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Being able to use an equalizer well can be the difference of rendering decent audio or outstanding audio. I will explain the basics and provide the tools you will need to get you on the path to exquisite sound. Two Main EQ Options Graphic EQ -Fixed frequency level adjustment -Can have 5 band and upwards of 20 bands -Very simple to use, not as detailed Parametric EQ -More complex -Precise control over level, bandwidth, and frequency Parts to an EQ Q - Ratio of selected frequency and bandwidth, how wide your band is Gain - The db amount of boost or reduction applied Frequency - The frequency being equalized Sub Bass - 0-60Hz Bass - 60-200Hz Low Mids - 200-600Hz Mids - 600-3kHz Upper Mids - 3-8kHz Highs - 8kHz+ Generally I like 2 equalizers. The first EQ is only to set up a low pass and high pass filter. Set the high pass filter between roughly 80-100 Hz. Some buzzes and hums come through these lows frequencies while the human voice does not. We will mitigate them with our high pass setting. Women’s voices you can cut a little higher, men’s voices a little lower. Start to cut out around 15k for the low pass filter. A softer setting on this end will still allow high frequencies to come through, allowing the track to breathe. It’s been suggested to not only leave these frequencies alone, but to boost them. While this can be advantageous when rendering out high quality files, it typically hurts the audio when compressing for upload. So use your own discretion whether or not you want to use a low pass filter. The second EQ is where I focus on each voice. First, scan for harsh and unappealing frequencies in the audio. Then, begin the rest of the EQ process. 100-350 Hz Is where the body of your voice typically lives. You’ll find male voices on the lower end of that range, and female voices on the higher end. Boost to add a little warmth to the voice, subtract to get rid of 'boominess' if the voice is already thick and loud. 600-3k Hz is where things can sound nasally. Generally any reflection picked up on the recording will land here as well. More often than not you’ll want a cut somewhere in these frequencies. 3k-5k is where I like to give a slight boost for clarity. Be careful as this is where sibilance (harsh S and F sounds) live too. 5k+ I end with a lifted shelf to bring out the highs and to let the track breathe a little more. Since we already made a low pass filter earlier in the chain, we’ll bring the exact highs we’re looking for. Final tips -LESS IS MORE. Start small. -Scan for harsh tones, they can build as you compress, saturate, or amplify the audio. Get rid of them early. -Put EQ in the correct spot. In nearly all cases EQ should be one of the first plugins in an effect chain.
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Compression is one of the most important plugins to master. It helps you adjust the correct amount of depth in your tracks, soften peaks, and levels the dynamics of your audio. First, there are a couple types of compression you should know about: Basic Compression - General compression limits the dynamic range in a track. The dynamic range is the distance between the loudest (highest dynamic) peak in the track and the quietest (lowest dynamic) peak in the track. Multiband - Same as basic compression, but the option to affect specific frequencies of the track similar to EQ. Parallel - Keeps more of the original sound of the track by running the original audio alongside compressed audio. Most compressors have the option to run in to parallel by using the mix setting. Serial - Multiple compressors in line on same track. Also helps keep the natural, original sound because you compress in stages as opposed to one single compressor doing all the work. Next, here are most of the options or settings your compressor may have: Ratio - The ratio at which the audio is compressed. Attack - How quickly the compression is triggered when audio reaches threshold. Release - How quickly the compression stops when audio drops below threshold. Sensitivity/Threshold/Compress - Sets the level to engage compression. Makeup - Adding compression naturally quiets the track. Makeup helps get back the lost loudness. A good starting point is to add as much makeup as gain reduction took away. Not always easy to see on all compressor plugins but having a general idea is still a good place to start. Mix or Dry/Wet - Usually in %, let’s you know the percentage of dry (uncompressed audio) and wet (compressed audio) coming out of the plugin. This is where you can turn a standard compressor to a parallel compressor. Knee - How gradual the ratio is applied to the compression. A higher dB knee makes a softer knee, lower dB gives harder knee. If you have this option a softer knee is typically best. Difference between Peak and RMS: Root Mean Square - average of the sound signal Peak - loudest signal In general, if you’re looking to get rid of harsh S’s or some extreme peaks obviously that’s where a peak based compression could suit best. If you don’t have sharp dynamic changes in the song, changing to RMS could be beneficial. Final tips: -If needed, heavier compression is typically best suited early on individual tracks. -For a more natural sound, use parallel compressors with the serial method. But be cautious as multiple compressors can do far more harm than good if used too aggressively. -Very mild compression on the master to glue it all together and make the entire track cohesive dynamically. -Less is more! |
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