Torq 1.5 User Guide Chapter 1 61Torq 1.5 User Guide Chapter 10 61Gain/Mute
When audio from a Deck enters a channel in t he Mixer, the first thing it runs into is the Gain control (seen at t he top of
each channel in the mixer). This knob will incre ase or decrease the volume of the incoming audio sign al, allowing you to
boost the level of quiet songs or reduce the level of loud o nes. This is a basic step in both maintai ning high-quality audio
and matching the levels of the two songs you’re mixing toge ther.
Torq’s Gain knobs will boost or cut the incoming signal by up to 12dB. The “X” but ton next to the Gain knob is the Mute
button. Activating this but ton will mute the incoming audio—re sulting in a silent channel.
EQ/Kills
Next in the signal chain is the Equali zer, or EQ for short. While the Gain knob (above) increases or dec reases the level
of the entire audio signal in the channel , an EQ increases or decreases the level of only a spe cific frequency range within
the audio signal. Torq is equipped with a 3-band EQ, me aning it can control the levels of three diffe rent frequency ranges
(bands), named High, Mid, and Low.
The 3-band EQ is comprised of three kno bs and three buttons arranged verti cally in each mixer channel. Naturall y, the
High EQ is above the Mid EQ, which is above the Low EQ. The “X” butt ons next to each EQ knob is a Kill. Activat ing
these buttons will completely re move, or kill, the associated frequency b and from the audio—activating al l three at the
same time will therefore completely mu te the audio signal.
EQ may very well be the most powerful tool on t he DJ mixer (though some would argue that the crossfader is t he
ultimate weapon). The EQ controls are used to (1) improve the sound quality of po orly recorded or produced songs, (2)
assist in matching the overall frequenc y content of two songs, (3) add emphasis to the mu sic by removing or isolating one
or more of the frequency ranges, and (4) mix songs t ogether in a “jigsaw” fashion by swapping t he frequency ranges of
two songs as they play together.
Old songs typically don’t have as much bass as tod ay’s tracks. Therefore, you’ll often use the L ow EQ to boost the bass
(low frequencies) of the old song to match the loude r bass of a recent song. Without doing this, it may sou nd like the
music gets quieter as you mix from the recent son g to the older one.
Likewise, even tracks recorded within t he same year can sound different from one anot her, even when playing at the same
volumes. This is usually because one song wil l have stronger Mid frequencies compared to the oth er. If the bass parts in
both songs sound like they’re the same volume, you can use t he Mid EQ to “turn down” the louder song until it more
closely matches the quieter song.
DJs also like to mix things up during their set s by adding their own manipulations to the songs t hey play. For example, a DJ
might cut the High and Low frequencies from a tr ack a few beats before the chorus of a song, then br ing them back right
when the chorus starts (the per fect job for Torq’s High and Low Kill buttons).
When two songs are playing at the same time , you’ll frequently find that the music sounds muddy. This is nor mally due
to “un-complementary” b ass content in the two songs. This can be as si mple as the two songs being in different keys , or
could occur if both songs have long, sustained b ass notes. In order to clean things up, you c an simply remove the bass
from one of the songs with one of the Low Kill but tons. This will leave the bass from the other song i n the mix, so it will
still sound natural. When you’re ready, press both Low Kill bu ttons at the same time. This will kill t he bass in the first
track while bringing in the bass from th e other. This will sound like the bass part in the overall mix ha s changed (which it
has) and the mix will still sound full. You can also swap freque ncies with the other frequency bands . You can also make the
swaps less abrupt by using the EQ knobs in stead.