Mic/Pre Amp EQ vs Post EQ

[mr.adambeck]

Hey, I've been recording a lot with a borrowed SM7 and MD421. They both have EQ options on the mic's themselves, which I've been using, but ebbing on the side of caution. I was wondering though, is there any advantage to using the mic EQ rather than just using an EQ during mixing? Or is it just so that you can have a nicer sound right off the bat?

THNX!

[MoreSpaceEcho]

i think if you're gonna hipass, it's best to do it at the mic, that way you're not sending low frequencies that you're not going to use through the rest of the chain.

[jgimbel]

I like to keep things as simple as I can when it comes to mixing time so I try to get exactly the right sound at the source. Only exception being compression since right now I don't have a way to record it on the way in (though I would generally only do a light touch that way since compression sometimes needs to change as you introduce new instruments). Plus I for whatever reason feel like I want the computer (I'm recording digitally) to be responsible for doing as little as possible to the sound, so by that possibly-dumb theory having the frequencies I don't want in there already cut out it's less that the computer's doing.

[drumsound]

There's nothing wrong with committing to a sound. It will help direct overdubs and the mix and the tune/project as a whole.

Low cuts on the mic are pretty simple, it's not like you're doing crazy EQ/sound shaping, you're just eliminating some of the unneeded crap.

[Gentleman Jim]

...is there any advantage to using the mic EQ rather than just using an EQ during mixing? Or is it just so that you can have a nicer sound right off the bat?

THNX!

Sometimes having a high pass filter in can affect the sound of other components down the line; e.g., less low end information may mean that the compressor doesn't reach its threshold as easily. This is true of high pass filters on pre's as well as on mic's.

[Ultrajoe]

Guess it depends on what your recording, but the presence boost on the SM7 is sweet on some vox. The hpf is great when using it on hi hat. And rolling off low end before a compressor allows it to compress more naturally and without as much "pumping" from low end peaks. Of course, you can always pull that mic back a few and reduce proximity effect naturally.

[Front End Audio]

Using EQ on the mic is basically just an "early commitment" to a certain sound decision, which tends to scare some people. However, you'll have to make a mix/tonality choice at some point down the mixing line anyway, so it's not necessarily a bad thing. Some people delay all their mixing decisions to the last minute, and this can make things more complex.

A high-pass on a mic is quite useful in another way as well, though. By cutting unneeded low frequencies at the source, you can potentially get a hotter recording level, as you can put more gain on the part of the signal you actually want. A high-pass will also potentially help eliminate plosives in a vocal recording.

Hope this helps,
Damian

[nortstudio]

High Pass can be really helpful for all the reasons stated above - but I have to admit, I have never used a 421 in any mode other than "M."

Might just be superstition.

[drumsound]

High Pass can be really helpful for all the reasons stated above - but I have to admit, I have never used a 421 in any mode other than "M."

Might just be superstition.

I don't know that I have have used the 421 roll offs either.

[CedarSound]

I was in a studio one time when a guy asked the engineer "What does the M and the S on this mike stand for?"

He said... "The M stands for Music and the S stands for shit.... use the M"

Just his opinion, but I thought it was pretty funny, and to this day that's the side I usually start on..

[Jitters]

Hahaha, yeah. If you don't want to capture some solid thump you're using the wrong mic imo.