MusicRadar

There's no frequency labelling in NyquistEq5, so you have to use your ears.

View in gallery

EQ is a vital tool in any producer’s arsenal, but knowing when and how to use it isn’t always easy. Allow us to give you some guidance…

1. Try and avoid massive cuts and boosts unless they’re absolutely necessary. Generally, an adjustment of just a few dB will be enough.

2. FX channels, particularly reverb, can often harbour untreated low rumble, even if you’ve cut most of the unwanted low-end from the tracks feeding to them. A mix can really benefit from applying high-pass filtering to its reverb channels.

3. Remember that while soloing a track can be helpful at times, it won’t necessarily help you sit the instrument in a full mix.

4. If you add 10dB at 150Hz, 10dB at 1kHz and 10dB at3kHz, all you’re really doing is boosting the volume of the track by 10dB. Just because the volume is louder, you might mistakenly perceive the track as ‘better’ - don’t be seduced.

5. When  it comes to the bottom end of a track, you’re looking for clarity rather than just lots of ‘woofing’. Be sure to apply a high-pass filter to instruments that have no real low-end content. Below 50Hz, guitars will just add cabinet rumble to the mix. Below 80Hz, rumble from the mic stand (or a tapping foot) is all you’re likely to get from a vocal.

6. You may find yourself automatically adjusting EQ just because you feel you should – don’t make changes unless your ears tell you they’re needed. Many parts won’t need any EQ at all.

7. While modern EQ plug-ins can work wonders, nothing beats having a high-quality original recording. Don’t rush the process of getting a great tone to record – you’ll save time in the long run.

8. It’s always better to remove frequencies you don’t want to hear rather than boost the ‘good’ ones. As we mentioned earlier, raising the volume of something can make it difficult to distinguish whether the end result is better or just louder.

9. If a certain frequency is bothering you and you want to get rid of it, set your EQ to a narrow Q setting and slowly sweep through the frequency range with a 5-10dB boost until the errant sound jumps out at you. Once you’ve identified it, change the boost to a cut.

10. Don’t make EQ adjustments blindly – think about which part of the instrument’s frequency range you’re adjusting.

11. It’s easy to get lost in a world of colourful plug-ins and EQ curves, so make sure you hit the bypass button every so often to hear whether or not your adjustments are really making a positive difference.

Around the web: