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Which is more favorable?
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| cl0ckw3rk |
| EQ'ing as you go along and add elements in, or saving EQ/compression until you've got a song skeleton at least? I keep getting distracted by the possibilities of EQ and it makes me lose focus quickly.. |
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| Zombie0729 |
| i usually only eq in the beginning if its a distraction. like if the bass is mudding out the kick or vise versa, i'll do a quick eq just so i can continue on. but if you watch any major rock/band producers they don't do any eq work until the mix stage. so technically you should be able to get most of it done with out too much of any eq early on |
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| azndragon0613 |
| IMO, I think it's best to eq/compress the best you can as you go along. As long as you know what you are doing, you save yourself a lot of time in the mastering stage because you've been mastering all the way through. Plus if something doesn't sound right in the mix and you attempt to build stuff over it, it could lead to more problematic equalizing with the new instruments. I'd make it a good habit because the cleaner you get things going in the beginning, the cleaner it is at the end. My two cents. |
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| RIPassion |
I disagree with what's implied in the previous post; it really depends upon what kind of eqing you're doing and the situation in which you're doing it (a nice, vague answer). Musical eqing isn't technical eqing as the goal is different. By musical eqing I mean using eq as a creative tool to shape a sound before it's ever put into a mix. Technical eqing is ANY kind of eqing that happens once something is put into the mix.
That said, if you eq as you go along as most of us naturally desire to do - "get that track sounding good asap!" - you run the risk of falling into the trap of a poor mixing engineer: thinking you can throw whatever sound you want into your mix and eq it to make it fit. But you can't shove a square peg through a round hole.
If you're screwing around on a synthesizer and you realize you've created a sweet patch, but the sound needs finalizing by boosting the 7000 kHz area, then go for it. That eq is part of the sound design, not the mixing. If, however, you're making a nice acid line to go with your track, but it's really heavily conflicting with the pad that you cannot remove, your initial reaction should not be "aha! easily solved" as you tamper with both eqs in an attempt to shove a round the square peg through the round hole.
That's why the latter scenario, technical eqing, should be left until the end. The most important part of creating a solid track is choosing a good mix of sounds in the first place. In the same way you obviously never choose a kick and bass patch with an identical and powerful fundamental and play them together on every beat, you should almost never squeeze a sound into a mix that just isn't meant to be there. If you can make a good mix without eqing at all, just think about how it great it could be with some eq to polish it off :)
As an experiment, try to write a mini-song or make a loop without using any eq at all. That's right, none. It's surprisingly hard once you add a certain number of elements. But don't stop until you're satisfied with your creation. Then, when it sounds a like a great mix, try adding a little eq where it may apply, and see what happens. If done correctly, it should become what they call "transparent," a wonderful feeling.
But there are always exceptions, and tons of them in this case. You have to find what works for you, knowing that it highly depends on how much you know you want in your music. While it's easiest to mix a track if you have the entire thing written before you lay the first sound down, that obviously doesn't always happen. You may want to lay down a groove to get you thinking. In that situation, you might produce your track in phases, and you'll use technical eq editing after some steps along the way. If I were making a club-style track, the first mix phase might be to fit the kick with the bass, to get them really grooving hard so I can help boost the creative process while adding elements to the rest of the track.
That said, it's much, much easier said than done. Without a doubt, my absolute biggest problem is this one, that I have trouble knowing when a sound just isn't going to work. Most of the time I "know" it after a few seconds, but it's like I have a serious problem admitting it to myself. If you find that happens to you, eq can be your worst enemy. You can hear the eq calling out to you, comforting you - "heyyy... I like your sound... it's a good sound... let me help you make it fit... I'll slip it in there nice and easy." :eyes:
In my experience it's much better to ignore the eq as much as possible when you're amassing your set of sounds. The best way to avoid it is to get into sound design so you can have complete control over your stuff, and you can make sounds that complement each other naturally - without eq. |
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| azndragon0613 |
| I guess RIPassion clarified up some ambiguities in my post. I was heading more in the EQ for sound design direction. But, don't you ever consider it sloppy to have overlapping or conflicting sounds and ignoring it until the end? What if it really doesn't work in the end? How are you going to find a substitute or replacement? It's like building a house. You want your foundations to be placed well so that any adjustments come easier along the way. You sure as hell wouldn't be taking out 2x4s from the wall when the house is already built would you? |
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| Ry Thomas |
| I EQ as i go, it defo makes the mixdown a whole lot easier, as is writing/arrangement |
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| psymon.d |
| eq as i go for sure....if not, the track quickly snowballs into something more unmanageable....eqing as you go can actually shape your track in a different way unlike doing it once several elements are set imo |
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| Chronosis |
| In our way of making music trough 2 speakers, we kind of have to eq as we go. It can be bad or a good thing. |
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| Existo22 |
| quote: | Originally posted by cl0ckw3rk
EQ'ing as you go along and add elements in, or saving EQ/compression until you've got a song skeleton at least? I keep getting distracted by the possibilities of EQ and it makes me lose focus quickly.. |
No Eq as I go along. Maybe bit of shelving on reason. No serious eqing though.
I don't eq at all till I get the whole track down.
If I like what I hear I proceed. If not I don't.
This is why I use reason to produce and logic to track and mix.
Here is my logic behind this:
Every track added completely changes the dynamics off the mix.
This is why it is very important to adjust after you have all your tracks there.
Cheers :) |
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