Clef Method

Equalisation or EQ is one of the most important and powerful tools for any music producer or audio engineer. EQ can be used to sculpt and shape a mix, creating space for individual instruments or elements to shine, and can be used in gentle or drastic ways to change to sound of a mix. This article aims to highlight a few of the ways in which EQ can be used (on individual tracks or the mix bus) to improve the sound of a mix.

High-Pass Filter

1. High-Pass Filter- HPFs are used to cut out unwanted bass frequencies. Many instruments include large amounts of bass energy that can build up as tracks are layered. Careful application of a HPF can reduce unwanted bass without negatively affecting the tone of the instrument, creating space for bass elements and improving headroom for a louder mix.

Low-Mid Cut

2. Low-Mid Cut- One of the most common problems in mixing is the build up of low-midrange frequencies. Many instruments and voices contain a large amount of energy in the 200-600Hz range. Applying a cut to individual instruments or the entire mix in this range can drastically reduce muddiness / boxiness and improve the openness of the mix.

Upper-Mid Boost

3. Upper-Mid Boost- While applying a cut in the low-midrange can reduce muddiness & boxiness, a boost in the upper-midrange can drastically improve the presence and clarity of an instrument or mix. A gentle boost in the 2.5-5kHz region can be very beneficial for many instruments and particularly for vocals when they need to stand out from the rest of the mix.

"Air" Boost

4. “Air” Boost- One of the common terms used by mix engineers when referring to high frequencies is “Air”. This term refers to the frequencies between 10-15kHz. Adding a gentle boost in this region can add excitement and openness which can be particularly useful on synths, guitars, vocals or any harmonically rich instrument or even the entire mix.

Low-Pass Filter

5. Low-Pass Filter- The exact opposite of a High-Pass Filter, a LPF can be used to reduce unwanted high-frequency energy where it isn’t needed. This can help to reduce harshness and distortion, and is even more important in an era where mp3 is the dominant audio format (mp3 is a compressed format that does not deal with high frequencies very well).

As with any adjustment to your mix, EQ changes such as these can do more harm than good if done badly or to excess, so start with gentle adjustments and ensure that your monitoring set-up is accurate to help you judge the true impact of the changes made.