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EQ/Kills
Next in the signal chain is the Equalizer, or EQ for shor t. While the Gain knob (above) inc reases or decreases the level
of the entire audio signal in the channel, an EQ increases or decreases the level of only a specic frequency range within
the audio signal. Torq is equipped with a 3- band EQ, meaning it can control the levels of three different frequency ra nges
(bands), named High, Mid, and L ow.
The 3-band EQ is comprise d of three k nobs and three buttons arranged vertically in each mixer channe l. Naturally, the
High EQ is above the Mid EQ, which is above the Low EQ. The “X” buttons next to each EQ knob is a Kill. Activating these
buttons will completely remove, or kill, the associated frequenc y band from the audio—activ ating all three at the same time
will therefore completely mu te the audio signal.
EQ may very well be the most powerful tool on the DJ mixer (though some would argue that the crossfader is the ult imate
weapon). The EQ controls are used to (1) improve the sou nd quality of poor ly recorded or produced songs, (2) assist in
matching the overall freq uency content of two songs, (3) add emp hasis to the music by removing or isolati ng one or more
of the frequency ranges , and (4) mix songs together in a “jigsaw” fashion by swapping the freque ncy ranges of two songs as
they play together.
Old songs typically don’t have as much bass as today’s tracks. Therefore, you’ll often use the Low EQ to boost the bass (low
frequencies) of the old song to match the louder bass of a recent song. Without doing th is, it may sound like the music gets
quieter as you mix from the recent son g to the older one.
Likewise, even tracks recorded w ithin the same year can sound differen t from one another, even when playing at the same
volumes. This is usually because one song will have stronger Mid frequencies compared to the other. If the bass parts in both
songs sound like they’re the same volume , you can use the Mid EQ to “turn down” the louder song until it more clo sely
matches the quieter song.
DJs also like to mix things up duri ng their sets by adding their own manipulations t o the songs they play. For example, a DJ
might cut the Hi gh and Low frequencies from a track a few beats before the chorus of a song, t hen bring them back rig ht
when the chorus star ts (the perfect job for Torq’s High and Low Kill buttons).
When two songs are playing at the same time, you’ll frequently nd that the musi c sounds muddy. This is normally due to
“uncomplementary ” bass content in the two songs. This can be as simple as the t wo songs being in different keys, or could
occur if both songs h ave long, sustained bass notes . In order to clean things u p, you can simply remove the bass from one
of the songs wil l one of the Low Kill but tons. This will leave th e bass from the other son g in the mix, so it w ill still sound
natural. When you’re ready, press both Low Kil l buttons at the same time. This will kill the bass in the other track w hile
bringing in the bas s from the other. This will sound like the ba ss part in the overall mix h as changed (which it has) and the
mix will still sound full. You can also swa p frequencies with the other frequency bands . You can also make the sw aps less
abrupt by using the EQ knobs ins tead.
PFL/Headphone Cue
Once the audio signal l eaves the EQ, it is sent to two dif ferent locations. One location is the PFL Button, which looks like
a pair of headphones. PFL stands for Pre-Fader Listen, whi ch refers to hearing an audio signal without being under the
inuence of the Volume fader (on some mixers , this function is called “Cue”). That de nition may not make sense if you’re
not familiar with a mixer, so think of it as a w ay to privately hear the music in a mixer channel regardless of what your
audience can or cannot hear.
This is what a DJ uses to listen to t he next song before he plays it for his audience. When you press the PFL butt on, that
channel is sent to the PFL sec tion, which is described below. You’ll be able to hear the music on the he adphones and you’ll
even be able to record it into the Sam pler.