9
Mixer Basics
Making the Most of Your Mixer
MG124CX/MG124C Owner’s Manual
To EQ or Not to EQ
In general: less is better. There are many situations in which you’ll need to cut certain frequency ranges, but
use boost sparingly, and with caution. Proper use of EQ can eliminate interference between instruments in a
mix and give the overall sound better definition. Bad EQ—and most commonly bad boost—just sounds terrible.
Cut for a Cleaner Mix
For example: cymbals have a lot of energy in the mid
and low frequency ranges that you don’t really perceive
as musical sound, but which can interfere with the clarity
of other instruments in these ranges. You can basically
turn the low EQ on cymbal channels all the way down
without changing the way they sound in the mix. You’ll
hear the difference, however, in the way the mix sounds
more “spacious,” and instruments in the lower ranges will
have better definition. Surprisingly enough, piano also
has an incredibly powerful low end that can benefit from
a bit of low-frequency roll-off to let other instruments—
notably drums and bass—do their jobs more effectively.
Naturally you won’t want to do this if the piano is playing
solo.
The reverse applies to kick drums and bass guitars: you
can often roll off the high end to create more space in the
mix without compromising the character of the
instruments. You’ll have to use your ears, though,
because each instrument is different and sometimes
you’ll want the “snap” of a bass guitar, for example, to
come through.
Boost with Caution
If you’re trying to create special or unusual effects,
go ahead and boost away as much as you like.
But if you’re just trying to achieve a good-
sounding mix, boost only in very small increments.
A tiny boost in the midrange can give vocals more
presence, or a touch of high boost can give
certain instruments more “air.” Listen, and if things
don’t sound clear and clean try using cut to
remove frequencies that are cluttering up the mix
rather than trying to boost the mix into clarity.
One of the biggest problems with too much boost
is that it adds gain to the signal, increasing noise
and potentially overloading the subsequent
circuitry.
Some Frequency Facts
The lowest and highest frequencies than can be heard by the human ear are generally considered to be around 20 Hz
and 20,000 Hz, respectively. Average conversation occurs in the range from about 300 Hz to about 3,000 Hz. The
frequency of a standard pitchfork used to tune guitars and other instruments is 440 Hz (this corresponds to the “A3”
key on a piano tuned to concert pitch). Double this frequency to 880 Hz and you have a pitch one octave higher (i.e.
“A4” on the piano keyboard). In the same way you can halve the frequency to 220 Hz to produce “A2” an octave lower.
20 50 100
200
500
1 k 2 k
5 k
10 k
20 k (Hz)
Piano
Bass Drum
Snare Drum
Bass
Guitar
Trombone
Trumpet
Cymba
l
Fundamental: The frequency that determines the basic
musical pitch.
Harmonics:
Multiples of the fundamental frequency that
play a role in determining the timbre of the
instrument.
The fundamental
and harmonic
frequency ranges of some
musical instruments.
Signal
Le
v
el (dB)
Frequency (Hz)
LOW Boost
LOW Flat
LOW Cut
MID Boost
MID Flat
HIGH Boost
HIGH Flat
HIGH Cut
MID Cut
