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EQ mixing what's there to it?
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| DjSway |
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. |
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| Zild |
| 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. |
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| Alex |
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 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. |
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| Tony Morello |
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 |
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| nefardec |
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 |
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| 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. |
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| DjSway |
| Thanks guys, you're all pros!!;) |
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| Allied Nations |
| 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! |
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| Andryuha |
| quote: | Originally posted by Ryan0751
All good advice... but I think the best advice is:
USE YOUR CHANNEL FADERS
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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. |
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| Ryan0751 |
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. |
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| Allied Nations |
| 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 ed 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- |
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| Alex |
Some guy on here posted a video of him using the crossfader on those ty dual-cd player all in one thingies.
Well he was flanging and crossfading and his mixing was pretty damn tight! |
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