Basic EQ/Compression settings

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tonejunkee
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Basic EQ/Compression settings

Post by tonejunkee » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:43 pm

is there a resource somewhere on the net with basic eq/compression settings for various instruments? I need a good starting point and feel this knowledge would be helpful as a springboard

I'm running PTLE and have the digirack set of plugins as well as bf76, psp vintage warmer and T-racks eq

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Boogdish
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Re: Basic EQ/Compression settings

Post by Boogdish » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:28 pm

For electric guitar:
-14db @ 382hz
+2db @ 904hz
+1.7 @ 1838hz
-6.8db @ 12321hz

For Piano:
-14db @ 382hz
+2db @ 904hz
+1.7 @ 1838hz
-6.8db @ 12321hz

For Bass:
-14db @ 382hz
+2db @ 904hz
+1.7 @ 1838hz
-6.8db @ 12321hz

I'll type up some more later, but these have always worked good for me.

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Post by Mane1234 » Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:11 pm

There are probably lots of resources scattered across the internet about how to EQ and Compress things but they are always just someone's opinion. There just aren't any right or wrong answers to your question and your best starting point is whatever you think sounds good. The way that I got familiar with my first compressor was to run a kick drum through it and start twiddlin knobs. Then hit the bypass and compare. Do that for everything you can. With your EQ set up a moderate Q and boost the hell out of it and start sweeping back and forth. Do the same thing only cut out a notch of -20db or however far down it will go.

It's always good to read what others have to say about things and there's lots of good advice out there but in the short time I've been hanging around here the most popular advice seems to be to just jump in and start finding out. It's always going to be a learning process. I will pass this one thing along that someone on here said and it really opened my ears and changed my perspective about some things...Everything is EQ.
Of course I've had it in the ear before.....

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Re: Basic EQ/Compression settings

Post by MASSIVE Mastering » Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:53 pm

tonejunkee wrote:is there a resource somewhere on the net with basic eq/compression settings for various instruments?
No, there is not. You use your ears and do what you need to do.
I need a good starting point and feel this knowledge would be helpful as a springboard
The springboard you need to to know what you're listening to and what your tools do. Listen to the track/mix/whatever and do what you need to do. Every track will be different, every mix will be different, every track will need to fit into that particular mix.
John Scrip - MASSIVE Mastering

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Re: Basic EQ/Compression settings

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:02 am

Boogdish wrote: -14db @ 382hz
+2db @ 904hz
+1.7 @ 1838hz
-6.8db @ 12321hz
these settings work great for mastering too.

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Post by joel hamilton » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:45 am

This would be like putting a piece of tape on the steering wheel of your car marked "HOME".

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Post by chris harris » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:09 am

joel hamilton wrote:This would be like putting a piece of tape on the steering wheel of your car marked "HOME".
This is one of the best analogies yet. If we don't know where you're starting from, we can never tell you how to get home.

The best starting point for eq and compression is probably NO eq or compression! Listen to what it sounds like and figure out what it needs. You simply HAVE TO LEARN SOME OF THIS STUFF BY DOING! Experiment!!! There are plenty of EQ charts out there that can give you an idea of where particular sounds or instruments SHOULD reside in the frequency spectrum. Maybe that would be a good starting point for you. If you don't have access to a tone generator, surely your DAW can create tones at specific frequencies. Listen to some tones at swept frequencies and get an idea of what different frequencies sound like. Surely you've got a plug in with a frequency analyzer. Use it.

Load up a parametric EQ. Set one of the middle frequencies to a very narrow bandwidth (Q) and boost the hell out of it. Then, sweep the frequencies across the whole range and listen for frequencies that sound really offensive in the context of your mix. These frequencies would be a good place to try CUTTING a little with the eq.

Those are the only "secrets" I know for using an eq. Your best bet is to just keep trying. It's really the same with compression. There are plenty of books and recording guides with suggestions for attack and release times or ratios that TYPICALLY work good for certain instruments. Google or the search function here at TOMB can get you all of that information. But, you're much better off just closing your eyes and turning knobs and listening. When I was starting out, I was paying attention to the numbers on the knobs instead of the meters and the SOUND, and I was just tring to input "settings"... it's not really about "settings". It's about how the compressor reacts to and affects the material. You can't rely on settings. You have to learn to really HEAR what's happening.

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Re: Basic EQ/Compression settings

Post by mjau » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:32 am

tonejunkee wrote:I need a good starting point and feel this knowledge would be helpful as a springboard
Take a parametric eq and boost a hefty amount at any frequency. While the trackis playing, shfit the frequency the boost is focused on. You'll hear lots of things pop out, i.e., "So that's where the mud is on the bass, and that's where the boxiness is on the snare, and I never realized how low a ride cymbal goes, and if I boost here on this vocal it sounds like a telephone, etc., etc."
You'll find some guides online about frequencies and all that, but the most fun you can have is to sit around with your tracks and listen while experimenting. Same goes for compressors.

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Post by drumsound » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:51 am

joel hamilton wrote:This would be like putting a piece of tape on the steering wheel of your car marked "HOME".
Possibly you best respoonse ever! Seriously.

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Re: Basic EQ/Compression settings

Post by Ryan Silva » Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:36 am

tonejunkee wrote:is there a resource somewhere on the net with basic eq/compression settings for various instruments? I need a good starting point and feel this knowledge would be helpful as a springboard

I'm running PTLE and have the digirack set of plugins as well as bf76, psp vintage warmer and T-racks eq


:shock:
"Writing good songs is hard. recording is easy. "

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Post by GooberNumber9 » Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:54 am

Ok, what everyone else wrote is wise and true, if not always nice.

So I'm going to be nice if not always true. These are just GENERAL GUIDES to get you STARTED, and if you stick with these your stuff will not sound good. However, I think having these words next to these frequencies can help you wrap your brain around what is going on when you EQ. This list helped me four years ago when another person posted it, so I'm passing it along:

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

Feel free to mix and match. Also, try mixing without any compression or EQ at all. In fact, spend as much time mixing in mono, with no effects at all, just the faders. You'll be amazed at how good you can get a mix to sound with just faders. Then you can get the last 10% of the mix done with a little EQ, compression, pan, and reverb.

Todd Wilcox

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Post by Mradyfist » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:04 pm

My favorite EQ setting is:

+10.7dB @ 254hz
-7.8dB @ 3071hz
+3.14dB @ 16,765hz (preferably with an extra warm Q setting)

Just keep in mind that you'll want to have the "bypass" button depressed.

Also, I like to use an opto-compressor with the threshold low, the attack and release high, and the ratio on 1:1.

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Re: Basic EQ/Compression settings

Post by Mradyfist » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:15 pm

Boogdish wrote:For electric guitar:
For Piano:
-14db @ 382hz
+2db @ 904hz
+1.7 @ 1838hz
-6.8db @ 12321hz
This is good advice, but keep in mind that if you're recording a lefty piano, you should do the inverse of this.

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Post by ;ivlunsdystf » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:47 pm

Threads like this attract many snide comments!

I hereby 2nd the advice, given apparently non-snidely by Goober9, to defer eq and compression until very late in the mixing process.

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Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:19 pm

weeeeellllllllllll, i think that's good advice if you're new to mixing (or if you've made a mess of a mix...just take everything off and start over) but if you know what you're looking for, like for example if you put a basic mix up and it's obvious that there's too much low mid woof on the kick drum, or there's obviously tons of unecessary low end on the guitars, there's no reason not to address that right from the start. you think?

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