Adjusting Equalizer Controls
KQ30 Equalizer Technical Manual
Version 1.0
January 1, 2002 Page 18
+6
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
20 40 63 100 156 250 400 635 1K 1.6K 2.5K 4K 6.4K 10K 16K
31.5 50 80 126 200 320 500 800 1.27K 2K 3.2K 5K 8K 12.8K 20K
Audio Leap RTA Unit
Real Time Spectrum Analyzer
Beer/Whiskey
Dot/Bar
Fast/Slow
Average
Freeze
+6
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
20 40 63 100 156 250 400 635 1K 1.6K 2.5K 4K 6.4K 10K 16K
31.5 50 80 126 200 320 500 800 1.27K 2K 3.2K 5K 8K 12.8K 20K
Audio Leap RTA Unit
Real Time Spectrum Analyzer
Beer/Whiskey
Dot/Bar
Fast/Slow
Average
Freeze
Fig. 1 your response curve
Fig. 2 your friend’s response curve
+6
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
20 40 63 100 156 250 400 635 1K 1.6K 2.5K 4K 6.4K 10K 16K
31.5 50 80 126 200 320 500 800 1.27K 2K 3.2K 5K 8K 12.8K 20K
Audio Leap RTA Unit
Real Time Spectrum Analyzer
Beer/Whiskey
Dot/Bar
Fast/Slow
Average
Freeze
Fig. 3
The overall shape of the curve is not as
important as keeping each band within 3
dB of those around it. You may like a real
bass heavy sound while your friend does
not. So you both can have smooth
response curves that look different
because they are based on how you like it
to sound. (Fig. 1 & Fig. 2)
Neither curve is more right, it just
depends on what you like the sound of.
The one thing you do notice is that each
1/3 octave band is within 3 dB (3 dots) of
the next band.
So what does a bad curve look like?
Check out Figure 3. Notice how 31.5 Hz is
4 dB (Each dot represents 1 dB) below 40
Hz. See where 80 Hz is 4 dB above 63 Hz.
How about that killer 4 dB spike at 250
Hz. The yodeling 5 dB valley at 3.2 kHz.
That beautiful 4 dB high end slide off at
20 kHz. These are the problem areas in
the curve that need to be corrected.
Your first step should be to always
equalize out the peaks by turning the
required controls down at or near that
frequency. Next you would try to bring
up the valleys by boosting in those areas
or cutting around them. Your end result
is to keep the sound you like but smooth
out all the response curve so that from
any one 1/3 octave band to the next
there is no more than a 3 dB variation.
So if you start with Figure 3 you want
to end up looking more like Figure 1 or
Figure 2. Not necessarily the same curve
but a smooth transition from band to
band.
