies to get it right.
Get Smoothness:
Apply some cut in a narrow band in the 1KHz to 2KHz range.
Bring Out The Bass:
Apply some boost in a reasonably narrow band somewhere in the 200Hz to 600Hz range.
Radio Vocal Effect:
Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
Telephone Effect:
Apply lots of compression pre EQ, and a little analogue distortion by turning up the input gain. Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
Hi-Hats
Get Definition:
Roll off everything below 600Hz using a High Pass Filter.
Get Sizzle:
Apply boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter. Adjust the bandwidth to get the sound right.
Treat Clangy Hats:
Apply some cut between 1KHz and 4KHz.
Bass Drum
General:
Apply a little cut at 300Hz and some boost between 40Hz and 80Hz.
Control The Attack:
Apply boost or cut around 4KHz to 6KHz.
Treat Muddiness:
Apply cut somewhere in the 100Hz to 500Hz range.
Guitar
Treat Unclear Vocals:
Apply some cut to the guitar between 1KHz and 5KHz to bring the vocals to the front of the mix.
General:
Apply a little boost between 100Hz and 250Hz and again between 10KHz and 12KHz.
Acoustic Guitar
Add Sparkle:
Try some gentle boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter with a medium bandwidth.
General:
Try applying some mid-range cut to the rhythm section to make vocals and other instruments more clearly heard.
 When rain dries, clouds form.
When clouds moisten, rain forms. |
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jivamukti
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
21
Posts :
342
Posted : May 11, 2006 20:27
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i have to say the notching at 4500 is the best tip ever.
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kick>> bottom depth at 60 - 80 Hz, slap attack at 2.5Hz
snare>> fatness at 240HZ, crispness at 5 KHz
hi hats/cymbals>> clank or gong sound at 200 Hz, shimmer at 7.5 kHz - 12 kHz
rack toms>> fullness at 240 Hz, attack at 5 kHz
floor toms>> fullness at 80 - 120 Hz, attack at 5 kHz
horns>> fullness at 120 - 240 Hz, shrill at 5 - 7.5 kHz
strings>> fullness at 240 Hz, scratchiness at 7.5 - 10 kHz
conga/bongo>> resonance at 200 - 240 Hz, slap at 5 kHz
vocals>> fullness at 120 Hz, boominess at 200 - 240 Hz, presence at 5 kHz, sibilance at 7.5 - 10 kHz
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When mixing bassline and kick drum, give the kick some extra dBs at 90-something Hz (listen to the sound and find
where it has it's punch) and remove a few dB from the bassline sound at this same frequency. Then go to around
400 Hz on the kick drum (where it's boxiness resides) and remove a few dB, this will make it feel more punchy
and thumpy, in a nice way (at least it has worked well for me in the sound I am trying to achieve). Finally add
a few dB to the bassline at this same 400-something frequency, this will increase the presence and audibility
of the bassline when played at the same time as the kick.
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* Kick Drum - Boost at 80 hz., cut around 350-400 hz., (removes "cardboard" sound) and beater smack is around 2-4 k.
* Snare Drum - Fatness at 240 hz., crispness at 5 k.
* Hats/Cymbals - Gong sound at 200 hz., shimmer/air between 8-12 k.
* Toms - Boom between 60 and 200 hz., scoop out 100 hz. to 4 khz., attack at 5 k.
* Bass Boost between 80 and 150 hz., to make a passive bass sound active, scoop around 350 hz., Boost 800 hz. for clarity or punch, and the slappin' poppin' thing is around 2.5 k.
* Electric Guitar - Rolloff at 80 hz., cut at 800 hz. to remove "cheap" sound, and edge is around 2.5 k.
* Acoustic Guitar - Bottom at 120 hz., body at 240 hz., clarity at 2.5 to 5 k.
* Piano/Organ - Just like acoustic guitar except piano might need a little boost around 10 k.
* Vocals - Scoop at 240 hz. if muddy, boost at 4 k for presence, and anywhere above 8 k to brighten (sibilance is between 8 and 10 k).
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9KHz-15KHz:
Adding will give sparkle, shimmer, bring out details.
Cutting will smooth out harshness, and darken the mix.
Common processing: Very little compression, add/reduce gain for
timbral shaping.
6KHz-15kHz:
Air and presence.
Common processing: Slight gain boost.
4KHz-9KHz:
Brightness, presence, definition, sibilance, high frequency distortion.
Common processing: Compression to reduce sibilance/HF distortion. Add
(gain) brightness or liveliness to a mix.
5Khz-7KHz:
De-essing. Narrow band compression.
800Hz-4KHz:
Edge, clarity, harshness, defines timbre.
Common processing: gain reduction to reduce harshness.
200Hz-1.5KHz:
Punch, fatness, impact.
Common processing: Compression and gain boost.
150Hz-400Hz:
Boxiness.
Common processing: Reduce gain to remove 'mud'.
200Hz-below:
Bottom.
Common processing: Compression to tighten a boomy bass sound.
------
One more website:
http://www.espace-cubase.org/anglais/page.php?page=appaudiozg1
When rain dries, clouds form.
When clouds moisten, rain forms. |
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Rubik's Cube
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
14
Posted : May 11, 2006 23:17
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Jivamukti GREAT!!! Nothing to add!! |
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0v3rd0s3d
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
26
Posts :
660
Posted : May 11, 2006 23:37
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diskOtek
Entek
Started Topics :
70
Posts :
953
Posted : May 12, 2006 00:43
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i have no particular setup..i think the eq depends also to your samples or sounds in general.
anyway,i play with the parametric eq till i like what i hear!
although i find these info quite interesting! 
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Sound Surgeon
Crater / Mish-kah
Started Topics :
250
Posts :
2244
Posted : May 12, 2006 02:20
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Quote:
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On 2006-05-12 00:43, diskOtek wrote:
i have no particular setup..i think the eq depends also to your samples or sounds in general.
anyway,i play with the parametric eq till i like what i hear!
although i find these info quite interesting!
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I dont have a particular EQ setup as well. Each sound has its own and I do it using my ears and what I want from the sound.
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Kitnam
Mantik
Started Topics :
110
Posts :
1151
Posted : May 12, 2006 03:05
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from all the important elements of producing, like harmonic understanding, timeline(arrange), sounddesign, rythmdesign, breakdesign,.... mixing is the thing i have the best feeling for.
but i couldnt tell any rule, i just follow my feelings until it says: thats it!
i am sure if i would realise all worksteps in the producing process as instinctively flowing like this i would make much more better music.
dont get me wrong, i have read the important books about mixing, and some tips have been very helpfull. but i also think that thoose guys who wrote that books exactly follow their mood like this and only try to explain some abstrakt models to explain how a eq structure could look like.
and i also think that mixing/eq is the hidden art in the art.
edit:
trancemusic has not reached all the limits imo. its mixed all up from the bass. change the bassforms and the entire mix will change too. people always say, a buss must pump there, the kick must be there.
hey, maybe not? maybe the innovation can be inspired by the eqing itself. what about just a new trancetrack with a 808-kick? opens a whole new world for the entire mix. |
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C3PO
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
29
Posts :
510
Posted : May 12, 2006 11:07
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Quote:
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On 2006-05-11 17:33, Rubik's Cube wrote:
Well..my basic eq setup
Closed Hihats - cut hipass 1500hz, boost 12000hz
Open Hihat - cut hipass 400hz, boost 6000hz
Loops - cut hipass 800hz bost hishelf 2000hz
Bass - cut hipass 20hz cut 250,700 boost hishelf 2000
Leads - cut hipass 200-400hz boost 5000-6000hz
FX - cut hipass 400
Master - Cut hipass 20hz Lowpass 18000hz
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So, if i'm not using the same sounds as you
it means everything you just posted is pointless?
especially lpf the master at 18khz >>> FOR SALE: Mac-clone OSX86 Audio Workstation <> Perfect computer for Logic 9 Pro <<<
http://forum.isratrance.com/fs-mac-clone-audio-workstation-for-logic-9-israel-only/ |
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C3PO
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
29
Posts :
510
Posted : May 12, 2006 11:14
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