3 EQ Mistakes We All Make!

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1. Overusing Sweep EQ
I realize that as a beginner you are encouraged by everyone to use sweep EQs, but they are not always beneficial for your mix. I actually can’t remember the last time I used a sweep EQ! If I take any EQ band and boost it to 5, 10, 15, 20 dB, no matter how narrow it is, I don’t have to move something very far before it is completely and utterly obnoxious. If you are sweeping to find bad things, you will always find bad things. After applying that sweep EQ, the track will likely sound flat and lifeless.

Instead, trust yourself and your ears! When you hear something horrible, that is when you look for where it is and fix it. If you are not hearing anything offensive, don’t go looking for things that are offensive. Trust yourself and make decisions based on what you hear.

2. Not Using High and Low Passing
Any tracks you mix are going to have buildup in certain frequencies, and in that low end – from about 20 to 200 Hertz – it can be an absolute mess. This is where you go in and start getting creative! If you are listening to an instrument and you are not hearing a reason for it to have excessive low end or excessive high end, get rid of it and you will create some real clarity. There is a lot of confusion about this, but high passing and low passing and gentle EQ moves are very useful, and are such powerful tools when it comes to shaping your low and high end.

3. Applying EQ to Solve Problems That Aren’t Persistent in the Mix
If we EQ to fix problems that are only present in certain areas, the part can start to sound really narrow and thin. For example, on a chord, it might seem like good idea to take out certain frequencies, but if the same guitar player plays an arpeggio immediately after that and concentrates on high strings, suddenly all the low end or low mids that were reinforcing that beautiful high line are taken away. In cases like this, you have to be selective of where you apply the EQ, and don’t be afraid to automate so that the EQ is applied only where it is truly needed!

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What are some of your favorite EQ tricks?

Producelikeapro

The biggest game changer of a tip ive ever learned is: 1. Duplicate the bass into 2 tracks, Low and high, low pass the low at 200htz and high pass the high at 350htz. 2. Limit the low end at about - 10db with something like an L1 and set the release on the limiter really slow, but make the release meter falls in time with the song (so somewhere between 700ms-1000ms). This works on about 90% of mixes. You can process the high track however you want then (chorus, doubler, 1176 eg.). This evens out bass so nicely, espically with a subwoofer. Id be interested to hear anyones thoughts who try it!

markshortall

'Don't go looking for things to be offensive.' Great EQ tip. Try telling Twitter users the same, though. xD

jprest

Here's the biggest EQ mistake of all time - eqing with your eyes instead of your ears.

largepoodle

the first couple of minutes when you swept through the frequencies really made me laugh

mozwall_

"this incredibly horrible weird phasy mess of disgustingness" xD

chromeCoYotE

I generally sweep by cutting rather than boosting. I don’t generally do it, but if I can’t find a frequency without sweeping, I find it’s a lot better to turn a band down and sweep until I don’t miss what is being cut, then back off. In my experience, it will always sound like there is a hole in the frequency response until you hit the right frequency, and if you never hit that point, no cutting is really needed.

universeman

First three minutes, hilarious "arggh ugly, urgggh ugly!"

PhilRichardson

I hate videos with titles like, "You're doing this wrong!" Because they're usually just rebranded "one weird trick" type things with clickbait titles to get views. I appreciate the subtle difference in title here, "We all do this" instead of the accusatory "you're doing this wrong".

Wouldn't have clicked on this if it wasn't this channel. And I'm glad I did because I learned a lot. Thanks, Warren!

dchadpage

I don't sweep to pull out offensive stuff. I only do it to identify the frequency of something offensive that I already hear.

randychurchill

Slopes are EVERYTHING. Selecting the right slope filter (shape AND rate) made the biggest difference to the overall sound. This became much more apparent with large format digital consoles in the live scenario. Once my ears got dialled into exactly what you're talking about, my channel strips consisted of gain, high pass, low pass and pan. My mixes had never been better.

Captain_Terp

Truth! In a very beginning I was mixing like this too, cutting a lot of things with a narrow shape band dips, and every time it was ruining the sound.

moscowphil

Explaining while demonstrating in real time made this a treat to watch! Even a Cro-Magnon like myself can learn something. Much thanks! 🙂

steve_anderson

I definitely sweep, but not to discover a rogue frequency, just to find one I've already identified and can physically sing.

I also occasionally do some broad notching out when two instruments are arguing over an EQ space, perhaps notching out 2 dB on one whilst boosting the other by 2dB or something like that...

joelonsdale

This is the best EQ tips I’ve seen on Youtube. These first points are simple basic stuff but sometimes missed and affects the whole mix on a fundamental level. Basically you just made your starting point a lot worse, which you can’t really make up for despite your best efforts. Sadly I learned (and still learning) this 25 years in, and if I’m really honest, to some degree I’m still doing it. I feel this video was made just for me.

matsfrommusic