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Originally Posted by Anon502  Hmm good point. I guess I was thinking that it's good to cut up to 30Hz to avoid that bass 'crack' when you play a bassy track very loud in a car for example, and then boost around 40-50Hz to still give it some solid low end. |
That's a trick that work well on some sources - but once in a while recordings do in fact come in with too much energy at this "boom" area and not enough "under the floor" - and sometime tracks come in to you where the bass end is great as it is already and shouldn't be touched! Main thing is the whole mentality that there are ever any kinds of "presets" in mastering is what is flawed. You just need to listen to what the source track sounds like first - and then based on this only do what the track "needs."
Anyway - when going for the "smiley faced" curve such as you posted sometimes a lower midrange (somewhere in the 200 - 400 Hz region) cut can in fact execute this a little cleaner than boosts at both ends. Main thing as you cut in this area is to make sure things don't get too "hollow" sounding - as it's an easy thing to overdo if you're not careful. Again - this is only when trying for the "smiley faced" curve - but is not a default by any means. Sometimes in fact if things are lacking body you might want to actually boost in this area.
Finally any frequency area is a candidate for boosting or cutting - it just depends on whether this area is lacking or is too much on the original source. Sometimes playing test tones at various frequencies helps you get a better of what number in hertz equates with what actual sound.
Hope that helps.
Best regards,
Steve Berson