I am not good at cutting interfering frequencies. I know that the vocals are down in the 300 range(that downward spike goes to 250), at least I think that is where they are. There is a selection called round and deep. I was wondering if yawl think that is too radical. I can’t tell the difference except I can hear the vocals better. Yes the clothes pins are for holding lyric sheets. ha ha
It’s hard to say. I’m having a tough time hearing it through my eyes Lol!
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Ha ha Good point. I am working on a new one. I should have included that. Made me smile. thanks
And this right here is exactly the right answer. How it “looks” is not nearly as important as how it sounds.
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Hi Boss Kind of a dumb question I know. I just was wondering how other folks try to clean up the bass area to allow more room for the vox? I know there are tricks. Good to see you round these parts.
Um… so … judging by the looks of it, that EQ curve was probably intended to be placed on a kick drum, a bass guitar, or maybe a tuba.
I’m not sure how comfortable you are with a graphic EQ in general, so forgive me if I’m telling you something you already know.
The element in question here is the HC which stands for Hi-cut. Hi-cut = low pass. Same thing. On a vocal, you almost never want to set your HC set any lower than 8k, or 8000hz. But 15k (or 15000hz) is actually more ideal. And if you click where it says “48dbOct” which stands for 48 decibels per octave, you probably want that set on a lower value such as 12dbOct or 24dbOct.
The red dot or “LF” stands for Low Frequency. You have it set to 43 hz. This is what to me made me suspect that ‘deep and round’ was intended for a kick drum or bass guitar. To boost 43 hz probably wouldn’t be idea, because what you’d be boosting at that range is most likely rattle from the air conditioner, electrical ground noise, and maybe some ground vibrations if there are any cars that happen to pass by in the background. Really nothing that’s of particular benefit to a human voice. (Because its a good ways outside of the essential frequencies in a human voice).
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So Paul, the photo you posted said it is a bass guitar preset. Are you using it for bass, or are you using it for vocal?
If I’m reading you right in what you said, you’re hoping this bass guitar eq setting will allow the vocal to be heard clearer - is that correct?
Hey Jonathan. I put this in a word doc and am going to try all of this tomorrow. It is a bit overwhelming when I see all of the possibilities. I use this only on the bass guitar. Not sure if I said that right off. I blunder often. I see there is a boost also on the lower spectrum? I just thought, and that itself is scary, that if the frequency around 250 causes a fight between the acoustic guitars and the vocal. why not knock the bass back in that area. I truthfully can’t hear the bass as lacking when I use this feature. I was just wondering how other folks get their vocals to pop cutting unneeded clutter?
Thanks for breaking this down like a tutorial. It is second nature for the pros, I know.
Hi Andrew I didn’t explain myself very well. I use this only on the bass and just wondered if it was a “typical” way to make some room where so many instruments meet? It also looked like a very deep cut as well. I haven’t messed too much with frequencies over the years. I just go a little stubborn thinking I should keep things more natural. I am changing my way tho. ha ha thanks to yawl I have some tinkering to do now. Peace, love, and mellow mixing to you
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Yes, pulling out muddy low mids around 200-300hz is very common, because this is where a lot of close-miked elements tend to get emphasised due to proximity effect, and it builds up when you layer many elements that have been recorded that way. Boxiness around the 400-500hz mark is another problem that happens, mainly due to elements being recorded in small domestic spaces.
It is a deep cut. But remember, nobody can see your eq plot when they are listening to your mix. If it works, then it works.
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I have to check out the boxiness you refer to. I hear that sometimes. I also have had folks here tell me of sibilance problems. I found out that my AKG 414 has a built in boost at 3K that is not welcomed by many. I watched a youtube video on how to tame that a bit. Going to go back to a hand held mic for a while. Not sure that 414 is a go to for everything anymore? Thanks for taking the time. Hope I can return the favor some time.
Ooooo… only take that 3k comment as a grain of salt. If people ‘not welcomed by many’ is referring to reddit at large, then instead of replacing the 414, I would maybe consider replacing reddit as your source of info. Not the 414.
I’m familiar with what your’e talking about, but in my opinion that 3k boost is very subtle. Not enough to warrant replacing it as your go-to. Matter of fact, I think that mic is a great go-to. That mic is so incredibly versatile, I think if I could only have one microphone, but it had to be $1000 or under, I’d probably choose a 414.
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Hi Jonathan. I remember going to a music store in Minneapolis and telling the guy about setting up my first studio. I said I want a mic for good all around use and anything else he thought would be a good start. He also talked me into the LA 610 and after that I was pretty near broke. I never did learn how to use the 610 and it now has a high pitched sound, so it sits idle. Yes I did hear a lot of crap about the mic tho. All I know it is extremely sensitive. I now have enough money to buy anything I want, but I usually can’t figure out how to use new stuff anyway. Sucks getting old