EQ'ing out unrequired frequencies
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- KVRist
- 175 posts since 5 Oct, 2005 from Liverpool
I found a document that told me to roll off everything below 100mhz for a vocal track. Used this and found it cut the slight rumble I had from the mic. This was good info, and I wondered if anyone knew of a graph or page with similar info for all other instruments? I realise that such info will be available but I can only find it scattered around. I'd like all the instrument info in one place if poss. Any ideas?
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- KVRian
- 831 posts since 7 Sep, 2004
Below 100MHz? 
I wouldn't do it that that way. Use your ears.
But you can look here: http://www.har-bal.com/frequency.php
I wouldn't do it that that way. Use your ears.
But you can look here: http://www.har-bal.com/frequency.php
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 175 posts since 5 Oct, 2005 from Liverpool
Barbarossa wrote:Below 100MHz?
I wouldn't do it that that way. Use your ears.
But you can look here: http://www.har-bal.com/frequency.php
100hz, sorry.
Some people have better ears than others. I am new to eq so appreciate these ballpark frequency ideas. As I said, rolling off below 100hz, lost none of the clarity of the vocal, but did take away the rumble. Works fine fer me
Glassback's personal whipping boy.
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- KVRian
- 527 posts since 22 Jun, 2004
To roll off everything below the fundamental frequency of the sound you use is generally a good idea. To find the fundamental use something like voxengo span, or simply trust your ears.
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- Banned
- 1648 posts since 11 Sep, 2005
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- KVRist
- 207 posts since 28 May, 2005
no, it is not.softegg wrote:To roll off everything below the fundamental frequency of the sound you use is generally a good idea.
should ONLY be done when needed and almost never sharp and deep. oh, and use for that lin-phase filter. but the best advice would be don't even think about it and leave it to ME.
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- KVRAF
- 2285 posts since 20 Dec, 2002 from The Benighted States of Trumpistan
Yes and no. A lot of sounds, such as pipe organs, have subharmonics which are part of the sound. Or there may be mechanical noise, such as a key or hammer, which is of a low frequency, yet no less a part of the sound. In these cases, this sort of EQ'ing is a Bad Thing.My spies inform me that softegg wrote:To roll off everything below the fundamental frequency of the sound you use is generally a good idea. To find the fundamental use something like voxengo span, or simply trust your ears.
That said, you can in many cases do it.
Go with what sounds best in the mix (and across a group of songs, if you're doing a set or album).Wait... loot _then_ burn? D'oh!
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- KVRAF
- 6937 posts since 4 Jun, 2004 from Utrecht, Holland
Most pro mixing consoles have an optional high-pass filter at 70 or 80Hz on each channel. It's there for a reason: to use it when you need it. I enable it on about every channel except instruments that are supposed to be in the bass regions.
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- KVRAF
- 12977 posts since 29 Sep, 2003 from Ottawa, Canada
With home recordings, it's likely to do more help than harm to roll of low register rumble for many instruments, including the human voice.
I'm no pro, but I also don't have a pristine recording environment and I know what works for me, and what works for me is severely and ruthlessly filtering my various track components.
OK, not that severely, but I'm definitely not delicate about it. I'd be more inclined to use a filter than EQ (though they're technically both the same thing) because a filter will allow a truer cutoff, whereas the filter we call "EQ" will generally just create a shelf or a wide 'curve'.
Greg
I'm no pro, but I also don't have a pristine recording environment and I know what works for me, and what works for me is severely and ruthlessly filtering my various track components.
OK, not that severely, but I'm definitely not delicate about it. I'd be more inclined to use a filter than EQ (though they're technically both the same thing) because a filter will allow a truer cutoff, whereas the filter we call "EQ" will generally just create a shelf or a wide 'curve'.
Greg
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- KVRist
- 262 posts since 8 Jun, 2005
Almost every instruments have so called 'formants' - specific frequencies that characterise the harmonic appearance of the instrumnet.
For example, a snaredrum has a bottom frequency (~150-500 Hz) that represents the fundamental vibration (oh god, is this the right word in english?!) of the felt, than a higher frequency band (~3-8 kHz) which represents the buzzing snares at the floor of the drum.
Now, every snaredrum is different - so the formants will differ, too. Therefore no good idea to work blindly with formant tables...
A very good way to find out those formants is to sweep the frequencies with an EQ. Take one band of the EQ and set gain to a quiet high level - i.e. 12 dB, and now, sweep through the frequencies with the freq knob while playing back the instrument you want to eq. You will hear a clear resonance at the snaredrum's formant positions! Then decide wheather you want to cut or boost the frequency at this point by using the gain parameter. Really, trust your ears here!
Quiet necessary too is the Q-setting, which determines the shape of the EQ's curve. If you have a bell characteristic, it's the width of the bell, if you have a shelving- or low/highpass filter, it's the resonance at the frequency you set.
A common technique for bell characteristics is, if you cut frequencies, do it with a thinner bell (higher Q settings), if you want to boost frequencies, do it with a wider bell (lower Q-settings).
Not to forget and to make confusion complete: some EQs mean with Q the bandwidth of the bell, so the higher the setting, the wider the bell (opposite to the example above!).
So, make sure you use the Q setting in the right way...
Ok, pretty much stuff for the beginning, but try it! It will grow to habit very quickly
Have fun!
For example, a snaredrum has a bottom frequency (~150-500 Hz) that represents the fundamental vibration (oh god, is this the right word in english?!) of the felt, than a higher frequency band (~3-8 kHz) which represents the buzzing snares at the floor of the drum.
Now, every snaredrum is different - so the formants will differ, too. Therefore no good idea to work blindly with formant tables...
A very good way to find out those formants is to sweep the frequencies with an EQ. Take one band of the EQ and set gain to a quiet high level - i.e. 12 dB, and now, sweep through the frequencies with the freq knob while playing back the instrument you want to eq. You will hear a clear resonance at the snaredrum's formant positions! Then decide wheather you want to cut or boost the frequency at this point by using the gain parameter. Really, trust your ears here!
Quiet necessary too is the Q-setting, which determines the shape of the EQ's curve. If you have a bell characteristic, it's the width of the bell, if you have a shelving- or low/highpass filter, it's the resonance at the frequency you set.
A common technique for bell characteristics is, if you cut frequencies, do it with a thinner bell (higher Q settings), if you want to boost frequencies, do it with a wider bell (lower Q-settings).
Not to forget and to make confusion complete: some EQs mean with Q the bandwidth of the bell, so the higher the setting, the wider the bell (opposite to the example above!).
So, make sure you use the Q setting in the right way... Ok, pretty much stuff for the beginning, but try it! It will grow to habit very quickly
Have fun!