Topic: How often do you EQ? And how much?

[acidjack]

Not a particularly original poll, but something I've been thinking about it a lot again after reading a great post by DSatz in another threat (to very heavily summarize, if I may, he said "don't be afraid to EQ to take out unwanted sound").

To me, the biggest concern about doing it is that what may show up as a "flaw" in one playback system may not on another - particularly with regard to bass, which, if you have a giant subwoofer for instance, may sound perfectly fine on that system, but terrible on headphones (especially small headphones).  And of course, all listeners are different, too. 

It is an issue I grapple with as I post many of my recordings on a public site, and for me, a lot of the enjoyment comes from knowing other fans are enjoying my recordings.  To some degree, that means satisfying "average" taste as well as my own.  But of course, if you go too far in that direction, you end up with the heavily compressed, heavily treble-boosted sound that people now take to be "normal." 

I'm also curious, when people do EQ, how heavily they are really doing it.  Personally, I try to really only roll off low frequencies and/or boost high frequencies by a few dB (+/- 3) unless something is really off.  I only play with the presence and midrange to compensate for more unusual flaws, and I've only done that maybe a few times.

I suppose I could have broadened this to discuss compression and other techniques that are common to studio recordings today... feel free to mention how heavily you, for example, use compression to boost "loudness" in the comments. 

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

I make my recordings sound good to me. More often than not, I bump up the high end just a titch.

If I'm recording at a great sounding venue (ie Fox in Boulder)...I usually leave it because it sounds great to begin with.

[jlykos]

I don't EQ at all; I leave that for the final listener.  I have a fairly accurate recording and playback system; not perfect, but what is?  I like to listen to the show as it happened so I don't EQ if I can avoid it.  If I am stealth recording indoors with my omnis, I will engage the bass rolloff on the recorder at 75hz.  That's one form of EQing of course, but I try not to touch it too much after that.

Honestly, most of what you can call "EQing" comes with my selection of source components.  I like Gefells because guitars sound fantastic on them; the PSP-2 gives a very coherent presentation; my Moon Audio cables are solid silver for maximum transparency of the PSP.  My playback system reflects this as well with B&W speakers and a Cambridge Audio amplifier.

[rokpunk]

+ or -3db is a fairly significant cut/boost.
just sayin'...

[Belexes]

I make my recordings sound good to me. More often than not, I bump up the high end just a titch.

This is what I do. My mics give me all the bass I need.

[Jhurlbs81]

I only EQ when necessary,  and it is usually a resonant frequency in the room I drop down.   I take a 30 band EQ and just go hunting for the boomy rubbish above the deep bass.  (I'd only use a roll-off in extreme cicumstances.) It usually is somewhere between 150 and 250Hz for the stuff I tape.  I find dropping that pesky frequency down a bit clears everything up and no other adjustments are required.  One or two bands get dropped , less than 3db usually.

YMMV
Jesse

[notlance]

If you consider HPF a form of eq, I do that quite often, especially on vocal and choral music.  Lots of venues have rumbling HVAC and nearby truck traffic.
Otherwise I may sometimes add a few dB to bring out a bass line or perhaps subtract a couple dB to reduce mouth noises in a vocal.  Then I'll try to find a better mic placement next time.

[ero3030]

its a live recording.  never touch them.  ed

[greenone]

I voted for the first option, but mostly because a) I don't know what I'm doing, and b) my playback system consists of a cheap set of earphones.

[rhinowing]

sameas greenone--I have a crap playback system. I only EQ if I can hear something majorly wrong with a tape

[capnhook]

I only EQ when necessary,  and it is usually a resonant frequency in the room I drop down.   I take a 30 band EQ and just go hunting for the boomy rubbish above the deep bass.  (I'd only use a roll-off in extreme cicumstances.) It usually is somewhere between 150 and 250Hz for the stuff I tape.  I find dropping that pesky frequency down a bit clears everything up and no other adjustments are required.  One or two bands get dropped , less than 3db usually.

YMMV
Jesse

Yup, there is almost always a room resonance or two that you can hunt down and remove.  Excellent technique for improving indoor recordings.  +T 

[acidjack]

Yup, there is almost always a room resonance or two that you can hunt down and remove.  Excellent technique for improving indoor recordings.  +T 
[/quote]

I have tried to do more of that after the engineer for a band I recorded recommended (very specifically) that I drop the 400Hz range by -6dB (she must have quite an ear).  Admittedly, I lack her ear and don't have nearly as good an idea where bad room resonances lurk.  Is it generally in the 150-400Hz range?

For that matter, is there any good source of "test tones" of the various frequencies that one can listen to?

[Nick's Picks]

i typically dont do it, but sometimes it can yield an improvement.

I EQ stuff we do as a band, but seldom on AUD recordings that I make.

[jagraham]

never done it

im actually really intrigued by acidjack's post about reducing certain frequencies to help with bad room resonance.  never made a "bad" outdoor recording but there are a few indoor recordings ive done i may consider this approach on for a "remaster".  any links to posts that deal with that specifically?

again, ive never done any of this to a recording before.  all i do is amplify to -.01 in audacity and remove peaks from clapping or other nusiances and amplify again.  i see no need to fuck with the original signal so the laypersons have a better "listening experience".  with decent/basic speakers and a receiver a recording has to be pretty terrible to be unlistenable with some EQ on that.  i have an OLD kenwood KR-5600 receiver with basic bass/treble knobs and "high filter" and "loudness" buttons.  IMO, this pretty basic setup is enough to make any of my recordings at least listenable. 

[Scooter123]

My Schoeps are "warm."  Read:  Can be a little bass heavy and high end deficient.  Highpass (60-80 or 100 depending on room) every time.  Rarely need any high end boost, but sometimes.