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Just thought I'd share this problem that I just got over,

I'd always seen things about instruments having their "body" of frequencies that they live in, and thought that those were the only places those frequencies could survive in. I would cut all my kicks off at 200, cut my snares below 200 and above 15k, hi hats below 13k, pads outside of the 600-7k range and so on and so on.. Yesterday, however, it kinda clicked for me that this was not the way this works. I went back through one of my better arranged tracks, and bypassed all my EQ's and my track instantly sounded fuller and better overall. I mean I still needed to make some necessary cuts, but nothing drastic like before.

Has anyone else gone through something similar to this? I figured maybe this info could help out some other beginner that is going through this problem. Thoughts?

It really depends track to track. A lot of people just cut according to a set way, but it changes greatly depending on the sounds in the track. EQing should always be done according to need. sometimes a channel needs nothing according to what the rest of the song needs. I did the same thing you did when I first got into EQing. I have a good number of weird sounding songs to prove it hahaha

Same thing happened to me about a month ago. Now I only eq shit if I can pinpoint an issue.

Pragmatism > Idealism or use your ears.

Yeah many people overdo it way way way too much. Not everything needs EQ!
Why did you pick those sounds if you're going to just cut out all the power?? Redundant really. Over-EQing is the easiest way to kill a sound, especially something like a nice fat pad.

I tend to only cut where it's absolutely needed. Cutting a kick at 200hz sounds like crazy talk man. 60-80hz maybe, but a gentle roll off not a drastic cut.

All of these techniques like EQ'ing, compression, sidechaining, filtering etc. are not mandatory and are not set in strict guidelines.

Use them when you feel that they would be a useful tool in that particular situation.

Let your ears dictate what you need to do.

generely i hipass everything

travis baker wrote:generely i hipass everything

this makes sense at like 80-120hz or so depending on where your subbass sits, for headroom. but a lot of life in a 'real' kick drum is in the 500-1500k range for instance.

Ha sounds like what I did when I first got into producing, highpass everything cut the mids and boost the high's to make everything sound clearer, yes it did but I always wondered why my tracks sounded so weak

I never do things by default anymore, if something needs a cut or a high-pass then I'll do it, if not then I let things be

I played a live set in a club recently and after the soundcheck the sound engineer asked me to low cut everything under 35hz(only sub bass riding down round there a couple of times). At first I was like, what's the point, 1. if the speakers can go that low at least people will feel it, 2. if they can't go that low, then no harm done anyway?

Soon as I highpassed it all, everything sounded more punchy , could be pushed louder and we didn't lose any sub. My guess is that although the speakers can't physically go that low, they don't stop from trying, thus muddying the entire sound. It's something I almost always do for studio compositions, but was thinking any club with subs, would handle at least down to there.

yes pete. one of the most important things is lowcutting everything. even the sub (i don't cut the bass though. i leave it to the mastering engeneers when i get it cut).

you gain loooaaads of energy and headroom.

You're at a generally acknowledged stage of development.

Eq is a powerful tool though. In my opinion, almost all sounds need eq to a certain extent. Maybe not pure or simple synth sounds. But with most samples, recorded sounds there are elements of the sound that could either be cut or boosted, A BIT. There is the trick - not just locating what sounds bad, or clashes with the rest of the mix, but by how much to attenuate that range.

Also working with a quality eq doesn't hurt, either.

vulvavibration wrote:yes pete. one of the most important things is lowcutting everything. even the sub (i don't cut the bass though. i leave it to the mastering engeneers when i get it cut).

you gain loooaaads of energy and headroom.

yeah I used to leave everything up to the engineer also. It hit me that on headphones or even on my monitors at home, because of positioning, room acoustics, or limited power. I just wasn't picking up on this especially as I always uses loads of sub in my tracks. I should pay more attention and make sure everything in my live sets (things not mastered) have these principles applied.

I think I had the same issue. I think it's a good way to learn though. Really over the top L/B/H-passing is a good way to see the benefit of putting elements in their own frequency range, and how they fit together, but it's just as lifeless as a cluttered mix.

I had the same realisation about a week ago, I used to cut my kicks so they wouldnt interfere with the snare,
Then it kinda dawned on me that neither one would be played at the same time
I felt like a right idiot

Mexztah wrote:I had the same realisation about a week ago, I used to cut my kicks so they wouldnt interfere with the snare,
Then it kinda dawned on me that neither one would be played at the same time
I felt like a right idiot

I'm pretty sure we've all been there, whether we're going to admit it or not

mortiflux wrote:

Mexztah wrote:I had the same realisation about a week ago, I used to cut my kicks so they wouldnt interfere with the snare,
Then it kinda dawned on me that neither one would be played at the same time
I felt like a right idiot

I'm pretty sure we've all been there, whether we're going to admit it or not

Haha, I havent, 'cus I tought about why the fok I'd do it before I did it, rofl.
Generally, in my tracks, I'll have an EQ on most things, but that's 'cus I really like layering lots of shit at once, and need it.

I only eq stuff when I feel like it needs it

Mexztah wrote:I had the same realisation about a week ago, I used to cut my kicks so they wouldnt interfere with the snare,
Then it kinda dawned on me that neither one would be played at the same time
I felt like a right idiot

Hahaha! I read some thread on here that said to do it.. So I figured I would.

I've done it a few times, but then I figured it isn't really necessary.. Unless you are going to have the Kick hitting when the Snare hits (Which in my latest track is the case) So I guess it can be useful! But as a guideline, not a rule.

This thread has brought me to the realization that I maybe have been following rules, and cutting when not really needed.. Sometimes I'm just afraid to use my ears because of my shit speakers :/ But oh well, I'll still change my ways a bit.



Also, @AxeD --- I love your Signature for some reason.. O_o

i think i need to listen to this advice - i get so hung up on low pass/high passing everything too much and cutting stuff. and tbh it makes your mix sound weak as fuck if you overdo it!