How do you give instruments their own EQ space?

[MattCurious]

I don't give instruments space through EQ. There isn't any EQ in a concert hall, for example - the musicians mix themselves through attack and level.

The pro mixers I've spent time with use EQ to enhance interesting parts of sounds (or remove bad elements) and then do the rest through level. My mixing has taken a quantum leap forward since I started doing that if Taxi and other feedback is anything to go by.

[mojobone]

Yeah, it's a fair point that in the early days we had no choice but to get the sound right at the source, and the only way to do that was to move the mic. There's a DVD available on recording large ensembles featuring Al Schmitt, who uses almost no EQ at all. You may find it instructive.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Recording-Bi ... B01LXGJ8GF

I've been studying up on orchestral miking techniques to try to learn more about mixing orchestral VIs which it turns out is really not much at all like recording/mixing the real thing.

[waveheavy]

I started out in mixing. The way I learned to use EQ is to do subtractive EQing first, then creative EQing. With subtractive, you look first for unwanted frequencies in the instrument and then do cuts of those (usually narrow Q). Then you use creative EQ to boost (wide Q) frequencies (or cut) while listening to the mix to sit the instrument in the mix. It's preferred to do EQing on a single instrument while listening to the whole mix, and often in Mono. It's not important that an instrument sounds good solo by itself. It's important how it sounds in relation to the mix.

Each instrument will have more than one fundamental frequency area. To find those areas you simply apply an EQ narrow band frequency and sweep it to locate them. With time those areas for that instrument will be solid in your mind.

Except for orchestral and Jazz, the mixing world uses whatever is necessary to make the mix sound good. With orchestral and Jazz, the instruments are not treated a lot, keeping as much of the natural dynamics as possible is desired and expected.

[fuzzbox]

Nice one Graham! It says it all in a nice an condensed way!

One thing though. I recently read or heard about mixing in mono! So, about 6 months ago I tried it! Wow in addition to the techniques listed in this thread (and your condensed version) can get you to a cleaner mix quicker. Mixing in mono can certainly help you to hear those clashing frequencies!

If it sounds good in mono, it going to sound fantastic in stereo!

Anyway this is still a work in progress for me, glad I found this thread.