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EQ mixing what's there to it?

Ok so I need to improve my eq mixing skills. Besides transitioning the bass and the high.

What else are you supposed to do? I know that every song is different but so far I've done ok just messing the bass and the highs.

A tip I have is not to overuse your EQs. Cut don't boost. Use them to maintain your gain structure. Use them for effect, but tastefully and subtly.

In a usual straightforward mix I sort of use my eq's like filters, well I use ableton so I do just use filters, 2 on each channel, anywho...

once I'm ready to EQ my shit I am thinking of two things:

1) How much to supress the bass of the incoming track
2) How much to supress the hi-hats/snares/shakers of the incoming track

Most DJs worry 99% about the bass, but mismatched, or overpowering "highs" can be just as lethal to a transition.


But just for kicks lets start with the bass:

I cannot insist upon how much you need to know your tunes, you NEED to whore those bad boys in your cans day in day out until your ear begins to recognize a truly beastly bassline vs a subtler one.

So when eq'ing basslines you have a few options, depending on how dramatic you want to be.

If the track you're mixing into is just a straightforward "changes every 8 bars, significantly every 32 bars" type tune, I suggest for the most part a quick cut bassline switch, which Im sure you're aware of.

If the tune you're mixing into sort of spends the first 32 bars or 64 bars "building up" with it's bass, perhaps you'd like to slowly fade out the bass of your other tune, in time with the other track's building bass.


Those are two examples I can think of anyway, now onto highs...


What I like to do is take the edge off my highs with the incoming track because if you have conflicting hi-hats/snares/shakers it can almost sound like your beatmatch is off, which is insulting given the amount of time you may have spent syncing those two tunes.

My suggestion is to turn down your "hi" knob ever so slightly (well depending on your mixer) so that while the hi-hats/snares/shakers can still be heard, they aren't blatently taking over the transition and slapping people in the face. Also for the most part I suggest switchinbg basslines FIRST, then dealing with the highs rather sharply afterwards, of course switching the highs IN TIME, is essential seeing as how if you've correctly phrased your tunes you can often drown out the previous track's highs with your eq's as you bring in the highs from your incoming tune, I suppose I've just taken the basics of basslines and made a less dramatic version for the highs.




Again, know your tunes, if two tunes seem very compatible but everytime you try to mix them together you have blatent perc/highs/hi-hats/snare/shaker clashes, these tunes are as incompatible as a rap song and a celtic jingle

As for the highs though, I usually do not encounter many difficulties with I'd say 90% of my tunes, every so often though there's a slip up and it can sound quite poop-like.

eqing takes time and practice

you have to develop your ear for what sounds good and what sounds like crap

if it sounds like crap stop doing it, if it sounds good continue on your way

it's also up to style. i happen to like to use eqing to create more complex drum patterns in a mix or to add subtle rhythm to a slow breakdown. in that regard i generally tend to worry more about adjusting the lows, since the highs seem to get submerged in the mix more easily and I control them more with the upfader action then, if i want to let them 'surface'. for me eq is a game of adjusting the dominance of similar components in various tracks.

agreed with the highs sticking out in a mix. usually though i work through this not by supressing the highs but by keeping the entire track underneath the mix until the right event inspires me to let it bubble up

it really gets fun, alchemical almost, when you hit the right blend where the sound transforms, or the rhythm is interpreted differently.

sometimes i like to experiment with mixing syncopated tracks on the offbeat and eqing over breakdowns to manipulate the phase

All good advice... but I think the best advice is:

USE YOUR CHANNEL FADERS

This is clearly easier with a rotary mixer, but just using careful volume control is really all you need to avoid clashes.

From there you can use EQ's in nice subtle ways, and you'll be a better person for it.

Thanks guys, you're all pros!!

quote:

Originally posted by Ryan0751 All good advice... but I think the best advice is: USE YOUR CHANNEL FADERS This is clearly easier with a rotary mixer, but just using careful volume control is really all you need to avoid clashes. From there you can use EQ's in nice subtle ways, and you'll be a better person for it.

Well said!

quote:

Originally posted by Ryan0751 All good advice... but I think the best advice is: USE YOUR CHANNEL FADERS

Does anybody even use the crossfader for trance? I'm a newbie, but I found that it's much easier to control things, using channel faders. That also teaches you to multi-task better, which is essential.

I hope not...

quote:

Originally posted by Andryuha Does anybody even use the crossfader for trance? I'm a newbie, but I found that it's much easier to control things, using channel faders. That also teaches you to multi-task better, which is essential.

quote:

Originally posted by Andryuha Does anybody even use the crossfader for trance? I'm a newbie, but I found that it's much easier to control things, using channel faders. That also teaches you to multi-task better, which is essential.

For a looong period of time both the faders on my mixer were fucked so I had to do all my mixing with the crossfader... It can definitely be useful and does the same thing faders do, just differently with a different curve-

Some guy on here posted a video of him using the crossfader on those shitty dual-cd player all in one thingies.

Well he was flanging and crossfading and his mixing was pretty damn tight!

I'm glad somebody has asked this question, I'm also in the same boat really getting EQ'ing down correctly. Should I be looking at EQ'ing the same way as beatmatching? What I mean by that is, do I want to be cutting/increasing gain on low/mid/highs every 4 bars? Or can I just slowly increase/decrease throughout the transition? What's the general rule of thumb, concerning this?

Thanks for the help.

There isn't really any rules... as long as it sounds good.

Usually if you are doing a quick "switch" or something it will sound more musical to do it on phrase.

quote:

Originally posted by cmay119 I'm glad somebody has asked this question, I'm also in the same boat really getting EQ'ing down correctly. Should I be looking at EQ'ing the same way as beatmatching? What I mean by that is, do I want to be cutting/increasing gain on low/mid/highs every 4 bars? Or can I just slowly increase/decrease throughout the transition? What's the general rule of thumb, concerning this? Thanks for the help.

quote:

do I want to be cutting/increasing gain on low/mid/highs every 4 bars? Or can I just slowly increase/decrease throughout the transition? What's the general rule of thumb, concerning this?

lol you are going to sound pretty boring if this is how you think

that's like telling a saxophone player to only blow exactly with 2 atm of pressure against the reed when the music tells them 'piano'...

quote:

There isn't really any rules... as long as it sounds good.

what he says ^ in general just try to imagine you are a musician and be expressive.

if you are an obnoxious person, then it will probably come out in your eqing. i don't have to like it, but just be yourself and practice with what you like to hear what more needs to be said? you already understand that eqing on phrase and on events is a different operation than slowly manipulating a band over time - so that's all you need to know. some anal retentive and bored deejays like to constantly fiddle with tiny warbling effects on breakdowns, etc

either you use eqing in such a way that it is not heard explicitly but makes the mix smoother, or you make a point of eqing, because sometimes it can make a crowd wild, but just don't be half assed about it - make it a coherent musical expression, you know?

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec lol you are going to sound pretty boring if this is how you think that's like telling a saxophone player to only blow exactly with 2 atm of pressure against the reed when the music tells them 'piano'... what he says ^ in general just try to imagine you are a musician and be expressive. if you are an obnoxious person, then it will probably come out in your eqing. i don't have to like it, but just be yourself and practice with what you like to hear what more needs to be said? you already understand that eqing on phrase and on events is a different operation than slowly manipulating a band over time - so that's all you need to know. some anal retentive and bored deejays like to constantly fiddle with tiny warbling effects on breakdowns, etc either you use eqing in such a way that it is not heard explicitly but makes the mix smoother, or you make a point of eqing, because sometimes it can make a crowd wild, but just don't be half assed about it - make it a coherent musical expression, you know?

Definately, thanks for the help. Yeah, I've only been DJ'ing for about 5 months, and so far I've gotten beat matching/phrasing down pretty well, however, my recorded mixes still sounded like somebody beating a mule because of poor EQ'ing/volume control. Just wanted to know the best way to smoothly transition between tracks almost 'covertly', meaning not knowing when the new track starts to the previous tracks end.

Also, remember that not all mixes need to be smooth transitions - personally I love it when a track kicks in with some force

I agree. Nothing gets me dancing like a mix I can really HEAR. At the same time who doesn't love smooth mixing from the likes of Digweed or Desyn etc... a place for everything I guess.

Haha Dan, Thanks for being on my wavelength man. Desyn was the exact DJ I was thinking of when trying to describe the 'Covert' Mix.

bottom line... u have got the theory, or at least with the posts above u should have now... so it's time for u to practise and experiment with diff tracks and maybe diff styles... finding something u like n keep at it. i too have only got round to learning eqing, makes a mix sound so much cleaner and tidier. less likely to have problems with ur levels too .

I'd just say, cut freqs on the track that deserves the least attention. If mids are conflicting, turn track A down a bit (enough for the mix to sound clean) if it's track B you want them to hear . In the end it's just practise as has already been posted. Just try it

Hey, I've been Djing since like 1 month and I got my EQing skillz like in 1 day! Is it that I just played so much with traktor that I just got good or is it that I suck without knowing it? I mean EQing to me is the simpliest thing in the world

quote:

Originally posted by agentdansmith Also, remember that not all mixes need to be smooth transitions - personally I love it when a track kicks in with some force

yes, i love it when armin drops the right track at exactly the right time. sometimes mixing isnt even needed....

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller I'd just say, cut freqs on the track that deserves the least attention. If mids are conflicting, turn track A down a bit (enough for the mix to sound clean) if it's track B you want them to hear . In the end it's just practise as has already been posted. Just try it

i hate when mids conflict!!!! imo its the worst thing that can happen during a mix... (besides equip failure)

there is no RIGHT way of doing it. there is a RIGHT way of sounding your mix and thats what you should go after.

everyone has their trick to good eqing. i never use a crossfader.

my way of doing it is to turn down the bass, mid, and treble of the incoming track. first thing i raise is the treble. little by little i start raising the mid and the treble. the latest technique that i use is to raise the treble of the incoming track while turning off the mid on the fading track (if you do this with the right amount of twists, it will really sound good and unnoticeable).

the most important and best way to improve eqing is knowing your songs. know what effects they have, how they are structured, etc...

if you know an effect is coming on the oncoming track, use it for ur advantage. a good transition doesnt have to be long, it just has to sound good. it could be short, it could be instant, or else a long looping style.

good luck

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