Create clarity & Loudness with Subtractive EQ

Transcription

1 Create clarity & Loudness with Subtractive EQ

2 Create clarity and loudness with subtractive EQ This guide will help you improve your ability to create powerful and polished mixes! I want you to know, this guide was prepared just for you! Looking for more? Visit to start mixing along with me and my friends right away. You ll learn to improve your low end way beyond the reach of this guide. When you sign up, you ll gain access to 15+ hours of mixing themed video education, 50+ hours of podcasts about mixing and audio production, monthly multi track sessions, and an exclusive community dedicated to audio greatness. -Joey Still struggling? If you still need more help with mixing, check out these great videos: Cymbal Mixing Secrets Fixing Thin Mixes How to Make Your Mixes LOUD! Check out my plugins designed to take your mixes to the next level This guide was prepared exclusively for you. I hope it helps improve your mixing skills. Please do not share with others!

3 hello! I am Joey Sturgis I am here because you need mixing help. You can find me here:

4 Clarity and loudness starts with great EQ decisions. Get the EQ right and you ll get the mix right! -Joey Sturgis

5 1. What is Subtractive EQ? Let s start with the important stuff

6 Subtractive EQ is tonal balance Removing harsh frequencies Carving space to avoid frequency battles Increasing headroom Your mix will be cloudy and confusing without good frequency balance!

7 Remove what sucks Subtractive EQ is sorta what it sounds like, remove the stuff that sucks and your mix will sound better!

8 Initial frequency ranges to focus on Hz (lowest) Hz (highest) Low build up Instrument Identity Definition and Clarity

9 important! No two instruments, or recordings are the same! You must approach EQ decisions using your ears or you could ruin the identity of the sound source!

10 2. How to perform subtractive EQ! Let s begin

11 Subtractive EQ starts with Cleaning! Cleaning up sound sources The first step to performing subtractive EQ is getting rid of ringing or feedback frequencies. These can be removed using a vary narrow Q width on a parametric EQ. Use an EQ sweeping technique to find problem areas, and nuke them! Removing unwanted areas The next step to cleaning up a sound or instrument with subtractive EQ is removing unwanted/garbage areas. Maybe you re working with a drum room that has too much mid range, a vocal that is too nasal sounding, or guitars that are too honkey. Use wider Q width subtractive adjustments to remove these unwanted areas.

12 The four steps of Subtractive EQ Listen Diagnose Fix Compare

13 How to perform Subtractive EQ effectively Listen Diagnose Fix Compare First, listen to the sound source. What jumps out at you? Discover frequencies or ranges that mask other qualities of the sound, or cause it to be unpleasant. Pinpoint the problem areas, find the ranges or frequencies that are the culprit, and make note. These are the frequencies we will subtract to create clarity and space. Remove these problem areas using subtractive EQ. Narrow Q widths are great for ringing or feedback frequencies, wider Q widths are great for undesired ranges, (always to taste)! Finally, bypass and unbypass your eq plugin to really hear if you changed the audio for the better, or for the worse. It s very hard to really know if an eq choice is right without proper context.

14 Parametric EQ is your friend A parametric EQ is the best type of EQ tool for subtractive EQ. It will allow you to make various types of adjustments, from surgically narrow to very wide.

15 Carving space with Subtractive EQ 1. Insert a parametric EQ plugin on each track 2. Pick something to start with (maybe vocals or guitars) 3. Note the opposing sound source that fights with this track a. Use your ears to decide what is most offensive 4. Find the frequency or range where frequency fighting occurs a. Kicks often fight with bass b. Vocals often fight with guitars c. Mid range is always a problem area for all sounds! 5. Start carving out some space in the opposing track a. Removing mid range in guitars can create space for vocals b. Removing low end in bass can create space for kick drums 6. Experiment with automating these adjustments to get unwanted frequencies out of the way at just the right time. 7. You can also use multiband sidechaining for dynamic EQ!

16 Great mixes start with great midrange!

17 How to nail the midrange 1. Start by listening to your midrange instruments 2. Carve space in instruments that have too much energy in the low mids first Creating headroom in this area of our mix will create space for other instruments to define themselves 3. Continue adjustment from low to high frequencies You ll find less adjustments necessary as you move forward 4. Broad strokes Start big, then make smaller more precise tweaks to taste 5. Review your adjustment! Have you gone too far? Dial it back!

18 Let s review some concepts What is Subtractive EQ? Subtractive EQ is a technique for creating clarity and loudness in your mix. Remove the frequencies that suck, create a better mix! What makes mixes clear? Clarity starts with removing what sucks. Subtractive EQ is a way of removing unwanted noise and distraction from our sound sources How do I prevent frequency fighting? Carving space into our sound sources using Subtractive EQ allows us to prevent frequency fighting and make our music more understandable to the listener. How can I create loudness? Subtractive EQ can create additional headroom by cleaning up the frequency space where sounds share the most: midrange. Why is midrange important? Mid range is the main frequency area where all instruments are defined. When your mix has a great midrange balance, your mix will be easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. How do I balance midrange? A balanced midrange comes from making great EQ decisions and carving out frequency ranges where frequency fighting occurs. Make sure to automate your adjustments for maintaining great midrange energy throughout your mix.

19 Looking for more? Visit to start mixing along with me and my friends right away. You ll learn to improve your low end way beyond the reach of this guide. When you sign up, you ll gain access to 15+ hours of mixing themed video education, 50+ hours of podcasts about mixing and audio production, monthly multi track sessions, and an exclusive community dedicated to audio greatness. -Joey

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