Using "High passing filter" - yes or no?

[Chamar]

Stumbling accross this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V2dh0gz4xg

So what's the conclusion of it?

Don't use (phase) high pass filters and got with linear ones?

Or doesn't use high pass at all, if so only with gentle slopes?

[legendCNCD]

If you can get away with using just a shelf, use it instead of hpf/lpf. Gentle slopes.

[digitalboytn]

Yes

[gaggle of hermits]

does it sound ok? yes

does it not sound ok? no, use something else.

[stillshaded]

Not many people know this, but the high pass filter was invented as a troll. It was never intended to be used.

[jupiter8]

If there was one correct answer everyone would be doing it (or not doing it). The correct answer is: it depends.

[Jafo]

These are two separate issues: audio masking and phase. Most sounds have a lot of bass frequencies, so you high-pass (or shelf) everything except kick and bass if you want to actually hear them. Phase is a separate issue, and generally unavoidable: phase is what causes EQ.

If you want to be really anal about it, you can use SPEAR or something similar to edit the component sines: no EQ, no artifacts. But it's an epic hassle.

[lfm]

Even before starting mixing you arrange and pick instruments with frequency content that do not overlap too much.
- so you get a full sounding mix having all frequencies represented, kind of

If some instrument create mud by overlapping too much
- eq out or hipass or whatever suites the purpose

One interview on Pensado's place long ago a celebrated mixer explained how he sometimes move the peak frequency of kick a few hz not to intervene with bass and such.
- lowered eq at 50 hz, and increase level on 53 hz and similar

This was the long version.

Short version of this is already said: it depends if to hipass

[ramseysounds]

Always

[andymcbain]

does it sound ok? yes

does it not sound ok? no, use something else.

+1

[bmanic]

Exactly this. You need to listen and decide if it's good or not. Sometimes a HPF, especially if it's steep, causes issues or sometimes it's just the right thing for the job.

Sometimes a HPF can sound really good but not because it removed frequencies, rather because the phase change made the sound align or gel better with some other tracks. If that's the case and you don't want to remove the frequencies, then you can use an All-Pass filter instead. Another place for all-pass filters (which I'm a huge fan of!) is for getting drum layers (like multi-miked snares, toms etc) to sound really nice and organic. Sometimes when you flip the polarity of a layer you may get the bottom end/low-mids to sound correct but the highs may suddenly feel lost or harsher.. so instead of forcing the whole tracks polarity you can use a 6dB/octave all-pass filter instead and target the area you want to flip the polarity of.

You can also switch to a linear phase HPF if you just need to get rid of some rumble but the phase change causes bad stuff to happen.

[vurt]

should i use pepper when cooking?

[Songwriter101]

Yes, but a gentle one. I'm using 6dB per octave most of these days.

[bmanic]

Yes, but a gentle one. I'm using 6dB per octave most of these days.

That too is not a good general rule. The phase response and time domain ripple of a 24dB/octave filter may actually suit some material better than a gentle 6dB/octave.

It really is a case of try and listen which one works best.

In case it isn't obvious what I'm trying to say here: LISTEN. It really is that simple. Just doing things for the sake of something, some arbitrary rule or suggestion somebody somewhere said, is the most common pitfall with people starting out. I understand that most people need some guide lines but that guide line should always have the most obvious "Listen!" listed first, every time.

[soundmodel]

When mixing and assuming that you have sensible tracks, then you usually do not high-pass unless something is severely wrong with the bottom end. In mastering it's quite common to high-pass at 30Hz so that it doesn't affect e.g. 40 or 60 drastically, but cuts some of the "energy" that's mainly just causing harm for most sound systems that can't even play < 60 Hz properly.

Unless it's for an effect like in synths, then having to use LP or HP is usually a sign that something is wrong with the sound spectrum (there's way too much of some frequency compared to having a balanced sound). You can however use shelves, which retain the harmonic balance better. Having to do a -pass just signifies that the content is not balanced, because the pass will literally cut out some parts of the sound drastically and leaves you with less harmonic content. But a balanced sound already has good harmonic content and does not need -passing.