The Basics of Equalization
Have you ever wondered what a musician meant when he said something like, "I dunno - sounds like it needs a little 6k" or, "Give me a 4db boost at...uh, 12.8kHz"? Or, the more nebulous, "Could you just brighten up the guitar a bit and make the bass a little darker"? No, it's not some esoteric chant of the Secret Order of Musicians. This guy's talking about equalization.
What is equalization?
There are almost as many theories of equalization (EQ) as there are sound engineers. At one end of the spectrum are the technoids. They'll say that EQ provides you with a "systematic method of sound shaping", and they'll whip out the books and show you the charts. At the other end stand the knob twiddlers, who'll tell you that an equalizer is nothing more than a slightly more complex version of the tone controls on your home stereo. Who's right? In this case, they both are.
When and why should I adjust the EQ?
Equalization is used for two general purposes: sonic enhancement, and sonic correction. Even if you have the perfect mike in the perfect position on the perfect player, when you bring up the fader your ears may still tell you it "needs something". On the other hand, you might be down to the last mike in the house - you know, that dented old piece of junk you only use in an emergency. Even when used in a non-critical position, you know this mike will leave something to be desired. But what do you do about it?
Going beyond bass and treble.
The only way to go beyond the simple bass/treble concept is to break down the audio spectrum into more defined segments. Right now, let's talk about bass (10Hz to 200Hz), low-mid (200Hz to 1,000Hz), high-mid (1,000Hz to 5,000Hz), and high (5,000Hz to 20,000Hz). Hz is the standard abbreviation for "hertz".
What the heck is a hertz?
The hertz (Hz for short) was named after German physicist Heinrich R. Hertz, and represents a unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second. Kilohertz (kHz or k) are regular hertz multiplied by 1,000. Two thousand five hundred cycles per second can appear on your board as 2,500Hz, 2.5kHz, or 2.5k.
How does this relate to adjusting EQ for a guitar, for instance?
The American tuning standard is A-440, which is 440 hertz. When you plug your guitar into a tuner, you tune the low E string to 82.41Hz, the A to 110Hz (two octaves down from A-440), the D to 146.83Hz, the G to 196Hz, the B to 246.94Hz, and the high E to 329.63Hz. In terms of adjusting the EQ, if you want to alter the prominence of the low end of the instrument, you should be boosting or cutting in the 80Hz-to-100Hz area. If you want to bring out the upper range of the instrument, you can boost between 250Hz and 400Hz. You can even go up higher, to bring out the harmonics and the sound of the pick on the strings.
How should I adjust EQ for vocals?
If you want to make a vocal more understandable, boost the 3k to 5k range which is where the hard consonants are. You can produce an effected, telephone-type vocal if you remove all of the bass, low-mids, and highs from the track, and boost the remaining high-mid frequencies. However, if you find that you're severely altering the tonal values of all your tracks, it might be time for a new mike, a new board, new speakers, (or a new singer!).
What about instruments that use an amplifier?
With amplified instruments, you should always try to get the best possible sound out of the amp before you try to fix it up with EQ. Remember: the first guy who said "We'll fix it in the mix" was making a joke.
How do I adjust EQ for other instruments?
A quick look at an instrument frequency chart will let you know the frequency range of a particular instrument. Like the guitar example above, this information will clue you in to what frequencies you can expect to encounter when dialing in the best sound for any particular instrument. Full-frequency instruments, such as a piano or synthesizer, can be tricky as their parts can cover the entire frequency range. In this case, you must select the frequencies you wish to emphasize.
How do I use EQ to balance the overall sound?
Effectively mixing the overall sound of the ensemble requires two things: balance, and separation. A classic example involves the bass drum and the bass guitar, both of which occupy frequencies at the lower end of the scale. To be effective, they have to work together, and they have to be distinct from one another. One option is to determine which should be the deepest sound in the mix. If it's the bass drum, try boosting the lows and cutting the low-mids on the drum sound. This leaves the low-mid range open for the bass guitar. Keeping in mind the overall range of frequencies that your ensemble will use will help you to dial in a mix in which every instrument occupies it's own sonic "space".
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What is equalization?
There are almost as many theories of equalization (EQ) as there are sound engineers. At one end of the spectrum are the technoids. They'll say that EQ provides you with a "systematic method of sound shaping", and they'll whip out the books and show you the charts. At the other end stand the knob twiddlers, who'll tell you that an equalizer is nothing more than a slightly more complex version of the tone controls on your home stereo. Who's right? In this case, they both are.
When and why should I adjust the EQ?
Equalization is used for two general purposes: sonic enhancement, and sonic correction. Even if you have the perfect mike in the perfect position on the perfect player, when you bring up the fader your ears may still tell you it "needs something". On the other hand, you might be down to the last mike in the house - you know, that dented old piece of junk you only use in an emergency. Even when used in a non-critical position, you know this mike will leave something to be desired. But what do you do about it?
Going beyond bass and treble.
The only way to go beyond the simple bass/treble concept is to break down the audio spectrum into more defined segments. Right now, let's talk about bass (10Hz to 200Hz), low-mid (200Hz to 1,000Hz), high-mid (1,000Hz to 5,000Hz), and high (5,000Hz to 20,000Hz). Hz is the standard abbreviation for "hertz".
What the heck is a hertz?
The hertz (Hz for short) was named after German physicist Heinrich R. Hertz, and represents a unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second. Kilohertz (kHz or k) are regular hertz multiplied by 1,000. Two thousand five hundred cycles per second can appear on your board as 2,500Hz, 2.5kHz, or 2.5k.
How does this relate to adjusting EQ for a guitar, for instance?
The American tuning standard is A-440, which is 440 hertz. When you plug your guitar into a tuner, you tune the low E string to 82.41Hz, the A to 110Hz (two octaves down from A-440), the D to 146.83Hz, the G to 196Hz, the B to 246.94Hz, and the high E to 329.63Hz. In terms of adjusting the EQ, if you want to alter the prominence of the low end of the instrument, you should be boosting or cutting in the 80Hz-to-100Hz area. If you want to bring out the upper range of the instrument, you can boost between 250Hz and 400Hz. You can even go up higher, to bring out the harmonics and the sound of the pick on the strings.
How should I adjust EQ for vocals?
If you want to make a vocal more understandable, boost the 3k to 5k range which is where the hard consonants are. You can produce an effected, telephone-type vocal if you remove all of the bass, low-mids, and highs from the track, and boost the remaining high-mid frequencies. However, if you find that you're severely altering the tonal values of all your tracks, it might be time for a new mike, a new board, new speakers, (or a new singer!).
What about instruments that use an amplifier?
With amplified instruments, you should always try to get the best possible sound out of the amp before you try to fix it up with EQ. Remember: the first guy who said "We'll fix it in the mix" was making a joke.
How do I adjust EQ for other instruments?
A quick look at an instrument frequency chart will let you know the frequency range of a particular instrument. Like the guitar example above, this information will clue you in to what frequencies you can expect to encounter when dialing in the best sound for any particular instrument. Full-frequency instruments, such as a piano or synthesizer, can be tricky as their parts can cover the entire frequency range. In this case, you must select the frequencies you wish to emphasize.
How do I use EQ to balance the overall sound?
Effectively mixing the overall sound of the ensemble requires two things: balance, and separation. A classic example involves the bass drum and the bass guitar, both of which occupy frequencies at the lower end of the scale. To be effective, they have to work together, and they have to be distinct from one another. One option is to determine which should be the deepest sound in the mix. If it's the bass drum, try boosting the lows and cutting the low-mids on the drum sound. This leaves the low-mid range open for the bass guitar. Keeping in mind the overall range of frequencies that your ensemble will use will help you to dial in a mix in which every instrument occupies it's own sonic "space".
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