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Pro Tools' EQ III plug-in

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Despite being one of the most universally used effects, EQ can take a lifetime to master. That said, here are some essential EQ tips that should speed things up a bit. While we're on the subject, make sure you also check out our in-depth look at EQ.

1. If you find yourself applying excessive EQ on a regular basis, there are two possibilities - you're picking the wrong sounds to begin with or you're the next big thing. If you think it's the latter, wait a year, and if you haven't had three acclaimed singles and a hit album then refer to the first point.

2. Any frequencies below 30Hz are usually inaudible sonic pollutant, soaking up precious headroom and generally muddying up your mix. It's therefore always a good idea to cut everything below around 30Hz - this way your mix will be louder and your bass will sound much punchier and heavier.

3. The key to good parametric EQing is finding the right frequency, and the easiest way to do that is to apply excessive gain and set your Q to a reasonably narrow frequency. Now, when you sweep the frequency range, you'll be able to hear when you hit the target frequency.

4. Air soaks up high frequencies more than low frequencies, and low frequencies travel slightly faster than high ones, so distant sounds seem inherently less bright. You can use this effect and EQ your mixes to give certain elements a greater sense of distance by applying high-shelving cut.

5. EQ boost and cut both affect the volume of a signal, and obviously the greater the cut or boost, the more the volume is affected; so whenever you apply EQ be prepared to tweak your level settings too.

6. If you're using mastering EQ (either graphic or parametric) on a complete mix, then you should almost always place it before any limiting you're applying, as otherwise you'll risk losing some volume or pushing the signal into clipping.

7. Analyse all of your main sounds (such as vocals and guitars) together and in isolation and see if they're fighting for the same space in the mix. For example, vocals tend to be centred around 1-3kHz, so try a little cut in that range on your guitars and hear the two separate beautifully.

8. One of the best ways to get parts - such as backing vocals or layered guitar lines - to gel together is to run them off to their own bus and apply any EQ tweaks to the bus, rather than the original parts.

9. Most sounds are centred on a certain part of the frequency spectrum but also have stuff going on in other sections - everything else is a potential source of sonic pollution. Judicious use of high and low shelving or cut can help give everything the space it needs.

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