My first post here, so I would like to introduce myself.

My name is Rickard and I come from the southern Sweden.
I play many different muscial genres. For example Classical guitar, blues, Punk rock (mostly skatepunk).

So, let's get my question heard!

Am I alone with being so damn perfectionist when it comes to eq and compressors?
For example, the built in equalizer in cubase almost never works for me. The most sweet sounding EQ for me is Sonalksis one. Almost no other eq works for me.
Even on the most small tracks that will only be heard like once or twice for a matter of seconds in a song. It has become like a nightmare for me the eq stuff. The same goes with compressors!

Even the C1 or the RenComp is sometimes not enough.
I can spend hours getting the perfect compressor for a bass guitar when I want a evenly loud bass track.

Why I ask this is so I can see if I am the only one with this "sickness"

Have a nice day! I will go and tweak some eq on some tracks now hehe.

If you want to hear some of my recordings, please go to www.purevolume.com/damnsundaydrivers

They were recorded in a "kind of" bedroom with dressed people

Best Regards
Rickard Gerthsson

I am perfectionist too! I spend many many hours perfecting each sound. I spent much money buying the best tools I can find. Now I am poor, and I spend much of my day perfecting using my tools.

I like your music too. You did very good. Vocal and snare are too low. With experience I think you will do very good.

punkrockdude wrote:

My first post here, so I would like to introduce myself. My name is Rickard and I come from the southern Sweden. I play many different muscial genres. For example Classical guitar, blues, Punk rock (mostly skatepunk). So, let's get my question heard! Am I alone with being so damn perfectionist when it comes to eq and compressors? For example, the built in equalizer in cubase almost never works for me. The most sweet sounding EQ for me is Sonalksis one. Almost no other eq works for me. Even on the most small tracks that will only be heard like once or twice for a matter of seconds in a song. It has become like a nightmare for me the eq stuff. The same goes with compressors! Even the C1 or the RenComp is sometimes not enough. I can spend hours getting the perfect compressor for a bass guitar when I want a evenly loud bass track. Why I ask this is so I can see if I am the only one with this "sickness" Have a nice day! I will go and tweak some eq on some tracks now hehe. If you want to hear some of my recordings, please go to www.purevolume.com/damnsundaydrivers They were recorded in a "kind of" bedroom with dressed people Best Regards Rickard Gerthsson

That´s why I do electronica...so I don´t have to be so damn picky with my sounds...helps them to sound more human and alive.

Thanks alot Alive in....

My problem with compressors (or actually the players)
is that sometimes they pick the strings really hard
and then suddenly really soft. I have come to the conclusion that a compressor can't save a "bad" performance even with good attack and release settings.
I think, maybe it is the different velocities from snare, bass guitar etc that i THINK that i can tame, when it maybe isn't the thing the compressor does.
Maybe the compressors even out the volume on them, but it doesn't change the velocity on each snare hit, string pick etc.

It would be a dream to record some musicians that really knows there instruments and are good at playing them. Then maybe some frustrations would go away when it comes to the mixing stage.

Learn to automate eq. This can even out timber difference that makes volume spike. Compress does not work. Automate eq and volume.

Thanks alot for the suggestion Alive In Chernobyl.
When it comes to kick drum, it might work great, becuase the stronger kicks has more frequencies around 200-400 (i think it was those, I don't remember).

But, does mixing engineers sit and do ALL THAT work when it comes to mixing? I am just wondering, becuase that would take alot of time if they mix an album.

Thanks again for the replies. I really appreciate it.

punkrockdude wrote:

My problem with compressors (or actually the players) is that sometimes they pick the strings really hard and then suddenly really soft. I have come to the conclusion that a compressor can't save a "bad" performance even with good attack and release settings. I think, maybe it is the different velocities from snare, bass guitar etc that i THINK that i can tame, when it maybe isn't the thing the compressor does. Maybe the compressors even out the volume on them, but it doesn't change the velocity on each snare hit, string pick etc.

You're right-compressors and EQs won't save a bad performance.You also have to remember with guitar that it's the picking changes that give it dynamics and a chance to breathe.
I don't get your comment about velocities.A compressor only works on audio signals,so it doesn't have jack to do with velocity.If you're inputting the parts from a keyboard,you should be able to scale the velocities in Cubase.
As a rule,use compression and EQ as sparingly as possible.Getting the sound right when first recording the track is the key...
ew

punkrockdude wrote:

Thanks alot for the suggestion Alive In Chernobyl. When it comes to kick drum, it might work great, becuase the stronger kicks has more frequencies around 200-400 (i think it was those, I don't remember). But, does mixing engineers sit and do ALL THAT work when it comes to mixing? I am just wondering, becuase that would take alot of time if they mix an album. Thanks again for the replies. I really appreciate it.

The stronger all intsrument is hit the more fundamentals freuency it shows. Most engineer working with bad musician do all this automation work. I tell more later. I broke keyboard, I am using on-screen keyboard.

I make electronica, so I really don't have the problems you have with real instruments. But I'll agree with you about basslines and s/w comps - all s/w comps I've tried just don't quite sound right or behave strangely with certain frequencies on occasion. I've reverted to using my h/w comps for bass again. But you live in hope - for example there's the new Torban comp just out - haven't tried it yet, but maybe it'll be the one that does it for me - who knows?

As for automating Eqs - that can have its place, but I've not come across anyone who seriously does that (but some may still do it) - Far more engineers use comps to get channels to sit right - but for a bad performance, then a flexible frequency-conscious comp is needed, not just your average full-band comp. Sometimes you may need to use a frequency-conscious comp to get the harmonics a little more even, then follow that with a standard comp to get the levels a bit more even. Personally I'd rather go the compressor route, than over-Eq'ing anything unless for specialFX. Too much Eq can ruin a recording, and for heavy Eq I don't have good enough Eqs.

But on the whole s/w comps do it for me for most purposes - it's certainly easier than the hassle of continuously recording audio, sending it out through a card into h/w and rerecording it back into the digital domain - to me, that defeats the whole object of me going the digital-audio-in-a-PC route. Even though I have a good soundcard, I'd still be converting A/D -> D/A -> A/D and that can't do anything but subtly degrade the original sound. Not worth it except for sounds that really irritate me, such as bass.

Now, a good emulation of a half-band and frequency-conscious analogue comp would get my juices going. Waves comps are OK, but they're not close enough for the price - makes more sense to just buy the equivalent h/w.

I've got the solution for you though................................................................ ..................ditch the instruments and buy some synths instead! Da dah!

When I have this problem I create many tracks for the problem. At good moments I split the problem area to a spare track. This is kept in time. I can apply correction to that track. Later if the same problem is happening I move that section to this same track. This is using the power of digital's many tracks.

Kritikon and Alive in....... thanks alot!
Your suggestions will help alot.

With the velocity thing i meant that if a bass string is hit softly it's power/velocity is low and if it is hit hard the power velocity will be strong.
So I compress will make the volume in overall better, but the power will still be the same on each string pick which it also was before the compressor did its job.

I hope I got it right above.

Thanks you all!

how can you be punk rock and worry about perfection?

bluedad wrote:

how can you be punk rock and worry about perfection?

It is one thing to try and have radical idea of something. It is another thing to want to display that radical idea in a manner many can easily access.

That is if punk rock is still considered radical.

Quote:

That is if punk rock is still considered radical.

Totally radical! To the max!

Quote:

That´s why I do electronica...so I don´t have to be so damn picky with my sounds...helps them to sound more human and alive.

umm...maybe i'm alone here...but i make a living doing both acoustic / orchestral composing and electronic music...

...and i spend about 10x more time perfecting and tweaking computer based sound than recorded.

don't take this as an insult please...
but maybe you just make music in a mediocre genre? i dunno...i know how a guitar or snare is supposed to sound...i, however, don't believe there should be limits or 'standards' in electronic music. far too much room to grow..

bluedad wrote:

how can you be punk rock and worry about perfection?

I am into punk rock becuase the great way to display or express your anger and opinions through it.

And I love classical music because of its ability to share emotions in so many different ways. I don't feel as locked in this genre when it comes to which emotions I want to express through the music.
Though, I can't add distorted guitars if I want to keep it old classical music.

Anyway.

I have a hard time listening to bad recording (lo-fi, no clear highs etc etc).
Let it be punk rock or pop.

But thanks for asking

Best Regards
Rickard Gerthsson

Ive spent months working on a single track, so I can understand the desire for 'perfection' (or at least 'competence' ) in tracks Im making myself.

However having got into music about the first wave of punk (11 in '77) I have to say that I have no problems listening to or enjoying rough, lo-fi, or poor recording because sometimes it is about the energy, the anger, or the vibe.
And I'd rather listen to a rough, early Bad Religion track (say) than a pristine-quality 'studio masterpiece' by the latest big-label act 'targetted' at that demographic.

And to be honest, the last two tracks I posted here were done in a couple of hours, I didnt fret about prefection, and they were fairly well received. I think they worked well because I didnt overdo it...

Quote:

However having got into music about the first wave of punk (11 in '77) I have to say that I have no problems listening to or enjoying rough, lo-fi, or poor recording because sometimes it is about the energy, the anger, or the vibe.

You are so right whyterabbyt. Thanks!

The "energy, the anger, or the vibe" thing

I think lo-fi best gives anger. It is funny to listen to a polish mix with polish screamer trying to be angry.

It is like a big ogre trying to be scary with a pink dress on.