EQ Your Song to Clarity!

by Jason Johnston The difference between a pro sounding mix and an amateur mix is quite simple: One sounds good and one does not. Just joking...the real answer of a great mix lies in the space that each sound and track is given. We are limited in our sonic frequency. We humans only hear between 20 Hz to 20 KHz, which may sound like a wide frequency but is still limited. One you get your bass, drums (spanning very lows to highs), guitars and keys, then try to add a vocal on top of the mix - the frequency range starts sounding a little crowded. And this is what a good engineer actually is: crowd control. You want each parts and sound to have its own space. There is going to be overlap, without question. But what you don't want is sounds competing for the same frequencies. This is where EQ (short for Equalization) comes into play. EQ basically adjusts the volume up or down of certain frequencies. The frequencies depend on the detail of the EQ. This the standard advice on using EQ: Cut before you boost. In otherwords, if you are looking for more of a particular sound, cut the other frequencies that might be competing with it before you resort to increasing the volume of the frequencies of the track that you want. One great example of this is getting a vocal to sit correctly in the mix. Sometimes what works best is notching out some of the sonic space that the other tracks are using and competing with the vocals and you'll find your vocal will stand up in the mix without adding any more volume to it. Listen to the chorus of U2's "Beautiful Day" and you will hear what I mean. There are a zillion layers going on during that chorus and yet you can understand every word Bono sings. So find that sonic clarity in your songs by using EQ to carve out sonic spaces for each part. If you make a great mix it is a good (and sobering) practice to listen to it along side professional mixes that you like. Don't be discouraged, even Bono needs a Daniel Lanois.