From an earlier post:

All a compressor does is turn down the volume when the signal going into it goes above the threshold. That's it. How fast it turns it down, how much it turns it down, and how quickly it turns the volume back up when the signal drops back below the threshold, all depend on the settings you use, but the only thing a compressor can truly be said to be doing is turning the volume down.

As a result of turning down the level during the loud parts and letting the quiet parts go through unchanged, the overall dynamic range of the instrument or piece of audio is reduced - it will be at a more consistent level.

Once the dynamic range has been reduced to a satisfactory level, the overall volume of the instrument/ piece of audio can be raised - thus the end effect of the compressor is a louder average signal. This is usually done to get an instrument sitting prominently and loudly in a mix.


EQs are quite different - they will boost or cut specific frequencies, regardless of the input level (in general - there are some which operate like compressors, but affecting only a specific frequency). But yes, overall EQs are used to improve/ shape sounds, readjust their frequency balance, all that stuff.

Good post.

EQing for Dummies

Audio Frequency Ranges

Side-Chaining Tutorial

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quote:

Originally posted by aquila

LOL!!!

I was asking questions like this but its hard mate everyone will try to help but also people will take the piss. How to make a tne some pro cant really be answered in here i dont think as there are so many ways and so many techniques. Above all of that it then comes down to personal preference some people hate over compressed sounds they say it wrecks the dynamic range. Tell that to a swedish house producer and he will laugh in your face. Overall I found that if your having to compress the shit out of things or eq them apart or do all of these things then you could have a problem with your mixing or indeed the samples/sounds you use.

Before i learned to mix a tune and to try to ick different enough sounds and position them right in eq and pan. I was using lots of compressors and still moaning my mixes sounded shit. Since i focused on miing (and went to university to study production) i rarely use them apart from to tighten freqs together for instance as multiband on a drum track. Turn everything down to zero in your song start with kick bring it up so its at the front of your mix then bring other things up relative. try panning leads pads etc a little to the left and right as you do this more freq space will ber available in opposite speaker etc. EQ a kick so its 150-200hz heavy and roll of low freqs, a sub bass so its 60hz heavy roll of high freqs it makes simple sense if you think.

But overall no amount of compressors that you possibly dont understand no offense or clever programs will make a bad conflicing mix bright and sparkly

Hope it helps pm me if you want any more

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Processing a highly structured and complex pattern of sensory input as a unified percept of "music" is probably one of the most elaborate features of the human brain.....understanding how music is perceived and how it may elicit intense sensations is far from being understood.

quote:

Originally posted by derail EQs are quite different - they will boost or cut specific frequencies, regardless of the input level (in general - there are some which operate like compressors, but affecting only a specific frequency). But yes, overall EQs are used to improve/ shape sounds, readjust their frequency balance, all that stuff.

In addition to the above post, it's better to cut only on a EQ. Getting more out of the sound than it really is (raising EQ) is not good and can lead to unwanted sounds. If i.e. the clarity of the sound isn't good enough, don't boost the EQ but look into the sound itself, try to change it at the source (in The Netherlands we have a saying which applies here: "It's better to prevent than to cure").

EQ is also usefull to prevent phase cancellations. If i.e. two sounds are in the same frequency range, it's possible that on sound phases out the other.

EQ is pretty hard to do. You are fastly inclined to overuse EQ. But remember this as a fistrule; if you have to EQ to much, the problem lays in the original sound.

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quote:

Originally posted by Theran In addition to the above post, it's better to cut only on a EQ. Getting more out of the sound than it really is (raising EQ) is not good and can lead to unwanted sounds. If i.e. the clarity of the sound isn't good enough, don't boost the EQ but look into the sound itself, try to change it at the source (in The Netherlands we have a saying which applies here: "It's better to prevent than to cure"). EQ is also usefull to prevent phase cancellations. If i.e. two sounds are in the same frequency range, it's possible that on sound phases out the other. EQ is pretty hard to do. You are fastly inclined to overuse EQ. But remember this as a fistrule; if you have to EQ to much, the problem lays in the original sound.

I boost sound all the time when i EQ.

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quote:

Originally posted by Theran In addition to the above post, it's better to cut only on a EQ. Getting more out of the sound than it really is (raising EQ) is not good and can lead to unwanted sounds. If i.e. the clarity of the sound isn't good enough, don't boost the EQ but look into the sound itself, try to change it at the source (in The Netherlands we have a saying which applies here: "It's better to prevent than to cure"). EQ is also usefull to prevent phase cancellations. If i.e. two sounds are in the same frequency range, it's possible that on sound phases out the other. EQ is pretty hard to do. You are fastly inclined to overuse EQ. But remember this as a fistrule; if you have to EQ to much, the problem lays in the original sound.

I boost sound all the time when i EQ. But it is more to change the sound. But like you are saying to add clarity look at the sound itself.

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From the mixing engineer's handbook: cut to make things sound better, boost to make things sound different.

Well thanx alot

Im gonna look into the tutorials, and everything you said, you guys are great!!

I couldn try a lot untill now, but i looked into the "bass panning" so the beat would become "free" at some point of the panning: works great!! thank you for that!!