Studio Talk #001 EQualization

From my own personal experience, working with lower frequencies can be quite a struggle. Things like kick, bass, synths, toms (you name it) all share some of the lower part of the frequency spectrum and sometimes even the same. The sub is pretty easy right? it’s there but how do you get all these elements to work together and make more space in the mix so all the elements are there and have there own space to work in.

These are some of my personal workflow tips i always use to get these elements going, first it’s pretty important to know that even something like a cymbal can have low end frequencies in the recording so it’s a good idea to put a low cut on almost everything just to the point you start to hear the cut to clean things up, this will help to make things stand out more in the final result. 

It’s quite handy to keep a note frequency chart nearby so you can find the frequencies corresponding with the key of your track.
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Let’s say the bass is in F(2) that corresponds with 87.307 Hz as you can see on the chart, it would be a good idea to make sure the kick stands out a little more by lowering the bass a few db’s with a narrow Q at this frequency and boosting the kick a little at the same frequencies with a narrow Q. Let one or the other be prominent by cutting out one and boost the other. 

I usually put a low cut on the kick and bass as far as 30Hz to 40Hz since frequencies below 30Hz are not audible anyway. The power of the bassline is also usually more in the upper region at around 100Hz to 300Hz so try focusing on this region instead to get the boom in you mix. 

There are probably tons of more tips i could think of and you might have your own ways of doing this so please share them with everyone around you and do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions for me!

Looking forward to reading your thoughts. Feel free to share, like and comment!