Tuesday, January 21, 2014

10 Mixing Tips in 10 Days: Day Eight - Subtractive EQ

Welcome to day eight of the 10 Mixing Tips in 10 Days series. Today we are going to talk about EQ. EQ is an amazing tool, and you need to know how to use it. But how do you know if should boost or subtract? Well, there are times to both.

Today we are going to look specifically at using subtractive EQ and how using subtractive EQ can help you get better mixes.

Let's get started.




Mixing Tip:

Use subtractive EQ to take away frequencies before boosting. 


Subtractive EQ can be a great way to rid your tracks of sounds you don't like. It's a great technique to start with, and while there is nothing wrong with boosting, sometimes taking away can be better. 

What is subtractive EQ?


Subtractive EQ is simply taking away frequencies instead of boosting frequencies. Let's look at an example of how we could use subtractive EQ. 

Often times when mixing drums they end up sounding muddy. So let's say you'd like to get rid of some of that muddy sound. You might be tempted to go to your drum bus and boost the upper mid to high frequencies. This will certainly add some more clarity and give the illusion that the mud is gone. The problem with this is that now you are adding frequencies that may not have needed to be boosted. You're going to hear more cymbals and possible the snare. Instead, what you would want to do is use subtractive EQ. Try cutting around 400hz by about 3 to 6db and see if that gets rid of the muddy sound before you start boosting. 

There are certainly time where you will want to boost frequencies. I do it all the the time. You just need to be intentional about your EQ steps and make sure you aren't adding unnecessary information before you try to take away frequencies.  Hope that helps!


Do you have a recording you're ready to take to the next level? We can help! We offer services in mixing and mastering. -Will Sterling Productions

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