PDFs on EQ, Compression, etc

[whowasmai]

Hi all,

I'm sure there are some great PDFs out there that can explain EQ, compression, high-pass/low-pass, etc, to a newbie that has only very general knowledge of these ares. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm not looking for something a pro would read. General explanations of what these things are, how they function and how to control them would be great. Thanks!

[masterizer]

Originally Posted by roboticbirds

Hi all,

I'm sure there are some great PDFs out there that can explain EQ, compression, high-pass/low-pass, etc, to a newbie that has only very general knowledge of these ares. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm not looking for something a pro would read. General explanations of what these things are, how they function and how to control them would be great. Thanks!

EQ's are everywhere, your car stereo, home stereo, computer, ipod ect. What they do is change the gain of a specific frequency range, your car stereo may only have Bass/Low and Treble/High but it is an EQ. There are different types of EQ's which you can learn more about with a quick search. EQ is used a little differently in mixing opposed to mastering. The basic goal is to enhance elements in a mix or enhance a mix in mastering. There is plenty of info on technique right on the this forum.

Downward Compression is used to reduce the dynamic range of a signal. A compressor is basically a variable gain device in which the amount of gain reduction depends on the level of the input. The methods used to apply compression vary by engineer. There are a few basic settings on a compressor, threshold which tells the compressor the range in which it should act, attack and release which tell the compressor how quickly to act, ratio which tells the compressor how much to compress, a little or alot. A limiter is a compressor with a high ratio usually 10:1 and over. Some compressors have fixed settings.

A high pass filter does exactly what the name emplies, it allows the high frequencies to pass through the circuitry and cuts off the low frequencies at a specified point. A low pass does the opposite. The are usually used to rid audio of unwanted junk. The controls are very simple.

With all these tools its best to learn by practicing. Your ears will tell you when something sounds good or not, tweak the knobs and hear what they do for yourself.

[whowasmai]

cool, thanks!!!

Originally Posted by masterizer

EQ's are everywhere, your car stereo, home stereo, computer, ipod ect. What they do is change the gain of a specific frequency range, your car stereo may only have Bass/Low and Treble/High but it is an EQ. There are different types of EQ's which you can learn more about with a quick search. EQ is used a little differently in mixing opposed to mastering. The basic goal is to enhance elements in a mix or enhance a mix in mastering. There is plenty of info on technique right on the this forum.

Downward Compression is used to reduce the dynamic range of a signal. A compressor is basically a variable gain device in which the amount of gain reduction depends on the level of the input. The methods used to apply compression vary by engineer. There are a few basic settings on a compressor, threshold which tells the compressor the range in which it should act, attack and release which tell the compressor how quickly to act, ratio which tells the compressor how much to compress, a little or alot. A limiter is a compressor with a high ratio usually 10:1 and over. Some compressors have fixed settings.

A high pass filter does exactly what the name emplies, it allows the high frequencies to pass through the circuitry and cuts off the low frequencies at a specified point. A low pass does the opposite. The are usually used to rid audio of unwanted junk. The controls are very simple.

With all these tools its best to learn by practicing. Your ears will tell you when something sounds good or not, tweak the knobs and hear what they do for yourself.

[Lagerfeldt]

http://mos.futurenet.com/pdf/compute...co.uk/EGEQ.pdf

The Art of Equalization

http://mos.futurenet.com/pdf/compute...ompression.pdf

http://www.lydmaskinen.dk/forumpics/compression101.pdf

The Big Squeeze - A comprehensive guide to compression and compressors

Understanding Audio Compressors and Audio Compression

Compressor/Expanders, Limiters and Gates

Directory - The Project Studio Handbook - Compressors, Dynamic Processors, Compression, Audio Compressor

[whowasmai]

Perfect!!!!

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

http://mos.futurenet.com/pdf/compute...co.uk/EGEQ.pdf

The Art of Equalization

http://mos.futurenet.com/pdf/compute...ompression.pdf

http://www.lydmaskinen.dk/forumpics/compression101.pdf

The Big Squeeze - A comprehensive guide to compression and compressors

Understanding Audio Compressors and Audio Compression

Compressor/Expanders, Limiters and Gates

Directory - The Project Studio Handbook - Compressors, Dynamic Processors, Compression, Audio Compressor