...Some helpful EQing tips!!

[Gme]

Aight guys.. so all of us face that "muddy" problem once we're done with our tracks (at least some of us do ) so here are some random tips that i've learned over time that could probably help you fix that problem and separate every sample from the other and make the track sound more professional...i hope this will be helpful to some of you guys:

Kick Drum
Lows: Roll-off muddiness around 300-400 Hz
Mids: shouldn't be a problem
Hi's: Boost around 5 -6k, Boosting up around 10-12k will only bring out Hiss & Cymbals

Snare Drum
Lows: Add a little bit around 80-110 Hz if the snare sounds thin & wimpy (but dont overdo this in order to keep the kick and snare separated)
Mids: Take out irritating frequency if going for sweet smooth sounding mix
Hi's: Add 3-5 dB around 6k for crisp

Hi-Hats
Lows: Roll-off Muddiness around 300 Hz
Mids: If irritating find & roll off irritating frequency (btw you find them by dragging a point on the eq with minimum quantity and drag along the eq line to hear an irritating sound and remove)
Hi's: Around 12k boost 3 to 6 db for sizzle

Toms
Lows: Cut Boominess around 300Hz
Mids: shouldn't be a problem
Hi's: 3-7 db boost around 5k, less boost on floor tom

Overheads
Lows: Cut any muddiness around 300Hz
Mids: Be especially aware of any irritating freq's in midrange, Cut them if apparent
Hi's: Possibly boost a little around 6-12k but be wary of making them too edgy

Bass
Lows: Possibly boost 80-120 Hz if song calls for it, Possibly cut 300 Hz if bass is to muddy for song and cut below 60-50 if you hear a rumble ( if the snare sounds lost with the bass, drop off a small quantity around 15-200hz)
Mids: Boost around 1-2 k if more presence is needed and if string noise is not to much
Hi's: Boost around 5k for presence if mix is sparse enough to even hear it

However, a professional producer/sound engineer knows that dropping unwanted irritating frequencies using the EQ is more important than adding them. Only boost frequencies in rare cases where there is an obvious need to do so; moreover, dropping some Lows virtually increases the Hi's and vice versa i.e. if you want your snare to sound phatter, you could drop a bit of highs and that would make it sound better (if this makes any sense). Please ask for extra info if finding difficulties.
Cheers guys!

Gme

[findog]

those are some mad tunes on your myspace

[Gme]

thx..im glad u like my tunes

[Duane Barry]

^ I agree about the tunes I checked out your stuff when you sent me a friend request and thought they were awesome

[Gme]

thanks a lot duane...i really liked your tunes as well (already commented on your thread anyway )

[hippy dave]

thanks for the tips, will read them properly later

[boonos]

those are some mad tunes on your myspace

agreed - fantastic tunes. welcome

[Gme]

thx boonos just added you to myspace... Whipped cream blew me off! sick stuff!

[BLista]

whipped cream is sick

[Llupa]

I prefer clotted cream.......

great tips n welcome - good to see ya made it1

[Gme]

Thx Llupa

[Domino Blakey]

Agreed on the minimalist housey stuff. Its brilliantly produced

[foxington]

good tips. i would add that generally i find it better to boost with a wide q setting and to cut with a narrow q setting on yr eq, if that made sense

[Gme]

positive

[a1studmuffin]

Also in parametric EQs, a gentle shelf EQ is generally kinder to your sounds and results in less phase smearing than a low/highpass EQ. You'll probably only hear it on really transienty percussion though.

[edoalto]

yeah! cut is better than boost.)

[SugarApe]

I used to make cuts and shelves all over the place, especially with my drums. I've finally discovered however that the best way to eq is to do it as little as possible - it's all about getting things right at the source. Some careful filtering and saturation in e.g. Battery can really bring out some harmonics and accentuate the pitch of your drums (not to be confused with resonance!).

I do make occasional e.q. boosts here and there though - cuts can really degrade the natural quality of the sounds and make things sound too flat andartificial. Some careful boosts - particularly in the 1kHz-5kHz range - can do wonders for making kicks and snares sound really solid and punchy.

I guess there's no hard and fast rule, just listen to what your adding and taking away and try not to lose the plot. Going off on too many tangents when getting the sound right probably means you need better sounds.

[woottsy]

Tbh, I would ignore EQ tips, it says boost the kickdrum at so and so hz etc but do all kick drums sound the same? No. So, I would say just use your ears.

[woottsy]

Oh and, I fully agree with the poster above, if you have to EQ too much the source sound isn't good enough. Subtractive EQ'ing is best.

[Doomo]

my EQing tip is : start with the base sound / sample. Then think to yourself...."can I make it sound better by messing about with the EQ?" then just to fuck around with the various EQs until it sounds better, as you want, or shite in which case turn the EQs off again.

The same goes for compression.

Adding this shit is not a must. These are just tools for sculpting your sounds, and may make them better, or worse, or total shite. Whether you use them, or how you use them is a question that has to be asked for each and every sound.

although, with experience you get to know what effect certain EQing or compression settings are likely to produce on a certain type of sound. But this has to be learnt by trial and error through hours of fucking about with WIPs, because there are no rules.