Yes, your described method is much the same, except that I do not just boost the desired freq for a given track, I cut all un-needed frequencies also.

There is no sense letting 60 hZ or 30 HZ add mess on a guitar track. Simply put, none of the valuable data is in that range and all it can do is add noise/mud, which sometimes gets exaggerated by FX. Try cutting below 60 hZ with EQ; you'll likely see no noticeable difference in the guitar, but now it is in its own space and the bass can breath. You may find the EQ cut adjustment on the guitar track didn't affect the guitar so much, but may indeed affect the drums and bass. <grin>

What you cut is just as valuable (and many pros will say it is MORE valuable) than what you boost.

I think what makes this hard for some to understand is while you are working on a guitar track, your mind is thinking 'how do I make it stand out'?
But the other view is 'how do I make it not intrude, and add mud or noise to the end result'?
By simply boosting suddenly your guitar can stand out but the drums and bass are still muddy, and maybe muddier .. all you gained was frustration.

That's why I used the term surgical EQ.
It's not just adding more of what's good, it is also removing what is bad (surgery).
Every track is different, but you start learning some basics quickly (cymbals do not need anything below 100hZ, guitar below 60 hZ is only adding to the problem, bass above 5kHz is expendable and often somewhere else in a bass frequency range it is battling with guitar and/or bass drum, etc,)
As an example, too much bass in the 30hZ area can kill the thud of a bass drum .. and too much in 100hZ can fight with the guitar low end (you have to decide which is more important and whether cutting 100hZ on guitar or bass is the better solution to give the other more room) .. luckily these tests are easy once you start trying them. Look for a clean mix first, boosting the whole mix later is easy once it is clean to start with. Trying to boost a song that already has conflicts is a nightmare and at best a concession (accepting trade offs). ie mastering

EQ can clean a lot of this up and add definition to each instrument, but again, cutting works well for many purposes. Don't always look for what to boost, also look for what you can cut. EQ adjustments go up AND down for a reason. <grin>

Last edited by rharv; 05/21/20 02:22 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!