Just got off a call with the Audio Issues Insiders members for our regular Feedback Friday and we had some great
conversations about EQ'ing.
Here are just a few tips that came up during our call that you might be interested in:
- Harshness in hi-hats and cymbals can be tamed pretty easily with a slight cut in around 2.5 kHz and then maybe an additional shelving cut above 8-9 kHz
- A low-pass filter with a boost at the cut-off frequency can be super helpful for reducing hiss in distorted guitars while still helping them cut through
- Layering bass instruments so that you can hear the bass on small speakers is a good alternative to EQ'ing just one bass track
And lastly, if the bass guitar is clouding up the vocal you should boost around the frequency spectrum of the bass while listening to the vocals.
When the bass clutters up the vocal even more than usual, that's when you've found the offending frequency. Cutting it in the bass track will often clear things up and make the bass and vocal sit better together.
I hope you find those few tips useful as you work on your next mix.
Here's what Joseph and Mo had to say about it:
"I like the specific EQ tips for each instrument. They're all very helpful and I learned quite a few new things: bass harmonics, how to make the beaters pop on kick drums, adding more punch to snare drums, and tips to make guitars sit better in the mix (which also works for lead synths)."
"The Ultimate EQ Guide is helping me immensely! I am new to mixing but have been in many studios as a recording musician. It's helping me clean up muddy mixes and get more punch out of my recordings. I highly recommend it!"
Imagine, in just a few hours you can download my ten year's of my EQ knowledge straight into your brain. So if your EQ knowledge looks like this:
