How to Use Parametric EQ Like a Pro

[BeNeath0]

or you could just use another sample or creat your own snare

[axgyfire]

excellent. Straight to the point!

[muzicali]

@THEiNTRANETZ

Yes, and that's exactly why I call it the magnifying EQ technique, because it's like holding a magnifying glass over the trouble spot, it gives you a closer look.

[GGTrashes]

A good spetrogram is good for this kind of thing. Think Audiition's spectral view or AG-works SG-1 if you're looking for a (free) VST.

[Fishpigg]

ITS CALLED A PARAMETRIC SWEEP sorry didn't mean to shout

[muzicali]

@Fishpigg

Totally, that is indeed what it is called! Thanks for bringing this up :-)

[AReyesRodriguez]

@Fishpigg I thought it was called frequency sweeping. Or is it acceptable to call them both?

[TheDLovas]

this is reason correct?

[muzicali]

@TheDLovas

Yes, that's Reason. 

[wseeback]

When doing this, you're supposed t find the frequency that "rings out", like a bell, not any random frquency.

[muzicali]

@wseeback

Thank you, yes, that is the point. I can't tell you what frequency it is that's bothering you in your mix, this is something everybody needs to learn for themselves, with lots of practice. (And good monitors.) The frequency that "rings out like a bell" is a great description.

[Michael55443]

When he swept the frequencies, it sounded like he just picked a random one to cut. What was he gauging it off of? The snare sounded a little tubby, but didn't have "offending" frequencies. A slight roll off in the lower mids would fix it. I don't believe in this surgical type of EQ. It's just the latest flavor of the month for engineers. Besides, this could have been prevented in the first place with better mic choice or location.

[muzicali]

@Michael55443

This EQ technique is helpful for identifying the frequencies that you find problematic. It's a tried and true EQ technique that's been used since the Beetles. It's definitely not a flavor of the month. Regarding the frequencies you find problematic, this is entirely a matter of taste and dependent on your mix at hand. Though, you're right, changing the mic placement is ideal, especially when you're doing the recording. But, it's impossible to do with a sample.

[geraintpierce]

eqing is for taking the mud out of your mix,mud is when instruments clash and you can't hear them clearly.avoid the mud and make it still sound sweet is the key.to help you beginners check this eqing chart,its a PDF photo,print it out and stick it somewhere infront of you for fast reference.hope that helps.

[loborneta]

its like a boss, not like a pro ;-)

[ermollejuo]

@Simplistic7SalvatioN Whoa , you'll need a big blender for that, but it depend of the type of music you're mixing the piano with, the instruments and voices...and final depend on how you like it...

[SharksAttackSharks]

@xx2n23 Not sure if someone replied to you already but you are basically finding the spot where it is most annoying and lowering that frequency. You can do that to more frequencies if needed.

[RaggaDnB]

this is called search and destroy, and trust me, not every producer knows this ..

[Rane909]

who DOESN'T know how to sweep ?!?

[RecordnRtist]

Precious.

[mjb336]

yo man cud u make a video on how to avoid muddy mixes in fl studio? cuz when i render my mix tha subs always have that muddy effect is it the channel settings or parametric eq or both im really having trouble wid this pleaz anybody help!

[DnBBoo]

@mjb336 <Low cut everythin so no other freqs are messin with ya sub and make sure you subs mono. if you want a wider bass you can have the higher bass stereo just not the sub freqs cuz the waves bounce off each other which sounds "muddy". make sure you low cut everythin apart from ya sub tho cuz all sounds give off a slight "white noise of the sub freq's" which also causes it to sound muddy. hope this helps

[TheArsenicWolf]

Where's the low mid thump?

[musiccomputing]

This is an excellent trick. It's also really good for finding frequencies to cut for "breathing room" between tracks. Instruments often have overlapping frequencies that can stand to be cut back. that otherwise muddy up your mix. We ship our StudioBLADE keyboard workstations with a copy of Studio One Pro which has a great sounding parametric EQ. I also recommend PSP MasterQ. Check out the videos of our gear in action on our channel.

[kavabanga111111]

How can I understand which frequency exactly I have to remove? If I turn up the gain, it'll sound bad at any frequency.

[PattyWhomperOFFICIAL]

that screwed up snare needs a high pass...

[Winner8092]

How are you sending your vocal into reason?

[Goldbloodeddragon]

MClass needs to have visual feedback.

[jtallensk]

Good tip! I learned that from a pro engineer and it is something I do all the time!

[jnyce695]

@lilxghettodragon absolutely!!!!!!!!!!

[temperz]

nice!!



[polyphony89]

Sweeping is bad! Its a good way to fatigue your hearing really quick even at low levels. You could say this method is good for beginners but I don't know how you could learn the different elements of the sound by sweeping wildly through the audio spectrum. Listen then try to determine where the problem frequency is. This will help you develop skills quicker although a lot harder at first. This is how the pros do it.

[jnyce695]

@polyphony89 correction. lots of pros do sweeping. its just that when your knowledge and understanding reach a certain point u dont have to anymore because u can hear a sound and automatically know what to do. this comes with time and lots of practice. also, Logic has something that makes it extremely easy to eq. it has an analyzer built into its channel eq with shows a frequency response of the sound ur running through it. just look at it and eq based on what the meter shows you.

[muzicali]

@jnyce695 Totally agree. With practice, after awhile you just know where the frequencies are that you want to cut or boost.

[Kesava1975]

wow some people are seriously asking stupid questions

[hollowcr0wn]

sounds like ferris bueller

[russhurley]

@hollowcr0wn 

[Ravenpulse]

that is not the frequency, thats an overtone, keep going lower, its clearly less than 220

[ILLAMINDSTATE]

i really like this tutorial...but i wish u would have gone into a little more detail about sweeping the frequencies for us people that are new to this eq'n thing. i can guess, but i was'nt exactly sure what you were listening for while you were sweeping.

but thank you for the video.

[LinkFamilyPA]

thanks for the great tip!

[SuicideXiXsilence]

what program is this ?

[AsterHavoc]

When he says offending frequencies he is referring to a frequency from one channel that is fighting for the same spot in the frequency spectrum as another channel. When this happens you get distortion and clipping which you are trying to eliminate. thats why you cut the frequency out of one sample so that a more suited sound can reside in that spot on the spectrum thus balancing your mix.

[iffydiff]

nice tip bro so simple but effective

[RobSellsTacos]

you have the voice of a narrator, or an announcer of some sort.

[RainKingRecording]

Got to ease up on the compression man.

Thank trick never works.

[aartjuh5]

Nice vid, but... why would you want to remove that tom?!??:P

[evhspence999]

what does the "Q" do? I understand gain and frequency's purpose but what does Q even do?

[Giahni]

Changing the Q widens or narrows the range of frequencies being cut/boosted by the EQ.

[AllImprovisedFilms]

the thing i like most about this is that the tutor´s voice is on channel 2 and the way you programmed all movements of parameters. actually this is not only a tutorial but also a song :D

[skiddlecrumms]

it was still there in the end though

[muzicali]

I'm not saying that this is the frequency you should be removing from your snare drum, it's just an example. Every mix is different, as is every snare drum, so every snare in every mix will need to be treated differently. Personally, I find that I need to remove some thud between 200 and 500 Hz, but, again it totally depends on the mix and the arrangement. Sometimes the arrangement does call for a big round, low end heavy snare sound. Just depends :-)

[muzicali]

Good point about ear fatigue. However, there's no way you're going to know where a frequency is that's bothering you unless you have some way of identifying it. Sweeping helps beginners identify the frequencies in a signal that they want to target. Eventually, with practice and experience you'll learn what frequencies you want without performing a frequency sweep. But until you know what you're looking for, you can't give it a name. First you need to hear it, then you can give it a name.

[JohanBogner]

@skiddlecrumms even subtractive eq on a stock sampled drum sound isn't always going to do any good. samples included in a program like reason are going to be processed/eq/compressed, etc..

[gloryboxmusic]

Erm what does classify as an OFFENDING freq? I can see the scrubbing and tweaking but why cut that particular freq out??

[muzicali]

An offending frequency is a frequency that you hear as being conflicting with elements in your arrangement. It's a frequency that's stepping on other frequencies in your mix. And, when you remove this frequency tones clear up and gain separation in you mix.

[gloryboxmusic]

Thanks mate, that was very helpful!

Can you do this without loosing dynamics in the mix.. I mean, will you not be able to hear that some sounds (e.g. a hihat) sounds strange and processed?

[KILOPOLKILO]

@ Gloryboxmusic да \ \ \ 1

[enerjex]

@gloryboxmusic He can hear something in the sound of the snare he doesn't like, this is an offending frequency. A different person may or may not like it the way it is. Basically he's just hearing something he doesn't like in it, and showing how to remove something that you don't like from a channel. The reason he's cut that particular frequency is because that's the frequency that the sound he doesn't like is located.

[soundgod08]

@gloryboxmusic Expanding on the excellent answer given by muzicali, offending frequencies are those not pleasurable to the ear. Don't be afraid to use EQ.

[thedome949]

Good basic eq'ing technique for beginners. Although in my opinion that snare sounded thin and shitty to begin with. If its me I'd be adding any where from 125hz to 250hz with a bit wider Q to fatten it up a bit. And I definitely would not be cutting any low mids on that snare. To each his own and it depends on what you're going for. I just hate thin snare sounds and then was even thinner after he EQ'd it.

[onedeep01]

Very good technique!

[jackbkiscool]

its all gibberish to me lol

[soundgod08]

Bad technique! A good way to give yourself ear fatigue though! Instead of boosting to find the right frequency to cut, set the frequency gain to -15 and then sweep to locate the frequency? Easier on the ears and much quicker.

[muzicali]

Yes, this is a good technique as well. And, it will be most effective for the more experienced mixer. Because, as a rule, it's easier to hear a frequency that's popping out at you rather than the other way around (especially for beginners). Plus, ear fatigue is caused by prolonged listening to harsh frequencies. Turning your speakers down (as I suggest in the video) and quickly sweeping with a boost to find a frequency should not be a prolonged exercise.

[soundgod08]

Ear fatigue is also caused by the prolonged listening to peaky narrow bandwidths, uneven frequency modulation and unmatched dynamics. Most Engineers today are more interested in the latest gadget than focusing on the source and pulling all the sweetness out of the dry modulation. I have frequently said that I would throw away an entire steer just to have the fillet mignon. The trick is to make the entire steer fillet. Then you can just wipe his ass and knock off the horns!

[SydFstyd]

fantastictically descriptive example....made me laugh outright :0)

[jorge616]

How do you know what frequency to look for in the first place???? Sorry Im a noob to this.

[AshleyBellamy]

This technique is also known as "boost and twist"

[soundgod08]

@AshleyBellamy Boost and twist is anequated! Use cut and twist instead.

[AshleyBellamy]

@soundgod08 I was reffering to what is being done here. And cut/twist is not an alternative to boost/twist - they serve two different purposes. For removing unwanted frequencys you boost/twist because the ear is more accurate to narrower bands when boosting. cut/twist is for wider less precise band correction.

[soundgod08]

@AshleyBellamy Boost & Set works best for graphic eq's. Cut & Twist works better for sweep & parametric. This technique allows you to work long hours in the studio without overstimulating your ears. If you are going to cut anyway, why do you need to hear the frequency boosted? Being redundant wastes valuable time.

[celestelear]

I love you people...

[muzicali]

Celeste! How the heck are you? When's your next gig? (We have several mutual friends here in LA, and we've met in passing at a couple of gigs.)  Funny to see your post here :-)

[pyroghost11]

how do I know which is the right frequency of a particular sound?

[PhatRecordsMusic]

Every sound has a set of harmonic frequencies.

Say the sound is a bass drum and the lowest frequency is 50Hz.. that would be known as the root frequency. Next frequency (2nd Harmonic) would be 100Hz (3rd Harmonic 150hz) and so on..

Basically double the "Root" frequency! to find the harmonics that you want to cut or boost.

[damondarkwalker]

There are charts and things you can look up online and print out to help you remember where most instruments fall along the spectrum. Another trick is to EQ something and turn the gain way up on a particular frequency, then move it back and forth along the range to see where it "hits" or "bottoms". It's a nice way to see where to cut something else so that your track sits nicely in the mix. It takes a lot of work to get good at mixing. Don't think you're going to get it overnight.

[soundgod08]

@pyroghost11 Pay less attention to the frequency in numbers and pay more attention to the clarity, flatness and pleasure to the ear. If something is fatiguing your ears, remove it with EQ. Don't just leave it there because you think it is needed.

[Whyrendog]

Also see David Gibson - The Art of Mixing. Real good and easy to understand mixing book.

[Sweeper5]

Yes indeed...Loved this vid. Easy to understand, clear demonstration.  Excellent!

[OhYeaIRemeber]

this helped a lot! but does anyone know what this program is called?

[DJRazUK01]

reason 4

[OhYeaIRemeber]

Thank you!

[damondarkwalker]

Reason needs to be used as a tool. It has some fun features, but once you get into pro plug-ins, you realize Reason's limits. Rewire that sucker into Pro Tools or Logic, then get yourself a good set of plug ins.

[djkrankhoff]

i use reason to make my synths and for some FX and i use FL to sequence export as wav then master in FL. because im brock this is the best i have... sofar..

[dariunas]

It depends...

I use Reason slaved to Sonar sometimes. But most of the time, for the music I do, my workflow can stay tight and fast by keeping inside the Reason environment. Rewiring is great, but keeping inside Reason has it's merits too. Rock solid stability for starters and rewards experimentation possibly more than any other audio production app...

Generally I can work faster in Reason, but Sonar's MIDI tools are hench! So I do some great stuff using Reason as a synth rack :)

[Flipstaxx08]

@damondarkwalker The word pro means shit. Theres producers in the game that still use Fruity loops..and their making millions of dollars. You dont need Vst's with reason..but you can always rewire..its not rocket science

[TripleTruthRuth]

terrible eqs, terrible compressors

rewire now before its too late reason users!

[djkrankhoff]

reason is fantastic you just have to work harder to get it to sound good(because reason has little presets and is much more precise.

[jaymitch23]

How come reason doesn't have a features where you can export all the tracks seperately into one location of your hard drive at once? Like, for example, Ableton Live 7, or 8.

[CynicEidolon]

You can do it in ProTools. You just have to set the outputs of Reason to the input buses in PT and hit record.

So, if you want redrum to go to one track and a synth on another, just direct the two racks pieces to different outputs in Reason.

[jonQuest82]

You can do that in Reason. . . at least in Reason 4 you can. Just route every instrument to the hardware device and take the audio into separate tracks on Live corresponding to that audio track. Not a problem.

[3wc]

how come everytime you speak the level of the other channel in reason goes up? theres no way you got an audio input in reason .....right

[Pirate454]

Nice work sir. Been using that trick for a while now, do you ever use the other Eq? whats the benefit of the other one? i dont really see the point. I think it can take in lower frequencies but i can't see any benefit to it at all!!

[muzicali]

Great questions everybody! Remember that there's a blog that goes with each of these videos. So, if you're only watching the vid you're only getting half the story.

[muzicali]

Since I can't seem to post a URL here . . . go to berkleemusic and click on the Blogs tab. I'm the Music Production blog.

[DrRZ1024]

You can put the url in the vid description, or as annotations in the vid.

[jaymitch23]

you dont have to turn the eq all the way up if you already know its loud! start from the bottom and and work your way up. for those who dont have trained ears, the first time he played the snare it had to much bass frequencies, so all he did was listened until it had a shine of brightness

[gomarcphil]

how is your live voice recorded in the reason mixer? did you pre record yourself?

[Captnuendo]

pre recorded and reason eqs suck bad

[jaymitch23]

i second that comment. There compressors are garbage too! I want to be able to hear a change in the effects, if they can do this, then i won't have to export all my tracks , "which takes forever."

[Captnuendo]

yea i know i have to rewire all my tracks into protools to use the real eq

s and comps *Ahem* waves..

[jamesacalderwood]

reverbs too

[trnx48]

when i found the right freqs that are instruments best frqs..so why sould i remove them and not boost them?these are the best not the worst..so you leave the worst freqs to be heard?or what?i am confused

[OfficialIntruder]

Can you show how u do this in FL???

[bivanski]

i still dont understand how he find tha freq.

" so is right about there"? why there? why not in the beginning...or some place else?

anyone???

[CynicEidolon]

Listen to the original take without the boosted gain... Find the part of the tone you don't like, then scope it out with the gain boosted. It's just finding the nasty part of the orginal tone that you didn't like. This technique is a good one.

[muzicali]

It's about using your ears to hear the tones in a signal that you want to cut or boost. This varies from signal to signal and from mix to mix. "It's right about there" refers to the tone I was hearing and finding annoying in the signal relative to the mix I was working on.

[bivanski]

i was thinking that we have to do it to remove the freqency that is bad for final mix and remove it to free up space for other instrument in mix.still don't get it...

[enzolanz84]

nice

[muzicali]

Yes, I sampled my voice over and loaded it into the NN-XT for playback. Reason, as you know, does not have an audio input. I did it this way in order to self-contain the voice over audio so that my students at Berkleemusic could download the demonstration song complete with the narration. Essentially, the movie you're seeing is simply the Reason song file being played back.

[oaza0]

how you can record your vocal in REASON ? WTF ?

[ascap5g]

How do you have your voice going into channel 2 of your mixer?

[WezBolton]

I was going to ask the same question. I assume this has been recorded via mic, then loaded into the sampler as a sample and then edited. Dunno.