You've probably heard me talk about this before, but my exercise of choice is running.

I try to run 5-6 miles every morning before 8 am.

Not necessarily because I like the idea of getting up early to run, but rather that it's so hot here that it's impossible to run after a certain time in the summer.

Don't be fooled, when fall comes I'll definitely hit the trail a little later.

I look at my exercise routine as a crucial aspect of my day.

I LOVE running. Not just for the exercise, but for the solidarity and productivity it brings.

My brain gets so many ideas on my morning run that I look at it as a very important part of my work day.

But...the combination of long runs and high temperatures makes me sweat a lot.

So to combat this I've started making me look like an idiot.

See, I bought this sweat band for my head so I wouldn't drip sweat into my eyes as soon as I picked up the pace.

It helps a lot, but it makes me look like a complete fool.

Every time I put it on I remind myself of Andy Samberg as the Out of Breath Jogger from 1982.

But it's helpful to get rid of the sweat so I can focus on running and thinking about stuff and things.

You could even say it's like filtering out the unnecessary sweat to my eyes so that I can concentrate on improving.

Sort of like how your filter filters out the unnecessary high or low-end so you can focus your instruments in your mixes.

I look at filters as almost a separate part of EQ'ing.

If you've been following along for a while you know my mantra:

• Filter
• Cut
• Boost

And filtering both lows and highs can clear up so much in your mixes that it's funny how many engineers don't use the filters to their full advantage.

There's a certain fear there I bet. Fear that cutting too much from the lows will give you a thinner mix.

Sure, that's true, but being afraid of trying is kind of pointless if you ask me. What's the worst that's gonna happen?

You'll listen back to your mixes and hear that it's a bit thin so you back off the filter a little bit.

No harm.

No foul.

And the same thing goes for low-pass filtering.

You'd be surprised how many instruments you can filter in the highs:

• Electric guitars
• Bass
• Kick drum
• Certain keyboard parts
• Reverbs and effects

So next time you're afraid of looking like an idiot like me, don't be. Use your filters to their full advantage. That's what they're there for.

I think they're so important that I devote a full video just to my approach on filtering, cutting and boosting.

Check it out here as a part of the EQ Strategies - Ultimate Guide to EQ

www.EQStrategies.net