17
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bandwidth is also useful in boosting pleasant tones of an instrument such as
the attack. Take for instance, a kick drum. A kick drum resonates somewhere
between 60 to 125 Hz, but the attack of the kick drum is much higher at 2 to
5 kHz. By setting a narrow bandwidth and boosting the attack a bit, you can
achieve a punchier kick drum without overpowering the rest of the mix.
A broad bandwidth accentuates or attenuates a larger band of frequencies. The
broad and narrow bandwidths (high and low Q) are usually used in conjunction
with one another to achieve the desired effect. Let’s look at our kick drum again.
We have a kick drum that has a great, big, low-end sound centered around 100
Hz and an attack hitting almost dead-on at 4 kHz. In this example, you would
use a broad bandwidth in the low frequency band, centered at 100 Hz, and a
narrow bandwidth boosted at 4 kHz. In this way you are accentuating the best
and downplaying everything else this particular kick drum has to offer.
Shelving EQ
A shelving EQ attenuates or boost frequencies above or below a specified cutoff
point. Shelving equalizers come in two different varieties: high-pass and low-pass.
Low-pass shelving filters pass all frequencies below the specified
cutoff frequency while attenuating all the frequencies above it. A
high-pass filter does the opposite: passing all frequencies above the
specified cut-off frequency while attenuating everything below.
3.2.2
Equalization Settings: How to Find the Best and Leave the Rest
How do you find the best and worst each instrument has to offer and
adjust their frequency content accordingly? Here’s a quick guide:
•
First, solo just the instrument with which you are working. Most engineers start
building their mix with the drums and work from the bottom up (kick, snare,
toms, hi-hat, overheads). Each instrument resonates primarily in a specific
frequency band, so if you are working on your kick-drum mic, start with the
lowest band of the EQ. Tune in the best-sounding low end and move on to the
attack. It is not uncommon to hear an annoying ringing or a “twang” mixed
in with your amazing-sounding low end and perfect attack, so your next
task will be to find that offending frequency and notch it out. Once you are
satisfied with your kick drum, mute it, and move on to the next instrument.
•
Taking your time with equalization is well worth the effort.
Your mix will have better separation and more clarity.
Additional advice:
•
You can only do so much. Not every instrument can or should
have a full, rich low end and a sharp attack. If every instrument is
EQ’d to have the same effect, it will lose its identity in the mix. Your
goal is not individual perfection, it is perfection in unity.
•
Step away from the mix. Your ears get fatigued, just like the rest
of you. If you are working particularly hard on one instrument, your
ears will be quite literally numbed to that frequency range.
Equalizers 3.2
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