Eq questions!

[frans]

Let me revoice your question to show how impossible it is to answer, except if you sit next to someone while you play them an example.
"I don't know how to drive from the market to the train station. How do I do it?"
Depending on where you are, the answers will be different.
What to cut, boost, do, not do, how, how much, when and whatnot depends on your own ability to judge the source. If you don't got the ability or a so-so monitoring situation you're going nowhere and no ammount of advice will get you anywhere as well. Your question revolves about how you would learn to make all these decisions yourself and I'm not putting you down as EVERYONE around here has been at that point ... and some aren't even there.
The fastest way is to sit with a friend who can show you. If all fails, try to make it worse, see what works and then do the opposite.

[WildStyle]

Originally Posted by mylesp

I plan to start using waves puigtech to boost with or another analog type eq plugin. Should I use this directly after my subtractive eq or after my compressor?

TYPICALLY I cut before the compressor and then boost after the compressor as well. With that said, NOTHING is written in stone. If it sounds good do it.

[Brian R]

Just pay me to do it.

[Moraha]

Originally Posted by WildStyle

NOTHING is written in stone. If it sounds good do it.

Definitely.

When I started doing this I've seen countless people say either one of these:

- Don't ever boost. Just cut.
- Only cut before a compressor, then boost after a compressor.

I violate both of those "rules". I usually do a lot of surgical stuff before the compressor (usually just cutting). Then I'll use an EQ with a wider Q to boost AND cut after the compressor (if I have to). I've never had a client complain that I should have not cut any further after the compressor. Whatever sounds good sounds good.

[CJ Mastering]

You can cut or boost before or after a compressor. It just depends on each situation. Every situation is different, so no one can say yes or no to this question.

[mylesp]

Originally Posted by frans

Let me revoice your question to show how impossible it is to answer, except if you sit next to someone while you play them an example.
"I don't know how to drive from the market to the train station. How do I do it?"
Depending on where you are, the answers will be different.
What to cut, boost, do, not do, how, how much, when and whatnot depends on your own ability to judge the source. If you don't got the ability or a so-so monitoring situation you're going nowhere and no ammount of advice will get you anywhere as well. Your question revolves about how you would learn to make all these decisions yourself and I'm not putting you down as EVERYONE around here has been at that point ... and some aren't even there.
The fastest way is to sit with a friend who can show you. If all fails, try to make it worse, see what works and then do the opposite.

yes i need someone who can show me but i dont know anyone that even knows as much as i do. i mean what i do as far as eq is nice for what it is, i just know it can be better.

[DaveE]

The arrangement is going to dictate what needs to happen with your vocal. Sometimes you plop everything in there and it sounds good with minimal eq. Other times you have different freqs stepping on each other. Without hearing what's happening with the music, it's near impossible to offer anything helpful.

[patchprogrammer]

How you EQ is going to depend on the source signal AKA your microphone and voice going into it. The mic I use has a muddy low end so I roll off everything in that area and compress the mids and highs. First rule is there are no rules. Do what sounds good, don't do what doesn't sound good. That's really all there is to it. You have to do this a lot to get enough experience to be at a level where you understood your gear intimately and know what effects will be achieved by doing certain things with EQs, Compressors and Reverb.

It's better to know a lot about a little than a little about a lot, so just pick one compressor, one reverb, and one eq and work with those A LOT until you understand them. Figure out the relationship between the sound coming out the speakers and the effects in your chain. Spend hours experimenting with every little thing, making mental notes of stuff you like, stuff you'd never want to use again, stuff you don't understand, etc...