5 Minutes To A Better Mix II: The Pain Frequency - TheRecordingRevolution.com

Part 13 of 31 - For whatever reason, so many mixers tend to boost this frequency a lot, creating harsh and painful mixes. Cutting a this frequency out on a lot of tracks can help tremendously.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• mixing
• mix
• EQ
• frequency
• plugins
• pro tools
• recording
• home studio
• tutorial
• tips

[JigglesMcPuff]

you've mad me realize, through all these tutorials, just how terrible i am at mixing... (and im very thankful for it)

[ilike600baud]

I've noticed on cheap older beringer mixers and cheap dbx compressor models, that 4k really stands out and causes a harsh fatiguing sound. A friend of mine kept calling it 'satans frequency'. Lol. Suddenly with a presonus mixer, it was no longer as much of a problem!

[PourAnotherIcepick]

One thing Graham, just out of interest of seeing if I'm analysing/studying other people's/bands mixes correctly, have you heard the most recent Chili Peppers album 'I'm With You'? I'm no pro but to me the mix on that album, specifically the drums and bass, sounds like an example of EQ being relentlessly boosted. Unfortunately I'd say it has taken from my enjoying of the music quite a bit (maybe this is an issue of the 'Loudness War'?)

[Ianuarius85]

What I've found is that frequencies 2700Hz-2900Hz are the most painful. It might be just my shitty speakers but that place just makes my ears bleed. When I cut it with a black hole the mix is a lot more pleasant to listen to. :)

[shantubesha]

this 0ne is the best 1 for me thanks

[apshinn]

You have some of the best and most well-explained audio tutorials on the web. Nice job!!!

[MisterNoHead]

This is a GREAT tip ... I was definitely guilty of this ... some harsh treble (especially on vocals, which I've limited skillz) that when removed makes the track more pleasing and less "painful" ... love this tip ... ;-)

[scotalianrocker]

Using a DeEsser on the guitars is better to tame the harshness. Cutting 2k out of the guitars make's them sound woolly somethimes. If you want to make space for vocals pan the guitars and free up the middle you don't have to EQ everything for the sake of getting 1 thing to sit right. (although you were just using this demonstrate your point) Why not copy the guitar track pan 1 left 1 right then use a HP on 1 and a LP on the other, find a nice cross over and you'll get more space for the vox

[Smurf431]

At times it is needed, wait until ya get a real jewel of a song to mix...

[Smurf431]

He don't speak for THIS subscriber!