I thought it was funny looking.
But the thing is, the way it looked is completely besides the point.
We get so wrapped up in the visuals that we get scared if it looks like we're cutting or boosting too much.
It has nothing to do with what it looks like and all to do with how it sounds.
Basic Kick Drum EQ
To be honest, that curve doesn't really look that weird. It's doing exactly what you would expect from EQ'ing a kick drum.
- Shelving the lows - Reducing the really low mids to get rid of any overbearing low frequency energy.
- Notching out a problem - Notching around 60 Hz that was causing all sorts of resonance problems.
- Boosting the fundamentals - Boosting the lows gives that added thump and thickness to the kick (minus that notch of course).
- Getting rid of boxiness - Cuts in the mids get rid of the boxy sound. It makes the kick rounder and thicker.
- Boosting the click - Boosts in the upper mids make the beater cut through.
- Filtering the highs - There's nothing really going on in the high frequencies in the kick drum except bleed from the snare and cymbals so filtering that out cleans up the track nicely.
So in hindsight, that curve doesn't look weird at all. It's actually EQ'd with an exact purpose in mind.
Don't EnginEye, EnginEar
I bet you think more about what the EQ curve looks like whenever you work with a visual EQ like that.
I'd also bet that you EQ more effectively whenever you use an analog-style plug-in that doesn't have a visual component.
Because when you only have knobs, all you can do is listen.
However, living in the real world has made me realize that it's hard to get rid of EQ'ing with your eyes.
That's why the Audio Issues EQ comes with both the visual EQ that helps you see where to cut out all those frustrating frequencies that make your mixes sound muddy or harsh.
But it also has the analog-style boost module that makes you rely on your ears to hear what makes your tracks sound better so that you can add that professional presence and attitude your mix needs.
It's the best of both worlds and my users have been loving it.
Check out the testimonials at the top of the page right here:
www.AudioIssuesEQ.com
