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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Apprentice
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In case this helps, it's a list of suggested EQ settings from a long time TV music producer here in Portland, Oregon. I saved it in Dropbox and here's the link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jjpj00u61ysb97f/MIXING%20FREQs.pdf?dl=0

Here's the intro:

Making the Cut
You can add clarity and fullness to any instrument in a mix by attenuating (cutting) or boosting certain frequencies. And of course, adjusting the wrong frequencies can make an instrument shrill, muddy, or just downright annoying. The following table offers suggestions for frequency ranges that should be boosted or cut when shaping the sound of commonly used instruments. Remember, these are just suggestions; these frequencies may need to be adjusted up or down depending on the instrument, room, and microphone. For more information about the effects of boosting and cutting various frequencies, see Fig. 4.


Andy

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Andy,

Thank you for posting that. It will DEFINITELY be useful to me.... very comprehensive.

All the best,
Noel


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Lots of valuable information here. I printed all 7 pages for reference.

Great find Andy and thanx for sharing.


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Saved the .PDF as well here. Thanks.




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You are all welcome! Now you can explain it to me. smile smile smile
*Supplemented: Wow, that worked on a sibilance.

Last edited by Andy A - USA; 04/15/17 01:42 AM.

Andy

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Good advice to cut before you boost. In many cases, just cutting the right (offending) frequency can fix the issue without having to boost anything. It is OK to boost but don't make a habit of starting with boosting to fix a perceived issue.


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Izotope's Neutron has a very cool feature that lets you load multiple tracks in one instance of Neutron. It then shows you which frequencies within the tracks are competing for the same space with other tracks. You can then modify the EQ's and watch/listen as you make the changes. It's not whistles and bells, at least for me, and I find it a very valuable tool. I like sparse, open mixes and this feature has been great toward that end. FWIW, etc.

Bud


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Herb makes a good point: I was always taught to use EQ to cut, not boost.


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Hi Andy, the article's gone. Any chance you could put it back up? Thanks.


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I saved it in my DropBox account, so you can access it +++ here +++.


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Wow, that is really painted with a very broad stroke regarding vocals. There are so many variables most of which are relative to the specific voice and the mix. I've miixed a lot of vocals and I invariably tailor eq around what I (and often others) think will sound good for that person's vocal in the context of the genre and then what changes are needed for placing it in the mix. I can't imagine any track for which there are more possible variables in the sound than the human voice. I suppose eq presets, suggestions, templates could be helpful but certainly no substitute for knowing what aspects of that particular voice need eq change beyond flat. And, for me, I can nearly apply the above to electric guitars given the huge range of sounds available with mics, heads, speaker boxes and pedals. I will confess to using FX presets but of all the modules in the presets eq is the one that I always set flat and start from there. All with a huge 2 cents worth and a boatload of FWIW's from an ole phart who's hearing oughta preclude him from making any comments!


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Hi Bud,
Was fortunate enough to get Neutron last month and its really handy.The masking meter is a great leg up and the track assistant as well.One question I saw a guy use it on his final Master mix and then use Ozone to finish the master .Have you tried it or would their be any downsides to doing this?(He used track assist and then finished with ozone)
Great plugin its cool I agree
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I don't see it as a mastering tool - at least not for my work flow. I tend toward very light touches when mastering (Ozone 7 Advanced) and try to reach the mastering stage with little to clean up. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking with it smile


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Hi Bud
Seems Like a good policy!
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Hey Hugh, now that I think about it a friend mentioned using it on the final mix. I'm typing via iPhone and away from my Mac but I seem to recall that Neutron might have a few mastering presets. It's hard to imagine what they could offer that Ozone lacks. I'll take a look at them.

Bud


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hi Bud,
Yeah I Just messed around with it on a track.I had Neutron and Ozone going.I found their was too much goin on,together one part of the song might be great and another muddled or too bright.I thought using the track assist and only leaving the eq on was helpful but only when i turned the eq off on Ozone.Not sure and Im not experienced enough to say that it has definite benefits or not,Probably the track assist with the Eq only or even Neutron on with parts of Ozone at the same time,
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It's real easy to overdo things, or do so accidentally.
Do a mix first, then master.

Sometimes you can get away with doing both at once, but it's often easier to do in stages.
Baby steps .. sometimes it's better.
/Slow down to go faster and all that


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It's been said over and over. Mastering cannot make a bad mix sound good but it can make good mix sound great. FWIW, I don't even think about mastering until I have what is hopefully a good mix. And, of course, mixing is never finished just abandoned smile


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Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
It's been said over and over. Mastering cannot make a bad mix sound good but it can make good mix sound great. FWIW, I don't even think about mastering until I have what is hopefully a good mix. And, of course, mixing is never finished just abandoned smile


Exactly. A good mix must start with good tracks. One bad track can spoil a mix. If one starts with the best tracks then a good mix and a better master is possible.


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Hi .....Mixing is never finished its just abandoned.....
That could be lyrics to a great song..... Lol

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