EQ as an instrument

[putte]

Hi there, good old KVR.

Since a while I´m quite amazed how musical Equalizers can be. By this I´m not refering to soundquality, but to the possibilities in shaping what you hear regarding frequencies.

My tool of choice ist Fab Filters Pro Q2. Since some weeks I try to dive in single tracks within my Songs in Logic using this EQ by setting nodes set to "Bell" in "96 dB/oct" to then set the Q-Factor to be surgical.

From there on I wade through the frequencies and mostly narrow the ones to my taste. Somehow, this method feels like playing the EQ as an instrument, as it features or even delete notes. Hard to explain, microscopic, and even worse: I am german. Anyway, it´s a very pleasant process.

[Bodhisan]

Hi there, good old KVR.

Since a while I´m quite amazed how musical Equalizers can be. By this I´m not refering to soundquality, but to the possibilities in shaping what you hear regarding frequencies.

My tool of choice ist Fab Filters Pro Q2. Since some weeks I try to dive in single tracks within my Songs in Logic using this EQ by setting nodes set to "Bell" in "96 dB/oct" to then set the Q-Factor to be surgical.

From there on I wade through the frequencies and mostly narrow the ones to my taste. Somehow, this method feels like playing the EQ as an instrument, as it features or even delete notes. Hard to explain, microscopic, and even worse: I am german. Anyway, it´s a very pleasant process.

God, I can barely get my e.q. to sound good - but you're making me want to experiment as you describe. I do so want and desire a very pleasant process.

[vurt]

and even worse: I am german.

[donkey tugger]

and even worse: I am german.

Well, I never would have guessed.

[Winstontaneous]

On a long very lazy day not too long ago, I listened to a bunch of my favorite music including Brian Eno & Cluster while making extreme EQ adjustments. One thing I discovered is that Eno will do things like put a subtle electronic rhythm as the only thing over 5K. If you filter out 5K and above you don't even hear it, if you filter out everything below you just hear the rhythm. Not sure if that was the intent but it made me think about EQ in a different way, and reinforced the importance of basic mix leveling so that the musical idea comes through regardless of speakers, acoustics, or EQ.

Some years ago I did a similar investigation of albums made on consoles with only 3 position panning controls (left, center, right) including the Beatles' Rubber Soul and Beck's Mutations, listening to each of them 3 times through, once for each panning option. I know the mono versions of Beatles records are considered definitive, so I'm not sure who made the panning decisions on the stereo records. Again, not sure whether they were produced with this in mind but each version made musical sense that seemed to be intentional. This is compared to being out in public in a store or dentist's office (hearing Creed in the dentist's chair...talk about adding insult to injury! ) and only hearing modern pop out of one speaker, being able to tell the producers paid no attention to this possibility.

[garryknight]

That kind of surgical upwards adjustment (narrow Q) can be useful for tuning snares and other percussion instruments.

[Bodhisan]

and even worse: I am german.

Well, I never would have guessed.

I was trying to think of something clever yet complimentary, so thanks for filling my own void.