upon further review, Samsound, it doesn't look like system eq for monitors (or turning down the low-end driver) is the proper solution... obviously, it's his affinity for low-end boost.
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For engineers: Studio mix vs live mix
- Thread starter RasGK
- Start date
In the days of analog boards for all mixing, you really couldn't do the same thing you do in a recording situation in a live one, due to not really having a separate "EQ" for every channel. Now that you do, (if you're running a digital board) then it becomes so much easier to mix. The one church i used to work with ran a digital board, and i LOVED IT. best sound i've ever been able to get out of a band.
New church? Old yamaha analog board. it's.... annoying, to say the least. Especially when my worship leader, who took a class on digital boards, tries to apply all that stuff to my mixing. gets a little annoying
New church? Old yamaha analog board. it's.... annoying, to say the least. Especially when my worship leader, who took a class on digital boards, tries to apply all that stuff to my mixing. gets a little annoying
Jake Saint said:
I don't know what you're talking about. Every board has at least a three band semi-parametric EQ on every channel. It's hard to mix without one.
Granted, digital boards typically have much more flexible EQ's, but a three-band is really all you absolutely need. 15-band graphics are nice, but unnecessary.
That is what i refer to. I work with those, and i can make amazing sound with them. However, I can make much better sound when every channel on the board has a "full" EQ, and i can set up a musician and save the gorram mix for a later date/time/gig. it helps tremendously, because then, i don't have to set every musician, i just have to tweak the EQ and adjust levels.
It's taken me 3 years of mixing twice a week to learn all this. And even now I'm still just now learning all the subtleties of it...wish I could have read this post 3 years ago.
Magic Frequencies
Excerpted from The Mixing Engineer's Handbook
by Bobby Owsinski
Before we examine some methods of equalizing, it’s important to note the areas of the audio band and what effect they have on what we hear. The audio band can effectively be broken down into six distinct ranges, each one having enormous impact on the total sound.
• Sub-Bass — The very low bass between 16Hz and 60Hz that encompasses sounds that are often felt more than heard, such as thunder in the distance. These frequencies give the music a sense of power even if they occur infrequently. Too much emphasis on this range makes the music sound muddy.
• Bass — The bass between 60Hz and 250Hz contains the fundamental notes of the rhythm section, so EQing this range can change the musical balance, making it fat or thin. Too much boost in this range can make the music sound boomy.
• Low Mids — The midrange between 250Hz and 2000Hz contains the low order harmonics of most musical instruments and can introduce a telephone-like quality to the music if boosted too much. Boosting the 500Hz to 1000Hz octave makes the instruments sound horn-like, while boosting the 1kHz to 2kHz octave makes them sound tinny. Excess output in this range can cause listening fatigue.
• High Mids — The upper midrange between 2kHz and 4kHz can mask the important speech recognition sounds if boosted, introducing a lisping quality into a voice and making sounds formed with the lips such as “m,” “b” and “v” indistinguishable. Too much boost in this range — especially at 3kHz — can also cause listening fatigue. Dipping the 3kHz range on instrument backgrounds and slightly peaking 3kHz on vocals can make the vocals audible without having to decrease the instrumental level in mixes where the voice would otherwise seem buried.
• Presence — The presence range between 4kHz and 6kHz is responsible for the clarity and definition of voices and instruments. Boosting this range can make the music seem closer to the listener. Reducing the 5kHz content of a mix makes the sound more distant and transparent.
• Brilliance — The 6kHz to 16kHz range controls the brilliance and clarity of sounds. Too much emphasis in this range, however, can produce sibilance on the vocals.
For those of you who have an easier time visualizing the audio spectrum in one-octave increments (like those found on a graphic equalizer), here’s an octave look at the same chart.
Easy-To-Remember Golden Rules Of EQ
1. If it sounds muddy, cut some at 250Hz.
2. If it sounds honky, cut some at 500Hz.
3. Cut if you’re trying to make things sound
better.
4. Boost if you’re trying to make things sound
different.
5. You can’t boost something that’s not there
in the first place.
31Hz
Excerpted from The Mixing Engineer's Handbook
by Bobby Owsinski
Before we examine some methods of equalizing, it’s important to note the areas of the audio band and what effect they have on what we hear. The audio band can effectively be broken down into six distinct ranges, each one having enormous impact on the total sound.
• Sub-Bass — The very low bass between 16Hz and 60Hz that encompasses sounds that are often felt more than heard, such as thunder in the distance. These frequencies give the music a sense of power even if they occur infrequently. Too much emphasis on this range makes the music sound muddy.
• Bass — The bass between 60Hz and 250Hz contains the fundamental notes of the rhythm section, so EQing this range can change the musical balance, making it fat or thin. Too much boost in this range can make the music sound boomy.
• Low Mids — The midrange between 250Hz and 2000Hz contains the low order harmonics of most musical instruments and can introduce a telephone-like quality to the music if boosted too much. Boosting the 500Hz to 1000Hz octave makes the instruments sound horn-like, while boosting the 1kHz to 2kHz octave makes them sound tinny. Excess output in this range can cause listening fatigue.
• High Mids — The upper midrange between 2kHz and 4kHz can mask the important speech recognition sounds if boosted, introducing a lisping quality into a voice and making sounds formed with the lips such as “m,” “b” and “v” indistinguishable. Too much boost in this range — especially at 3kHz — can also cause listening fatigue. Dipping the 3kHz range on instrument backgrounds and slightly peaking 3kHz on vocals can make the vocals audible without having to decrease the instrumental level in mixes where the voice would otherwise seem buried.
• Presence — The presence range between 4kHz and 6kHz is responsible for the clarity and definition of voices and instruments. Boosting this range can make the music seem closer to the listener. Reducing the 5kHz content of a mix makes the sound more distant and transparent.
• Brilliance — The 6kHz to 16kHz range controls the brilliance and clarity of sounds. Too much emphasis in this range, however, can produce sibilance on the vocals.
For those of you who have an easier time visualizing the audio spectrum in one-octave increments (like those found on a graphic equalizer), here’s an octave look at the same chart.
Easy-To-Remember Golden Rules Of EQ
1. If it sounds muddy, cut some at 250Hz.
2. If it sounds honky, cut some at 500Hz.
3. Cut if you’re trying to make things sound
better.
4. Boost if you’re trying to make things sound
different.
5. You can’t boost something that’s not there
in the first place.
31Hz
Rumble, "chest"
63 Hz Bottom
125Hz Boom, thump, warmth
250Hz Fullness or mud
500Hz Honk
1KHz Whack
2KHz Crunch
4KHz Edge
8KHz Sibilance, definition, "ouch!"
16 KHz Air
