EQing for Dummies?

[Critic Profile]

While browsing the forums, I stumbled over this thread. I have been willing to "learn" EQing for quite some time now, since I got the basic hang of all things breaks: so I was fairly happy to discover all the frequency parameters listed in one thread.

Problem is, I don't how to apply them at all. Like, at all. I can fool around with the Amen and other breaks, click about in piano roll, but I have absolutely no idea what to do with all the Hz settings. (I use FL8, by the way.)

So speaking from a standpoint of a total noob: how do I equalize? What should I start with? Are there any tutorials for this purpose? Examples?

Thanks in advance for your help (hope to have made my point clear)

[Critic Profile]

Nobody?

[LeVzi Profile Website]

There is no point in EQ'ing something unless it needs EQ'ing.

As to what you want to acheive, you've been a bit vague, so it's hard to know what you want.

[Draegg Profile]

Well if i remember fl right, you can use the parametric eq. I recomend searching youtube for tutorials on mixing. And dont listen to the above speaker, equing is CRUCIAL in all sorts of music. Sure in some cases, the kick/snare/whatever is already mixed or just lands in the right frequency, but in 99 % of the cases you have to mix and eq.

Hope that helps mate.

[PEPCORE]

Well if i remember fl right, you can use the parametric eq. I recomend searching youtube for tutorials on mixing. And dont listen to the above speaker, equing is CRUCIAL in all sorts of music. Sure in some cases, the kick/snare/whatever is already mixed or just lands in the right frequency, but in 99 % of the cases you have to mix and eq.

Hope that helps mate.

Yes, and then use parametric eq2, it also has nice visual aspect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLcfSWSDiag

[verdroid Profile Website]

Just turn those knobs and don't think so much

[kowalczyk Profile Website]

Don't know where I found this originally, but it has helped me a lot.
(THESE ARE GUIDELINES FOR PRODUCTION, NOT RULES)

EQ Settings

General:

• 20 Hz and below - impossible to detect, might pull down the overall volume of the track
• 60 Hz and below - sub bass (feel only)
• 80-100 Hz - feel AND hear bass
• 100-120 Hz - the "club sound system punch" resides here
• 200 Hz and below - bottom
• 250 Hz - notch filter here can add thump to a kick drum
• 150-400 Hz - boxiness
• 200 Hz-1.5 KHz - punch, fatness, impact
• 800 Hz-4 KHz - edge, clarity, harshness, defines timbre
• 4500 Hz - exteremly tiring to the ears, add a slight notch here
• 5-7 KHz - de-essing is done here
• 4-9 KHz - brightness, presence, definition, sibilance, high frequency distortion
• 6-15 KHz - air and presence
• 9-15 KHz - adding will give sparkle, shimmer, bring out details - cutting will smooth out harshness and darken the mix
  
  Kicks:
• 60Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Add fullness to kicks.
• 5Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds attack to Kicks
• Slap (4 kHz)
• Cut below 60Hz to remove rumble
• Boost between 80-125 Hz for bass
• Boost between 3-5 kHz to get the slap
• Compression 4:1/6:1 slow attack med release.
  
  
  Snares:
• 200Hz-250Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds woody sound to snares.
• 3Khz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds attack to snare.
• 7Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds sharpness to snares and percussion.
• Fatness at 120-240Hz
• Boing at 400Hz
• Crispness at 5kHz
• Snap at 10kHz
• Cut at 100Hz to remove rumble
• Compression 4:1 slow attack med release.
  
  Vocals:
• Cut off below 60Hz, it's unlikely to contain anything useful, and takes away volume.
  Treat Harsh Vocals:
• To soften vocals apply cut in a narrow bandwidth somewhere in the 2.5KHz to 4KHz range.
  Get An Open Sound:
• Apply a gentle boost above 6KHz using a shelving filter.
  Get Brightness, Not Harshness:
• Apply a gentle boost using a wide-band Bandpass Filter above 6KHz. Use the Sweep control to sweep the frequencies to get it right.
  Get Smoothness:
• Apply some cut in a narrow band in the 1KHz to 2KHz range.
  Bring Out The Bass:
• Apply some boost in a reasonably narrow band somewhere in the 200Hz to 600Hz range.
  Radio Vocal Effect:
• Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
  Telephone Effect:
• Apply lots of compression pre EQ, and a little analogue distortion by turning up the input gain. Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
• Fullness at 120 Hz
• Boominess at 200-240 Hz
• Presence at 5 kHz.
• Sibilants at 7.5 - 10 kHz
  
  Hats:
• 10Khz with a Q of 1.0 -- Adds brightness to hats and cymbals
• Sizzle (7.5 - 10 kHz)
• Clank (200 Hz)
• Boost above 5kHz for sharp sparkle
• Cut at 1kHz to remove jangling
• Compression use high ratio for high energy feel
• Roll off everything below 600Hz using a High Pass Filter for clearness and 'ring'.
  Treat Clangy Hats:
• Apply some cut between 1KHz and 4KHz.