Basic EQ/Compression settings

[tonejunkee]

thanks for those of you who replied with constructive info. what I have been doing up until now is starting from scratch using only volume automation to get a decent sound. I was inpired to do this after watching Tom Dowd's "the language of music" and seeing how they only had giant volume knobs to work with.....now it's on to eq/compression. The Bass is tough in my tiny mixing room due to some bad standing waves. Luckily I have a few friends with commercial studios to visit and see what these mixes really sound like.

[bannerj]

Subtractive EQ is your friend. This was the best piece of advice I ever got from this board. It changed how I worked and how I listened.

I'm definitely a believer in the fundamental truth of this, HOWEVER...reading this over and over made me afraid to ever boost. then I had a friend work on some drums for me and I freaked out with how casually he jerked frequencies around. He ended up with that NY drum sound trick with crazy high peaks in lows and highs and carved out almost everything else. I didn't keep the EQ setting because it really wasn't my fav sound, but it did give me some confidence to at least give boosting a shot...to relax and begin enjoying my EQs.

[RefD]

i boost sometimes when i want things to poke out a little bit somewhere.

[rwc]

Subtractive EQ is your friend.

Whatever sounds good is your friend. :]

[SpencerBenjamin]

Feel free to correct me here folks, but when you are boosting eq you are essentially amplifying a selected frequency band. If that amplifier isn't crash hot (or a computer) you may end up with artefacts that could well be undesirable. If that amplifier/eq was handwound on the thighs of ancient tubular virgins you may in fact have desirable artefacts... ?

[Boogdish]

thanks for those of you who replied with constructive info. what I have been doing up until now is starting from scratch using only volume automation to get a decent sound. I was inpired to do this after watching Tom Dowd's "the language of music" and seeing how they only had giant volume knobs to work with.....now it's on to eq/compression. The Bass is tough in my tiny mixing room due to some bad standing waves. Luckily I have a few friends with commercial studios to visit and see what these mixes really sound like.

If you're going to be using a location with standing waves for awhile, you should try mixing with headphones, or at least checking the mixes with headphones.

[rwc]

Feel free to correct me here folks, but when you are boosting eq you are essentially amplifying a selected frequency band. If that amplifier isn't crash hot (or a computer) you may end up with artefacts that could well be undesirable. If that amplifier/eq was handwound on the thighs of ancient tubular virgins you may in fact have desirable artefacts... ?

True.

your record will suck if you boost instead of cut as well.

[paulmccloy]

Jeff, I like your song, "Though you never saw". It sounds true and honest and you were doing something original with your voice.

[bniesz]

DRUMS:
KICK BOTTOM 60-80HZ SLAP 2.5K
SNARE FAT 240HZ CRISP 5K
HI HAT CLANK 200 SIZZLE 7.5-12K
MOUNTED TOMS FULL 240 HZ ATTACK 5K
FLOOR TOM FULL 80-120HZ ATTACK 5K

GUITARS
BASS BOTTOM 60-80HZ PLUCK 700HZ-1K POP 2.5K
ELECTRIC FULL 240HZ BITE 2.5K
ACCOUSTIC BOTTOM 80 120HZ BODY 240HZ PRESENCE2.5-5K

ORGAN BOTTOM 80-120HZ FULL 240HZ BITE 2.5K
PIANO BOTTOM 80-120HZ ATTACK 2.5-5K CRISP 10K
VOCALS FULL 120HZ BOOMY 200-240HZ PRES. 5K SIBILANCE 7.5-10K

This is probably a little helpful.
However, you leftout where the BAD frequencies are.
Which, is usually right around 400Hz for most things (ie drums, vox)

[kayagum]

Wow, I didn't say "ONLY do subtractive EQ".... sheesh.

But I think starting a mix with subtractive corrections first, then after that see what needs a subtle boost works really well. Boosting first only creates a larger mess, most of the time.

And subtraction saves headroom too.

[NarxistDan]

you leftout where the BAD frequencies are.
Which, is usually right around 400Hz for most things (ie drums, vox)

Don't forget 4k, and 270.

And subtraction saves headroom too.

[Mystic Steamship Co.]

Lately I've been trying to memorize the frequencies that correspond with the notes. It's kind of a cool way to think about eq'ing stuff because you can control the harmonic content that gets built up in a song. (like if the song's in A there is a lot of buildup at 110, 220, 440 etc..) It's a good starting point for me at least. Instead of blindly "pulling between 200-400" If the song is in A I pull at 220 and see how it sounds. You DEFINATLY have to use your ears though, as there is a lot more going on than just the harmonic content of one note.

[@?,*???&?]

Sorry for starting this with a sarcastic response. I've had an earwax problem the last few days that's kept me from mixing and it's had me pretty frustrated. I agree with whoever said that the best "starting point" is no eq or compression, and that experimentation is the best way to learn this stuff.

You know about Murine drops, right? I just did a go-around with those last week and about 36 hours after I used the drops I literally had a gob of brown wax fall out of my ear, about the size of an average ladybird beetle.

I googled Murine and it looks like another carbamide peroxide based drop. I've been using a different brand carbamide peroxide and it hasn't worked too well so far. I've been getting advice on it from a few folks though, I have a couple more tricks to try and I've had this happen to me before, but thanks for the advice. Now, back to explaining how we can't explain eq to that guy.

Once every couple months I get one of these in my right ear. The ear drops are an essential part of my existence as an engineer.

Highly recommended. Say this now, "No more Q-tips!"