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Twiddling EQ's on mixer (pg. 2)
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| Spin Doctor |
| On top of this, most good club systems will have racks and racks of graphic equalisers etc so they can specifically set up the sound system tailored to the environment of the club. It’s actually quite bewildering as to the range and extent of equipment that some clubs have in their set-up between the DJ and the audience. |
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| Dj Thy |
| I know, but in most clubs it's just a shame how bad they use all this gear. Except some clubs, the sound isn't really that great. Most clubs prefer to emphasize the low frequencies a lot, resulting the sound to drown in bass. But hey, they think that's why the crowd is coming for. |
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| aurora2 |
OK cool, these are all good and interesting suggestions/comments. I'm learning a lot here.
My mixer is a Numark 3channel DM3002X, don't know if this is supposed to be a good mixer or whether it is dodgy. Either way, I have the output going to a component amp and then to some rather large speakers.
I have also run the mixer into my computer and I am happily able to record keeping the levels just under 0db. I'm going to play around with the "line" outputs on the back of the mixer too, as someone said that this would probably give better quality..????
I've cut a few CD's of mixes and played them in my car (with approx 7 speaker setup + subs) and it doesn't over-drive the system, which must be a good thing...????
I will try the suggestions above...... :-) We'll see how it goes.
Keep the comments coming.. is the general consensus that you would put the incoming track's bass at approx 10am, bring slider to middle, crossfade bass to 2pm-ish at end of phase?
Cheers for all the help!!
Aurora2 |
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| Dj Thy |
There is no consensus about EQ use. It all depends on your own style and the tracks you are mixing. Each mix needs another twiddling.
Also I see most actual dj's think tweaking the EQ's is absolutely necessary. That's not the case. I would even be so crazy to claim that in fact you should be able to perform a good blend of tracks without even touching the EQ's (keep in mind guys like Carl Cox started of with mixers without EQ's). Look at the EQ's as a tool to either do tricks, or either make a smooth mix even smoother. Don't use EQ's as a cover for every mix, just because it's "a consensus" to use the knobs. |
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| jdat |
| quote: | Originally posted by aurora2
I've cut a few CD's of mixes and played them in my car (with approx 7 speaker setup + subs) and it doesn't over-drive the system, which must be a good thing...????
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if you haven't over driven ( aka saturated ) your system , then clap clap, that's already proof you're on a good track , but the second point ; you might not be achieving the maximum output your music could give , let me explain a little bit of "theorical" crap :
if you record something at let's say -4db well it won't sound the same at different volumes, cause some parts will be "faded" out due to the non linearity of the sound.
Solution : normalisation my man, easy,convenient, and must do thing will record audio or mastering tracks you've produced yourself.
Normalisation brings the sound to 0db hence the sound will be the same at any volume.
you can, and should, normalize your stuff with apps like soundforge wavelab, it's easy and you'll probably even notice a drastic improvment! |
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| jdat |
I don't get all this talk about eq ?
all djs use their eqs extensively and they should, unfortunately with the way you're talking about equeing is as if the only thing djs have to do was beatmatch have a decent eq and that's it, NO NO NO.
When you mix, first off change the eq constantly, for literally every track, be a maniac! One track to another has specific highs and lows that can only be compensated and enhanced with personnalized equeing
Second make the sound sweep! Equeing like a mad man is the key to a killer set!
Third , don't over eq, it can get annoying, and can cause saturation , oh and don't use it as a means to amplify your sound, which it will obviously do , but try leaving that task to the faders and crossfader.
Lastly learn to listen to the music with flat eqs, it can be a pleasure without you "polluting" a track on which thousands were spent on the producing and the mastering; tracks were made to sound one way without you distorting them.... and seize the importance of equeuing by seeing were it's really neeeded( audio system correction for example, but that's not your main goal , the overall system should be corrected with a dedicated eq, it might cost you some that you don't want to spend, be a pain for beginners to understand how to run and configure for each new hall, but it's a key component ( like mentionned earlier in the thread )
conclusion , the eq is for : enhancement, creation, and correction. To you the task of finding the middle key between all these points.
gotta love my sound engineering classes I've taken :) |
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| dj_inferno |
| I may ha have the bass plus 2 o clock if the bass is weak on that record but other then that everything is a @ 12 o clock... |
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| Nrg2Nfinit |
What I have been hearing mostly is all intresting.. but i agree with the fact that using the eq should be just considered as a tool for enhancement. There is no "right way" to dj.. it can be considered an art in a way.. use the tracks EQ to create a work, the work is the best way you feel it fit to represent the music you love /respect and or produce.
IMO
when i play my tracks i like to get the mids and treble really sounding in teh track. but depending on teh track it varies on to what i wish to accomplish in my set
usually i set my treble to around 3 ocklock, mid 2 ocklock and base to around 11:30 12:00... WAIT did someone say lunch time? lol
anyways so yeah also keep in mind what DamnDirtyApe said..
| quote: | Originally posted by DamnDirtyApe
There really isn't any point in having all of the EQ's in the + zone. All that does is make everything louder. Instead of +4 +3 +1, having +3 +2 +0 and turning up the volume slightly would have the same effect.
That said, turning up your mids is just plain crazy! :D |
so basically these are just fine adjusting nobs. if you want more leniacy keep your levels low but in porportion to the output you want to give.. always leave some slack so you can really crank it when you need to as well!!
Ive been only djaying for 3 months now and those who know alot just try and dumb it down with more tehical than theory.. cause that helps out. you gotta know what the machine does before you can take it to full power :)
"SPIN OUT!!!!!!" (junkfood junkies ) :crazy:
-Nrg2Nfinit |
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| jdat |
| quote: | Originally posted by Nrg2Nfinit
so basically these are just fine adjusting nobs. if you want more leniacy keep your levels low but in porportion to the output you want to give.. always leave some slack so you can really crank it when you need to as well!!
"SPIN OUT!!!!!!" (junkfood junkies ) :crazy:
-Nrg2Nfinit |
no offense, and I know that trance djs in general are more conscious , but I've always had the feeling DJs are the worst sound engineers ( it's all about the volume not the quality ! :( for a lot of them at least )
I see things that way cause I've been doing sound engineering ( mostly live bands etc ) for years and I know my stuff pretty well and when I see crappy djs trying to mix and saturating everything that pisses me off.
But don't worry that rarely applies to trance djs , you're all smarter then the stupid secular saturday night crappy commercial djs ..... |
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| Nrg2Nfinit |
so jdat, you say that volume amplifies the sound curve?
in that case do you suggest keeping the eq levels fairly high?
im sorry i dont get it :o
-Nrg2Nfinit |
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| Dj Thy |
| quote: | Originally posted by jdat
no offense, and I know that trance djs in general are more conscious , but I've always had the feeling DJs are the worst sound engineers ( it's all about the volume not the quality ! :( for a lot of them at least )
I see things that way cause I've been doing sound engineering ( mostly live bands etc ) for years and I know my stuff pretty well and when I see crappy djs trying to mix and saturating everything that pisses me off.
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Gotta agree on that one. How many times have I seen dj's pushing the mixer in the red zone (I've even seen one where the leds didn't even blink anymore) just thinking it will make it louder and more dynamic.
Studying for sound engineer also, and gotta admit it's only then you only start to listen to achieve maximum quality (stay near 0dB guys). Trance dj's are pretty careful about that, but I gotta say D&B dj's are even more. They can't really afford to saturate their sound with their kinda music.
One comment on normalisation though. The most important is the recording. If you set your recording levels well you don't need normalisation. If you recorded your set at low levels, normalisation will also boost the noise.
Besides there are two types of normalisation : peak and sustained. The names speak for themselves.
Believe me, starting with a good recording is essential. The less fiddling you have to do to make it sound good, the better. |
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| aurora2 |
Sweet, all this feedback is great!!
Regarding normalisation, if recording a mix to PC I will check that none of my tracks peak over 0db. This means that peaks in any of my waveforms are just about hitting 0db but not clipping.
Hopefully this is giving a decent quality recording. Certainally have no complaints when playing my CD's.. they sound pretty good.
I have adjusted my EQ's now, though at 12/12/12 it does sound a little flat, so I have it set to about 3pm treble, 1pm mid, 1pm bass... which sounds sweet.
I agree it's definitly better to EQ the sound out at the end of the line before it goes to air, as if you overdrive it from the mixer then there will be a distorted signal to work with later down the line.
Does it make a difference what type of music you are mixing as to how you'd twiddle the eq's to get a smooth mix? Ie with house are we looking to blend the basslines together and then gradually crossfade treble, or with hard house slam bass in etc?? I know there is no hard-and-fast rule about these things, as every dj style is different, as is every track.
The thing I found with my one of my earlier house mix CDs is that you can hear when I move the crossfader to the middle, as it has probably too much signal coming from both tracks = overdrive. This is where I was asking about a technique to twiddle eq's to keep the mix a bit smoother...
Keep it coming !! :-)
Aurora2 |
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