Subtractive EQ
- jlampson
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Subtractive EQ
One of the compliments I routinely get about my songs is that they sound good. I searched for a while on the concept of "subtractive EQ" on the Help and How to board, but couldn't find much, so I thought I'd share my thoughts. Although I certainly don't know all there is to know, I figured any information would be helpful.
Here are three short videos that I think will help you with whatever DAW and EQ you are using:
1. http://therecordingrevolution.com/2012/ ... t-6-of-31/
2. http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/ ... t-1-video/
3. http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/ ... t-2-video/
Good luck!
John
Here are three short videos that I think will help you with whatever DAW and EQ you are using:
1. http://therecordingrevolution.com/2012/ ... t-6-of-31/
2. http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/ ... t-1-video/
3. http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/ ... t-2-video/
Good luck!
John
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Re: Subtractive EQ
yay! Thanks! Every little bit is helpful.
"Really interesting how the point you’re making slowly emerges like Martin Sheen from the mud in Apocalypse Now..." ~j$
- Kevin Mellows
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Re: Subtractive EQ
I love the Recording Revolution!
- Caravan Ray
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Re: Subtractive EQ
Yes. I have recently been reading stuff on it. It is good.Kevin Mellows wrote:I love the Recording Revolution!
I have been wondering if it may be worth my while forking out $99 for the videos they are flogging:
http://jumpstartyourmix.com
I know that when I try to read books on the subject, my eyes tend to glaze over. A decent video might be useful for me. The short videos John posted look good. Some nice clear basic "How To" guides might be a good idea.
Anyone heard any feedback about them?
- josh
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Re: Subtractive EQ
I liked these videos, straightforward useful stuff!
As far as the pitch for that JumpStart Your Mix video...
"After one hour of watching these videos you will be able to ... Put together a radio-ready mix that is compelling from start to finish"
That's clearly a lie, so what does that say about the folks who made the video?
As far as the pitch for that JumpStart Your Mix video...
"After one hour of watching these videos you will be able to ... Put together a radio-ready mix that is compelling from start to finish"
That's clearly a lie, so what does that say about the folks who made the video?
- Caravan Ray
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Re: Subtractive EQ
Yes - and I have discovered that M&Ms will actually melt in your hand as well as your mouth if you hold them long enough - but despite that, they are still quite a tasty treat and I hold no grudge against the attempted subterfuge aimed at me.josh wrote: "After one hour of watching these videos you will be able to ... Put together a radio-ready mix that is compelling from start to finish"
That's clearly a lie, so what does that say about the folks who made the video?
- Billy's Little Trip
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Re: Subtractive EQ
I thought they called them W&Ws down under?Caravan Ray wrote:I have discovered that M&Ms will actually melt in your hand as well as your mouth if you hold them long enough
- Caravan Ray
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Re: Subtractive EQ
Actually - they are called 'Smarties'. But I thought I better internationalise my response just to make it clear that I did understand the concept of "advertising".Billy's Little Trip wrote:I thought they called them W&Ws down under?Caravan Ray wrote:I have discovered that M&Ms will actually melt in your hand as well as your mouth if you hold them long enough
- Billy's Little Trip
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Re: Subtractive EQ
Ha. Smarties here are little chalky sweet tarts.Caravan Ray wrote:Actually - they are called 'Smarties'. But I thought I better internationalise my response just to make it clear that I did understand the concept of "advertising".Billy's Little Trip wrote:I thought they called them W&Ws down under?Caravan Ray wrote:I have discovered that M&Ms will actually melt in your hand as well as your mouth if you hold them long enough
They were those things you got for Halloween that weren't great, but you would tolerate. On the candy food chain, they were just above candy-corn and fruit.
- jast
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Re: Subtractive EQ
Actually, Smarties (the chocolate ones) are made by Nestlé and M&M's are made by Mars. They sell both of them here.
I hope you found this contribution to the topic of subtractive EQ useful.
I hope you found this contribution to the topic of subtractive EQ useful.
- jlampson
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Re: Subtractive EQ
jast wrote:I hope you found this contribution to the topic of subtractive EQ useful.
Very! I just know that when I listen to some of these mixes I hear a ton of extra whoomph (the bad whoomph) and vocals that don't sit right. I didn't see anything like that on the help board so I figured I'd share a sliver of knowledge I gleaned from somewhere else!
John
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Re: Subtractive EQ
The manual for my Mackie board has what turns out to be a pretty good tip for adjusting a parametric EQ subtractively:
1. Turn the gain all the way up.
2. Sweep the frequency to find a point where the signal sounds just horrible.
3. Trim the gain below 0dB until the signal sounds nice.
1. Turn the gain all the way up.
2. Sweep the frequency to find a point where the signal sounds just horrible.
3. Trim the gain below 0dB until the signal sounds nice.
- jlampson
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Re: Subtractive EQ
I use that a lot in order to find those awful masking frequencies. Pick something between 300 - 500hz and boost it about 12db. Sweep around until it obstructs the vocals the most. Turn it down to about -2db or -3db (so back to 0 and then down a few). Thanks for sharing your knowledge!AJOwens wrote:The manual for my Mackie board has what turns out to be a pretty good tip for adjusting a parametric EQ subtractively:
1. Turn the gain all the way up.
2. Sweep the frequency to find a point where the signal sounds just horrible.
3. Trim the gain below 0dB until the signal sounds nice.
- jast
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Re: Subtractive EQ
The problem with that is that anything will sound horrible if you boost small parts of the spectrum. The important bit is to decide in advance what aspect of the sound bugs you, "find" its place in the spectrum using a sweep like that (or simply from experience), and correct only that.AJOwens wrote:1. Turn the gain all the way up.
2. Sweep the frequency to find a point where the signal sounds just horrible.
- jlampson
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Re: Subtractive EQ
I'm definitely glad this topic is getting some visibility because I think it can help a lot of people. This technique is really about allowing other instruments (vocals included) to have their place and be heard clearly even in a dense mix. Think about it like taking a photograph of a tall person and a short person. You would want to place the short person in front so you can see them both well. As oversimplified as that sounds, I'd just recommend watching the videos and, mostly, TRYING it for yourselves. That's the way you are going to learn it, see the results, and find the most benefit.
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Re: Subtractive EQ
i generally sweep the vocal track(s) up and down, find its loudest point, then cut the other frequencies there.
-bill
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