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Author Topic: EQ Help  (Read 7187 times)

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Offline nak700s

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #15 on: December 15, 2017, 01:14:40 PM »
You're not going to be happy with my recommendation, but ya kinda asked... Personally, I live by the rule, "get it right the first time".  I adapted that rule when getting into photography at a young age, and realizing how costly it was to crop and print photos.  In other words, with regards to photos, I "crop on the fly"...I use the zoom and don't have to crop in post.  Well, I do the same thing, to the extent that I can, with my recordings.  I tape from where it will sound best, and do not EQ anything.  All I need to do, most of the time, is bring up my levels.  I have my own ideas about EQing recordings that most do not share (to each their own, and all that).  I believe that if the band (soundperson) does their job correctly, then the sound I recorded is the way it was meant to sound.  If the issue is with the equipment, and EQing is necessary because of that...(do I really have to say this?) it may be time for some different equipment.  Anyway, please don't get crazy with me, it's just the way I do things.
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Offline Sloan Simpson

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #16 on: December 15, 2017, 01:14:51 PM »
Interesting discussion! I recently recorded a couple of metal sets where the sound guy just didn't have it right...I generally feel it's a GIGO situation, but if there is anyone here who would volunteer to listen to a short portion of it and make suggestions as to what I could possibly do to improve it, I'd be really appreciative.
I'd be glad to

Offline Sloan Simpson

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #17 on: December 15, 2017, 01:17:14 PM »
You're not going to be happy with my recommendation, but ya kinda asked... Personally, I live by the rule, "get it right the first time".  I adapted that rule when getting into photography at a young age, and realizing how costly it was to crop and print photos.  In other words, with regards to photos, I "crop on the fly"...I use the zoom and don't have to crop in post.  Well, I do the same thing, to the extent that I can, with my recordings.  I tape from where it will sound best, and do not EQ anything.  All I need to do, most of the time, is bring up my levels.  I have my own ideas about EQing recordings that most do not share (to each their own, and all that).  I believe that if the band (soundperson) does their job correctly, then the sound I recorded is the way it was meant to sound.  If the issue is with the equipment, and EQing is necessary because of that...(do I really have to say this?) it may be time for some different equipment.  Anyway, please don't get crazy with me, it's just the way I do things.

The beauty of a hobby is everyone can do it their own way. That being said, I'm glad this attitude doesn't seem so pervasive anymore. If I could start over I would have learned how to EQ years before I did.

Offline nak700s

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #18 on: December 15, 2017, 02:15:11 PM »

The beauty of a hobby is everyone can do it their own way. That being said, I'm glad this attitude doesn't seem so pervasive anymore. If I could start over I would have learned how to EQ years before I did.


I'm not criticizing, only saying what I do (and don't do).  Like I said, "to each their own, and all that"... As we all know, all else aside, different equipment makes different sounding recordings.  I am only too aware that sometimes people will buy a rig or components for their rig, that they see/hear and are sold on without really knowing if it's best for their particular situation.  My opinions about that shall remain my own, as I am probably pissing off enough people as it is ;-)  Anyway, my point is, if someone finds themselves constantly adding or reducing the same things (sound altering), maybe it's time to get the right equipment for the job so that particular aspect of their recording comes out the way they like it in the first place.  "They" is bold, because it is up to that person's ears and preferences as to how they want their recording to sound.  Personally, I try to reproduce what the band is producing, and to me, EQing what they do is altering that sound.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's a personal choice and like you said, this hobby is about doing it the way you like it.  To that I say, use your ears and make it pleasing to you.  If others like it and want to listen to it, then it's a win for them too.
Normal: Nakamichi CM-700's >> SD 744T (or) Sony PCM-M10
Normal: Crown CM-700's >> SD 302 >> SD 744T
Fun times: 3 Crown CM-700's >> SD 302 >> SD744T + 2 Nakamichi CM-700's >> SD744T
Stealth: CA-14c >> CA 9200 >> Edirol R-09HR
Ultra stealth: AudioReality >> AudioReality battery box >> Edirol R-09HR
Simple & Sweet!

Offline if_then_else

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #19 on: December 15, 2017, 03:05:47 PM »
Interesting discussion! I recently recorded a couple of metal sets where the sound guy just didn't have it right...I generally feel it's a GIGO situation, but if there is anyone here who would volunteer to listen to a short portion of it and make suggestions as to what I could possibly do to improve it, I'd be really appreciative.
I'd be glad to

+1
(Though I'll be multitracking a show.tonight and will have to process that one first.)

Offline down2earthlandscaper

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #20 on: December 16, 2017, 03:49:23 PM »
Great info here. Saved the links to my reading list. This makes me realize how very little I actually know about this.

Sometimes I'll get lucky and nail it quickly. Other times I'll work on a recording extensively only to end up with something worse than the original.
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Offline furburger

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #21 on: December 16, 2017, 04:23:45 PM »
It is really understanding frequency bands, what instruments fall into which

rough chart:

40-98hz - "arena mud"....lots of shaping can be done here, it's really contingent on how good the soundman is in terms of the work to be done here
160hz - the 'pluck' of most bass players is here. not the rumble that goes thru your chest, but the actual strings being struck
250-400hz - the snare drum, Pearl Jam is NOTORIOUS for boosting 250 wayyyyyy too high, which is the 'thud'. the 'snap' is closer to 400.
625-800hz - a different kind of 'mud' resides here, and it's (800hz) the beginning range of 'cookie monster vocals'.  you can almost always pull 625 down on a 'rock' show and notice an instant improvement.

1khz thru 3.9khz - your rhythm guitar (1-1.5), lead (1.5 thru 3.9) and vox (entire range) reside here. this is where you can turn down a recording that is too 'hot', or boost if there's a 'hole' on the analyzer. you can also bring out or lower the guitar if necessary.
6.3khz - lots of your cymbals and ambient sounds like to hang out around here. you can add/subtract brightness, which is different than 'hot distortion'.
10khz+ - too much, and the recording will sound 'brittle'. but if the 'tsh-tsh' of your cymbals is missing, this can be used to add some color
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Offline furburger

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #22 on: December 16, 2017, 04:33:44 PM »
You're not going to be happy with my recommendation, but ya kinda asked... Personally, I live by the rule, "get it right the first time".  I adapted that rule when getting into photography at a young age, and realizing how costly it was to crop and print photos.  In other words, with regards to photos, I "crop on the fly"...I use the zoom and don't have to crop in post.  Well, I do the same thing, to the extent that I can, with my recordings.  I tape from where it will sound best, and do not EQ anything.  All I need to do, most of the time, is bring up my levels.  I have my own ideas about EQing recordings that most do not share (to each their own, and all that).  I believe that if the band (soundperson) does their job correctly, then the sound I recorded is the way it was meant to sound.  If the issue is with the equipment, and EQing is necessary because of that...(do I really have to say this?) it may be time for some different equipment.  Anyway, please don't get crazy with me, it's just the way I do things.


90% of the time, when the live sound is shit, the recording comes out sounding better than what it sounded like at the show.

and EQ makes it better 99.9% of the time.

like you said, to each their own.
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people who are fans of the music, they LOVE what I document and capture...people who are fans of themselves....not so much.

Offline opsopcopolis

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #23 on: December 17, 2017, 08:16:05 AM »
There is no simple way to learn or even understand EQ. There aren’t hard-set rules. Many producers like to talk about frequency ranges/bands for things like increasing or decreasing “mud”/“air”/“crunch”/etc. Sure there are some ranges where certain sounds or aspects of them like to be, but IMO that’s the wrong way to go about EQing, entirely. In my opinion it’s best to understand how to listen, and then once you’ve isolated what needs adjustment then keep whittling away til the sound after equalization is closer (or at) what you desire. 

+1 (I'm also a studio guy, so....) I've always hated those charts with general frequency areas of certain instruments, and they teach them in a lot of the engineering programs.

Absolutely agree on the FabFilter stuff. Bought the mastering suite years ago and the ProQ and ProL are my most used plugs by far

Offline if_then_else

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Re: EQ Help
« Reply #24 on: December 18, 2017, 01:27:15 PM »
FWIW: The Fabfilter Pro plugins (incl. the Pro-Q2) are 25% off, now...

Quote
We've just started a Holiday Sale in the FabFilter user accounts. Until January 1, the Personal Upgrade Offer in your FabFilter account offers you 25% discount or more on any additional plug-ins. So whether you would like to buy a single plug-in or complete your entire FabFilter collection: this is the time!

 

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