8. Application Tips
As said earli er, the equal iser is probably the oldest and t he | |
most popular sound processing tool. Parametric EQ (PEQ) in | |
particular offers maximal flexibility due to direct access to all | |
relevant filter parameters . Properly used, the PEQ is a ver y | |
powerful tool and the best friend of every sound engineer in | |
the battle fo r p erfect sound b ut if m isused, it can be the | |
greatest enemy o f any recording! Th | ere i s no universal |
formula stating how to properly use the PEQ as every new | |
recording or mixing session is unique. Here we present only | |
a few universal guidelines which are valid for the majority of | |
situations. For further directions see the respective literature, | |
ask experien ced co lleagues and be creati ve. You may also | |
wish to look at the Duende tutorials, available for download | |
from our website here: |
|
• Do not exaggerate with b oosting. It is mu ch better to | |
concentrate on a proper recording setup than to rely on | |
extreme EQ corrections. Use good mics, placed in just | |
the right spot. Equalisers are a lot more effective taking | |
away things in the signal than replacing what was never | |
there. If t he sound is not good w ithout EQ, then yo u | |
will never end up with a perfect sound using it. | |
• For sound enhancement use moderate Q values. High Q | |
is always associated with a strong phase shift that can | |
negatively in fluence the sound, es | pecially if m ore |
instruments are recorded on the same track. Remember that when you use an equaliser to boost or cut a certain part of sound at the adjusted centre frequency, you are also boosting or cutting frequencies nearby.
• Your tracks may so und g reat wh en so loed b ut t hat doesn’t mean that they will still be great in the context of you r m ix. Mix ing a mu ltitrack re cording is l ike solving a complicated p uzzle or creating a gr eat painting. Every part (instrument or voice) has to have its proper place in the overall sound image. Change the settings in small increments. Use the I n/Out bypass button r egularly to flip back and forth be tween the equalised and u nprocessed sound. A lways eq ualise tracks in the context of the rest of the mix to avoidsonic conflicts.
• Be aware that boosting the gain of a frequency region can cause signal clipping at the output of the sound card. Therefore, us e t he X- EQ o utput s lider to compensate for this before the signal enters the DAW channel.
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