Equaliser – An Introduction To The Basics Of Music Technology

A good knowledge of EQ can help you to gain a better understanding of how to shape your sounds in the ways that you want. A equaliser (EQ) is a filter that enables you to enhance or dampen certain frequencies. EQs can be both fixed and dynamic frequencies (also known as parametric equalisers)

The EQ plugins for the parametric frequencies have around 3 main controls, a bandwidth selection, a frequency selector and a Gain. The gain helps to preset how much the filter will enhance or cut the desired frequency.

Why not run your track through an EQ plugin in your software, you can then help to get to grips with how EQ can aid your track. If you set the gain to a high level then sweep the frequency through its spectrum, it can help to diagnose poor and problem frequencies and is a good technique for diagnosing problems with your tracks as some frequencies may seem to hard or unpleasant when you listen. You can also do the converse and lower the gain level and it can still be very useful for the information that you would learn.

A stellar tip is to lower frequency on your lead sounds to around 60-200 Hertz as this helps to produce a lot more room in your mix this also helps to make the low frequencies in your mix stand out. Another great tool and aid in doing this would be to get an enhancer is a special plug-in that is designed and built to enable frequencies that are missing in the sound to be added back in. It does this by producing harmonic frequencies to the original sound. This plug-in is really helpful on sampled percussive elements.