Help with EQing please?

[NaeDae]

https://tellex.bandcamp.com/track/solo- ... strumental

I can't figure out how to make this sound better, but I think it's in my EQ. It sounds flat and a bit muddy to me.

[lesmac]

Hi,

I think it's a very contemporary sounding track. cool.

Iv'e been checking out some you tube mastering tutorials lately and they all seem to focus on controlling bass first.

Couldn't find the one's I was looking for but did enjoy this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aot-sWlIDjU

The reason I'm mentioning mastering is if you keep the end game in mind it will help your mixing. These guys listen to tons of music and come up against heaps of problems so their opinions are worth listening to.

It sounds a bit 'wooly' to me too, the kick is lost in the bass.
You could cut a notch in the bass to let the kick poke through.

Put a spectrum analyser on the master bus and see what's going on.
If you don't have one google will help you find some freebies.

Iv'e used blue cat audio in the past but there'll be heaps of others out there. KVR audio has a good plugin search engine.

You could do something like use an exciter type plugin on the bass to add harmonics so it sounds bigger which will enable you to drop the level. Get some RMS meters too. VUMT is a good cheapie but there'll be freebies out there too.

HTH

[Len911]

Put a spectrum analyser on the master bus and see what's going on.
If you don't have one google will help you find some freebies.

I like some of Melda Production vst's.

Here is the free analyzer. You could insert an instance on each track, to see what's going on, and then eq accordingly.
https://www.meldaproduction.com/MAnalyzer

here is the paid one, that determines collisions.
https://www.meldaproduction.com/MMultiAnalyzer

Every week they have 4 plugins for 1/2 off, so no need to buy retail.

A solution for flat, or in need of an exciter, the MCharacter is pretty cool. Unlike regular exciters that might only have a few presets, the melda let's you adjust your own harmonics, and it also has built in modulators to cure a static sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoYp1gpekkE

[Cwadroon]

Muddy or not, this is a cool song!

[MattCurious]

Hey there

How are you EQing?

Based purely on similar problems I used to experience, it sounds to me like you've got different musical parts overlapping in the same frequencies, and have sought to compensate for that by boosting the EQ of the frequencies you want instead of cutting to resolve the conflict and reduce masking.

You also have a really big bass, which can mask some of the higher frequencies - consider notching out the less audible lower frequencies; I tend to cut from anywhere between 40-80Hz depending on the track, but find that it still leaves me with a decent bass.

EDIT: Also, consider automating certain of your filters / EQ. I'm just listening back to a track where I needed a huge bass sound for one section, and then a really light, airy section for another. So I automated all my LPF/HPF filters to let the bass through in one, and then transition to the other footing in the other.

Cheers
Matt

[NaeDae]

Hey there

How are you EQing?

Based purely on similar problems I used to experience, it sounds to me like you've got different musical parts overlapping in the same frequencies, and have sought to compensate for that by boosting the EQ of the frequencies you want instead of cutting to resolve the conflict and reduce masking.

You also have a really big bass, which can mask some of the higher frequencies - consider notching out the less audible lower frequencies; I tend to cut from anywhere between 40-80Hz depending on the track, but find that it still leaves me with a decent bass.

EDIT: Also, consider automating certain of your filters / EQ. I'm just listening back to a track where I needed a huge bass sound for one section, and then a really light, airy section for another. So I automated all my LPF/HPF filters to let the bass through in one, and then transition to the other footing in the other.

Cheers
Matt

Ok that's helpful. The thing that confused me about that concept is this:

When I put the analyzer on, what should my goal be when I EQ? Should I be going for NO overlap between parts? Because I've EQ'd before where I just lowcut a synth, and then the bass sounded unsupported. What should I go for in your opinion?

[MattCurious]

As to whether there should be no overlap - it's a slightly unhelpful answer, but you should do whatever your ears tell you. If it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't. In my view it would be nearly impossible to have no overlap unless you had a very sparse arrangement, like a trap tune. And it would probably sound a bit artificial.

Instead, think in terms of the most important sounds. Mike Senior gives some really good advice on this (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Recording-Secr ... ike+senior).

In short: there are only so many frequencies to work with, so you have to accept there will be a degree of masking. So you should mix with the aim of preserving the most important sounds (which might vary section to section, moment to moment) and sacrificing others to allow the important ones to shine through.

With the bass, it's important to remember that while the low end gives the body, it's the high end that gives it separation / distinction from other sounds in the mix. So if you're low-cutting the bass and the track sounds unsupported it might be because you're cutting too much of the low frequencies, or it might be that there isn't enough high end in the bass for it to sound distinct coming through.

I don't yet know why, but I find that bass based on sine-waves (typical sub-bass sounds) are harder to bring through even in normal bass registers, so I often use them for the sub end but have a different sample supporting them in the normal bass register (and then cut them so they kind of operate as one bass, if that makes sense).

If you decide to leave more low-end in, you have to make the decision about what you can sacrifice elsewhere - part of the reason that so many west coast and trap tunes have relatively sparse high ends is because it allows you to have bigger bass without obvious masking of other elements.

[Len911]

When I put the analyzer on, what should my goal be when I EQ? Should I be going for NO overlap between parts? Because I've EQ'd before where I just lowcut a synth, and then the bass sounded unsupported. What should I go for in your opinion?

An analyzer will show you the resonant (peak) frequency and overtones of an instrument. The goal is to hear the instruments. Kick and bass are a common confliction, most duck the bass when the kick on the same frequency occurs. Maybe you'll boost the 2-5khz to hear the strings of the bass to compensate?
http://www.themusicespionage.co.uk/wp-c ... tar-EQ.png

Basically it depends where the overlap occurs. The more peaks you have on the same frequency, the louder that frequency becomes, and muddy(?), if in the low range, or piercing if in the high mids.

I've EQ'd before where I just lowcut a synth, and then the bass sounded unsupported.

The bass probably sounded unsupported because you didn't have a lot of other bass sounds in the area you lowcut on a synth. If it was a bass synth line, you probably chopped into the resonant frequencies too much. It's impossible to say because we don't know the variables.

https://youtu.be/t7EnNGukLF4

[RebekahAnnCurtis]

Open up your DAW.
Bypass all of the effects (reverb, pan, delay, etc.)
Analyze the eq frequencies for each track individually. Those that are over lapping, cut the frequencies of ones that are redundant or not essential. Cut everything above or below that is not in it's necessary frequency. Side chain the bass with the kick drum (youtube search how to do it for your DAW).
Hack n slash.
Listen without the reverb, effects, etc... then turn the effects "on" and see if it helps.

[ochaim]

Rebekah has the right idea. Try mixing it again from scratch.

There might be an EQ issue, things sound a little thin and brittle in the mid-high's. The low end is there but I don't "feel it". The low end could be made more prominent by just bringing the volume of the non-bass instruments down. I think there might be a balance issue as well.

The brittleness sounds like you might be boosting too much in the mid/high end of some tracks. Did you do that?

By mixing it again from scratch starting with the bass and low end elements and adding the other elements after, you have a baseline for how you want the low end to feel and you'll be able to balance that with the mid and high freq's better. Then you can tweak the eq as needed for things that are clashing etc..

Hope that helps.

Very cool track, BTW.