quote:

Originally posted by smakmagik I absolutely haven't a clue how to EQ my tracks. All I do is make each sound louder or more distorted for it to be heard. Take for example this track I'm working on, [[ LINK REMOVED ]] Bass empowers the whole track, and loops and hats are just all messy ruining the effect of the track. What are some of the basic EQ'ing techniques I can use to level all the sounds and still keep it listenable. This is probably my weakest production skill and I'm really intent on getting it right. Any help would be appreciated.

hmmm.............where do i begin really!

ill keep it short.

i recommend eq'ing your channels individually to get your desired sound, then basically you need to work with the channel volumes so they dont over power each other.

but on top of this there are loads of other things to consider, like removing unwanted frequencies and cutting frequencies from the mix, for example, getting rid of the high end frequencies on your bass. you also might want to consider researching into compression a bit more.

and when mastering, remember, as a general guideline it is better to lower a frequency band then to boost it.

oh...and absolutely no clipping

basic help there, but check out other threads and run some searches, there is lots more advice in here than i could ever offer, but i hope this helps

Acton

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1. highpass/lowpass any freq's which are not essential to the sounds
2. highpass/lowpass any sounds you don't want. Examples:
-- Bass below 50hz
-- Entire mix below 20hz
-- Sub bass (layer) above 150-200hz
-- Shit freq's on a sample
3. listen to your song and how the channels interact. are two instruments fighting for the same frequency range? if so, boost/cut at that frequency to make the instrument stand out more or less.

parts 1 and 2 are piss easy. part 3 requires you to have a good ear and be very objective. imo, best tactic is to finish a song and do steps 1 and 2, then wait a full week without listening to the song at all. then sit down and mix it in one go.

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Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox I've never had a problem with FLs tech support till this day. (I've actually never used it till this day)

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Originally posted by floyd741 i think echosystm is a pretty cool guy. eh pwns robby rox and doesn't afraid of anything.

I haven't listened to the sample, but well before you get into eqing:

1) Choose sounds that work quite well with each other, before any extra eqing is done to them.

2) Get the levels of each instrument sitting right in the mix. Always make sure the level is right before reaching for an eq.

If you've done that, the mix should be listenable before you start getting into eqing and will also mean you don't have to eq anywhere near as much.

Then you can use eqs to cut out parts of certain instruments which you don't want. For a lot of instruments, that will mean removing a certain amount of low frequency content, to leave space for the kick and bass to operate cleanly down there. It may mean cutting back on a band of frequencies in a pad sound because it's a bit boomy. It may mean cutting the highs out of a bass because you're after a smooth bass sound without any presence. It totally depends on the situation and sounds.

In general - do a lot of listening, take notes, compare your tracks to your favourite tracks you like the sound of, so you are aware of the instrument levels and can set them appropriately in your own tracks. There's no quick and easy way - as you listen more, take more notes, make improvements, and so on, your ears will be able to hear more and more. With experience, it'll be like your ears are a hundred times bigger and process everything that's going on, even though the sound coming in hasn't changed. Stick with it, improve every day and know you'll get there in the end. It's frustrating now, it'll be frustrating for some time to come but if you love music enough then you'll get past that and get where you want to be.

If the sounds you select in first place are good, you can get away with subtle EQ'in.

Don't try and look for best sounds, they don't exist. Try and search for good sounds and make them better by tweaking.

Just remember one thing : LESS IS MORE.

A good trick for EQing is to use a spectrum analyzer! You can make a sound much more harmonically complex by lowering the peaks of a sound. By lowering the most dominant frequencies you are allowing the harmonics to have more precense.

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Originally posted by funkysouls Just remember one thing : LESS IS MORE.

Thank u for saying that. U just saved my day.

quote:

A good trick for EQing is to use a spectrum analyzer! You can make a sound much more harmonically complex by lowering the peaks of a sound. By lowering the most dominant frequencies you are allowing the harmonics to have more precense.

Also a good tip. Thnx.

quote:

Originally posted by Dj Nacht A good trick for EQing is to use a spectrum analyzer! You can make a sound much more harmonically complex by lowering the peaks of a sound. By lowering the most dominant frequencies you are allowing the harmonics to have more precense.

If doing this, find the frequency using your eyes, but then close your eyes and listen to what effect it's having. With a lot of sounds, if you turn down the note the instrument is playing (which is where the predominant frequency will generally be) it'll dull down the sound immensely/ negatively impact the sound. Yes, it's a valid technique, but make sure you're listening to what you're doing and not just looking at the analyser. Analysers are incredibly handy tools but they can also be misused drastically.

quote:

Originally posted by funkysouls LESS IS MORE.

dont eq for the sake of it.....

and when mastering, remember, as a general guideline it is better to lower a frequency band then to boost it.

Acton

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good call mate

try making a track using no eq at all. choose sounds that work together without any eq adjustment. once you can get a track sounding right this way, you will understand what is needed to make certain sounds work with one another. some of the best tracks i know have that un-eq'd sound. they have a rawness that is lost when loads of eq vst's get thrown over every part. sure, they could be made more engineered, but then they lose their feel.

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