Equalization Settings: How To Find The Best And Leave The Rest - PRESONUS StudioLive 16.0.2 Owner's Manual

8 Tutorials
8.3 Equalizers
High Mids (2 kHz to 4 kHz). The attack portion of percussive
and rhythm instruments occurs in this range. High mids are also
responsible for the projection of midrange instruments.
Presence (4 kHz to 6 kHz). This frequency range is partly responsible
for the clarity of a mix and provides a measure of control over the
perception of distance. If you boost this frequency range, the mix will
be perceived as closer to the listener. Attenuating around 5 kHz will
make the mix sound further away but also more transparent.
Brilliance (6 kHz to 16 kHz). While this range controls the
brilliance and clarity of your mix, boosting it too much can cause
some clipping so keep an eye on your main meter.
8.3.2

Equalization Settings: How to Find the Best and Leave the Rest

How do you find the best and worst each instrument has to offer and
adjust their frequency content accordingly? Here's a quick guide:
First, solo just the instrument with which you are working. Most engineers start
building their mix with the drums and work from the bottom up (kick, snare,
toms, hi-hat, overheads). Each instrument resonates primarily in a specific
frequency band, so if you are working on your kick-drum mic, start with the
lowest band of the EQ. Tune in the best-sounding low end and move on to the
attack. It is not uncommon to hear an annoying ringing or a "twang" mixed
in with your amazing-sounding low end and perfect attack, so your next
task will be to find that offending frequency and notch it out. Once you are
satisfied with your kick drum, mute it, and move on to the next instrument.
Taking your time with equalization is well worth the effort.
Your mix will have better separation and more clarity.
Additional advice:
You can only do so much. Not every instrument can or should
have a full, rich low end and a sharp attack. If every instrument is
EQ'd to have the same effect, it will lose its identity in the mix. Your
goal is not individual perfection, it is perfection in unity.
Step away from the mix. Your ears get fatigued, just like the rest
of you. If you are working particularly hard on one instrument, your
ears will be quite literally numbed to that frequency range.
Your memory is not what you think it is. Comparing a flat EQ and the
curve that you've created allows you to see and hear exactly what you've
done. So be honest with yourself. Sometimes that EQ setting you've
been working on for 15 minutes is not the right choice, so move on.
Never be afraid of taking a risk. The best EQ tricks were found by mad scientists
of sound. With every instrument, there are frequencies that can be attenuated or
boosted to add clarity or fullness. Altering the wrong frequencies can make an
instrument shrill, muddy, or just downright annoying. The following two charts
suggest frequency ranges that should be accentuated or downplayed for the
most common instruments. These are just suggestions; the frequencies may need
to be adjusted up or down depending on the instrument, room, and microphone.
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PreSonus StudioLive ™ 16.0.2 Owner's Manual
Table 1
Instrument What to Cut Why to Cut
Human Voice 7 kHz Sibilance
2 kHz Shrill
1 kHz Nasal
80 Hz and below Popping P's
Piano 1-2 kHz Tinny
300 Hz Boomy
Electric Guitar 1-2 kHz Shrill
80 Hz and below Muddy
Acoustic Guitar 2-3 kHz Tinny
200 Hz Boomy
Electric Bass 1 kHz
125 Hz Boomy
String Bass 600 Hz Hollow
200 Hz Boomy
Snare Drum 1 kHz Annoying
Kick Drum 400 Hz Muddy
80 Hz and below Boomy
Toms 300 Hz Boomy
Cymbals 1 kHz Annoying
Horns 1 kHz Honky
120 Hz and below Muddy
String section 3 kHz Shrill
120 Hz and below Muddy
Tutorials
Equalizers
What to Boost Why to Boost
8 kHz Big sound
3 kHz and above Clarity
200-400 Hz Body
5 kHz More presence
100 Hz Bottom end
3 kHz Clarity
125 Hz Bottom end
5 kHz and above Sparkle
125 Hz Full
Thin 600 Hz Growl
80 Hz and below Bottom end
2-5 kHz Sharp attack
125 Hz and below Bottom end
2 kHz Crisp
150-200 Hz Full
80 Hz Deep
2-5 kHz Sharp attack
60-125 Hz Bottom end
2-5 kHz Sharp attack
80-200 Hz Bottom end
7-8 kHz Sizzle
8-12 kHz Brilliance
15 kHz Air
8-12 kHz Big sound
2 kHz Clarity
2 kHz Clarity
400-600 Hz Lush and full
8
8.3
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