Equalization Basics

Week 5: Equalization Basics -- Demonstrate the configuring of an EQ plugin to function like a large format mixing console EQ section. Include instructions showing how to save the setting as a preset in your DAW.

Whenever you have an audio recording of decent quality, you'll still want to adjust its timbre to fit in your mix. One way to do this is using an Equalizer (EQ) plugin in your DAW.

Contemporary mixing boards (even the smallest ones) tend to have a separate EQ section for each channel, which you can customize its sound with. The bare minimum is a Low Level and a High Level controller, but another one for Middle Level is also common. Larger mixing consoles have separate knobs for Low Mids and High Mids. In most of this cases there are additional controllers to adjust the center frequency of the beformentioned two knobs. Often there is a two-state button in the beginning of the EQ section which you can cut the sub-bass frequencies with.

When you start equalizing your recordings in a DAW, you'll want to set it up in a way you can easily adjust the main frequency bands. For this you should make a preset based on an EQ section of a real mixing board, because they are made for being wieldy and efficient. Remember to use the smallest number of EQ bands you can to save computing capacity.

Fig.1: EQ preset based on an EQ section of a mixing board

The first thing to set up is a High Pass Filter around 60-80Hz. This will help you getting rid of wind rumble, footsteps and the 50/60Hz hum of an occasional ground loop. (However, do not use this when you're mixing sounds of explosions and sub-bass instruments.) Often you can set the gradient of the filter - the steeper the curve is, the more precise adjustment can be made in the frequency domain.

The next one should be a Low Shelf Filter with which you can emphasize the bass frequencies around 80-100Hz you've accidentally lost in the previous step. Another shelf filter should be a High Shelf Filter around 10-12kHz which you can brighten your mix with.

Between these two shelf filters you can always add several Normal Filters (or Bell Filters) to emphasize or suppress definite frequency bands. You can adjust their center frequency and Q factor (real mixing boards lack the latter) besides their level, so you can even cut a disturbing single frequency boost with them. Setting one around 400Hz and another around 2kHz makes a good starting point.

After all you'll want to save your settings to a brand new preset. You'll certainly find a Save or Save Preset button (often under the File menu or an icon of a disc) on the upper part of the plugin window, where you can give it a good name you will find next time as well (e.g. Mixing Board Preset).