Mixing Tutorial - Part 1 Introduction: Learing the console and the equipment you are using is usually the

first goal of a student. Although knowledge of the equipment is an important achievement, it doesn't guarantee a desirable product. Learning what to do is as important as learning how to do it. Mixing is the hardest skill to master. Mixing technique is not a subject that has a lot of text pages. It is strange that recording texts will spend chapters about placement of microphones and only paragraphs about mixing. Just what one does to mix is the least understood of all the recording techniques one learns. In this series of tutorials, we will be attempting to give more understanding to the mixing process. The Importance Of Mixing The mixdown of a tune makes or breaks the recording. Berry Gordy Jr. had this little record company in Detroit called Motown Records. His philosophy on mixing was that a tune should be mixed 20 times. He wanted the last microgram of sound out of a record he released. At Motown, typically 4 different engineers would submit mixes on a tune to be released. The engineer that did the "best" mix was asked to "remix": with a set of instructions from Berry or his "Quality Control" department for changes in the mix. If a second engineer had a "close" mix, he too would get the job of re-mixing. After the mix went back and forth between Quality Control and the engineers several times, one mix would be chosen as "the mix" to be used. If the release was important and if engineers weren't getting the product that Berry thought was possible, Berry would mix the tune and then defy other engineers to "better" his mix. Since Motown went from being a small obscure record label to being the largest independent record company in the world, one could assume that his techniques had some merit. The procedures Motown had resulted in a lot of time being spent in mixing. This "time" is probably the key factor in obtaining the best mix. The Mixdown Session I have seen mixing session take a half-hour a tune to 40 hours per tune. I guess the average mixing session is 5 hours to mix one tune for the "average" national release. When I estimate how long a production will take to get to market I budget 7.5 hours per tune for mixing. This is necessary because at least half of the tunes will want to be mixed more than once. In a ten-tune project this is 75 hours of mixdown. In two playings of the tune, then engineer should come up with a basic blend of the sounds on the multitrack tape. The engineer first works just with pans and faders to get the best blend of the recorded sound without any fader movement during the tune. Usually a blend is established on the drums first, starting with the kick drum. Next the blend of the rhythm instruments, such as guitars and bass will be done. Special attention will be given to the "weight" of the rhythm instruments and the drums. This is usually done with careful setting of the volume blend between the "starting" drum component (kick) and the "starting" rhythm instrument component (bass). The drums must then be balanced compared to the kick and the rhythm instruments must be balanced referenced to the bass. After the drums and rhythm instruments are well blended, the "top" or "sweetening"

instruments are added. These instruments include the "accent" instruments, the "String & horn" synthesizers, the background vocals and any solo instruments like lead guitar. Finally the lead vocal is added. All of this mixing goes very fast (10 minutes) and deals just with the blending of the direct sounds that are on the tape with the faders stationary. Reverb, equalization and fader movements come later. In two more playings of the tune, the engineer adds basic reverberation effects that will be used. Usually three different reverberation programs are established and blended in differing amounts for different instruments. The blending of reverberation programs is the subject of part 2 of this series of articles. The engineer is establishing "basic" reverberation. So far the engineer has spent about 20 minutes mixing the tune. To this point the engineer has no equalization or fader movements. Next the engineer will add equalization changes. The equalizer is really a level control that is specific to a particular "set" of frequencies. When applying equalization, the engineer is not just trying to get a good sound on an instrument. He or she is trying to get a good sound on the instrument when it is playing with the other instruments that will be playing. The engineer will solo the instrument to adjust equalization but will always need to listen to the effect of the equalization on the mix. Usually another 10 to 15 minutes has passed and the total mixing time for the tune is about 35 minutes. Again the engineer has established a "static" mix where no fader movements have yet come into play. The engineer now practices and tries out various fader movements to enhance the mix. Special reverberation and effects programs are added, if necessary, to enhance the mix. The process described gives a basic mix of what is on the multitrack recording. This takes about 1 hour. For the local release this may be all that is done to the tune. For the more discerning and richer client, mixing has only just begun. Fine tuning of the blend, adding wanted emphasis to certain parts or certain instruments, and "repair" of tracks is yet to be accomplished. Use of dynamic processing (compressors and expanders) to "repair" or to "enhance" the mix may be added. This "fine tuning" is what takes all of the time. Repair Vs. Enhance The description of the mixdown session assumes a good recording of a good performance for each track. In almost every multitrack recording there is something that is less than ideal on one or more tracks. There may be level changes because of punch ins or because the performer "ran out of breath" at the end of each line. The performer could have stepped back and decreased in volume at certain spots. There can be sour notes, shuffling of feet or knocking into the mic stand that have to be eliminated or minimized in the mix. It can be quite humorous to solo a vocal track and discover that the singer "passed gas" during the lead guitar solo. The engineer could have run levels incorrectly causing noise or even distortion on one track. The engineer who cut the tracks may have applied some far-out equalization during recording that now sounds weird with the rest of the instruments playing. The items to "repair" a recording are the same items that can be used to "enhance" a recording. This includes faders, equalizers, compressors, expanders and even reverberation. The difference is in the application. A "repair" is to get a reasonable sounding track and an "enhance" takes it from there to the stars.

Repairs are done as soon as the defect gets in the way of the process. If a track is too noisy or too weird, it has to be "repaired" before even a basic blend can be obtained. If it is a minor defect, the repair comes after the basic mix is obtained. .Repairing is always done before enhancing. Listening Is They Key Mixing is blending for the ears. You are blending instruments, effects and frequencies to obtain the mix. Hearing is 70% mental and 30% physical. The hearing mechanism (including the ear drum, the inner ear and its nerve endings) has to be in reasonable shape to be able to hear. Just because we can hear doesn't mean that we do hear. Actually hearing something requires mental focus as well as a good hearing mechanism. Small deficiencies in mechanics and be "made up for" with mental power. There is the "cocktail party effect" where a person can hear what a friend is saying across the room through all sorts of chatter and noise that should obscure the conversation. There is the husband that won't hear the wife because he's watching football. The TV can be 65 dB SPL and the wife can be 100 dB SPL and she won't be "heard." Thus we can "tune in" or "tune-out" our hearing with the brain. Mental Focus As a Hearing Limitation The worst kind of session to do is the "overdub and mix" session. In this session you may spend an hour overdubbing the vocal. During the session you are focusing your hearing on the vocal. When you then try to mix, the vocal comes out too loud in the mix. Everybody from the most rank amateur to the most professional has this tendency. When the client, producer or engineer plays one instrument, that instrument is usually "featured" in the mix. Early in my career I noticed that bass player/producers always wanted an overabundance of bass in the mix. This is a product of focus and also a product of past listening circumstances. The musician is always next to his/her instrument; thus a good "blend" is with that instrument louder. Mental Focus As a Hearing Tool Mental focus is more of a tool than a limitation. The best way to negate the limitations of hearing focus is to listen to a "reference." By a reference I mean a released tune that is similar to nature and style to the tune you are about to mix. This reference must, of course, be a release that everybody (client, producer and engineer) agrees sounds good. Playing this reference before the mixing session and during the mixing session changes your hearing focus. The new engineer should always listen to a reference and the experienced engineer should listen more often than he/she does. The reference should be the best quality recording (read this: "compact disc"). The most-often used definition of a good mix is that "everything can be heard." Not only should everything be heard but everything should be heard at almost all times. Also, instruments with the same function should have even weight. If there are 2 rhythm guitars, 90% of the time they should be heard equally well. To mix well, the engineer must learn how to "focus" hearing one instrument while all are playing. Lets take the bass line as an example. One listens to the tune and listens to the bass line while the mix is playing. What the engineer hears determines what should or could be done to the mix.

If certain notes always stick out or get lost, the engineer grabs the equalizer and raises (or lowers) the band of frequencies that will bring out the lost tones and reduce the notes that stick out. If certain passages are low but the player is playing the same part that is heard well in a different spot, the compressor is used or the fader is ridden. If the part is always lost or always dominant, the engineer reaches for the fader. If an instrument gets lost whenever another instrument plays, the problem is masking and can be corrected with the equalizer. Sometimes parts are supposed to get less dominant at certain parts of the tune when another instrument starts playing. In this case the engineer carefully adjusts the level of the two instruments for "equal weight." If an instrument sounds like it is in front of the band rather than back with the band, the engineer reaches for the "echo send" to adjust the amount of reverb or reaches for the effects unit to adjust reverb programs and parameters. We've already stated that the engineer should spend the vast majority of his/her time in listening to the mix rather than soloing an instrument. Listening to all instruments and trying to "follow" a particular instrument is how you listen to a mix.

Mixing Tutorial - Part 2 REVERBERATION BASICS

Understanding the basic tools of a trade is a big part of learning the trade. In this article we will address basic reverberation. In future articles we will address the other tools of mixing like equalization and dynamics. Guidelines On Using Reverb: It would be a fair statement to say that the more-natural reverberation effects are added to any mix first, and the "special" effects are added later. Almost every sound source uses reverberation in a mix and special effects are usually added to a selected few of the sounds in the mix. During recording, and much of the overdubbing, the focus is on getting tracks recorded correctly and the effects added are largely the reverberation effects. During the mixdown stage, you start with reverberation effects that will work on many instruments. You may then want to add a reverberation that is tailored to sound better on one particular instrument. Finally you would add the special effects. When setting reverb, don't overdo it. First try to obtain a natural amount of reverb that is pleasant. Excess reverb may "sound good" to some ears but it also may sound strange to others. A rule-of-thumb is to advance the send control to the point that you hear the reverb in the mix and then back off the control until the reverb is not obvious. Be especially careful of reverb on drums. For natural-sounding drums, reverb needs to be put on all channels (except perhaps for the foot drum). Sometimes the reverb sounds natural when first added to the snare but then sounds like too much when you add reverb on the other drum channels. Reverb on low-frequency instruments like the foot and bass guitar sounds very boomy, very quickly. It usually takes specially modified reverb programs to make these instruments clear with reverb. As a result, reverb is usually added to foot drums and bass guitars after a natural-sounding reverb is added for the other instruments, and it is used very sparingly. Reverberation Parameters For Different Instruments. Two parameters in the reverb drastically affect the clarity of the reverb applied. Initial Delay (or "Pre-Delay" in some units) is the time it takes for the first reflection of the reverb to be heard. Larger rooms have a longer initial delay. Large Concert Halls have an initial delay of 20 - 50 ms. Reverb Time is the time it takes for the reverb to die out after it has started. The larger the room, the longer the Reverb Time. Rooms with harder, morereflective surfaces have longer Reverb Time. Reverberation Type For Different Instruments Different types of instruments usually require different reverb programs (using different reverb parameters) to get a clear sound with reverb. Hall Programs, with their long initial delay, sound good on vocals and melodic instruments. Because the direct sound hits the ears first, adding more reverb does not move the instrument to the back of the room as quickly. When you are sitting in the front of a Concert Hall, you hear the direct sound off the stage very quickly and the reverb takes time to build up because the walls are further away. Further back in a Concert Hall you hear the direct sound later, if at all. Any direct sound that you hear is "more in time" with the beginning of the reverb. This is one reason that the Hall Program with initial delay helps instruments sound closer to the listener. Room and Chamber programs have much less initial delay. Room and Chamber programs simulate a reflective, smaller room which was often used as a "Reverberation Chamber" in

recording, decades ago. Plate programs usually have no initial delay. Pate programs simulate a Plate reverberation device where a large (4' x 8') plate on springs vibrates because it is driven by an audio signal; Room programs (or other reverb programs with short or no initial delay settings) sound very good on percussive instruments and on instruments that need to sound like they are further back in the room. Reverb programs with a long initial delay tend to make percussive instruments have a "double hit." Smaller Rooms tend to accent some frequencies over others. The uneven frequency response of the reverb tends to make a melodic instrument sound harsh or false. Percussive instruments are less affected by this. Blending Reverb For Mixdown As previously stated, Hall Reverb does not work well on percussive instruments because the initial delay of this reverb causes a "double-hit" to the sound. In the last ten years a Gated Reverb program has become popular. This type of reverb program has a very dense sound that is abruptly stopped by a gate. An interesting use of the Gated Reverb Program is to blend it with a Hall Program (apply both types of reverb) for the snare and other percussive instruments. The Gated Reverb "fills in" the initial period where there is no Hall Reverb heard, and the Hall Reverb gives a natural sounding tail to the reverb instead of "Chop." This combination is so popular that some Effects devices have a "Hall + Gate" program. Often the initial delay of the Hall Program will be too long for a smooth transition between the two reverbs. It sounds as if the Gated Reverb ends before the Hall program has time to build up. Usually reducing the initial delay to between 14 - 18 ms. helps make a smoother transition. Sometimes the reverb sounds a bit "tighter" if the Reverb Time is reduced to just around 2 seconds. As a final step, Plate or Room (Chamber) can be blended with the Hall + Gate reverb to improve the transition between the programs, and to make the reverb sound like it is from one program, rather than a blend. The Plate or Room Program has little or no initial delay. The Role Of Reverberation In The Mix Reverberation has several distinct roles in the mix: Role#1 - Reverberation gives a performance environment to the mix. Often the instrument sounds were recorded by placing the microphone close to the sound source. The reverberation in the mix provides the reflections of the "room" or "hall" to the mix. There is no way that you can naturally hear 5 instruments with your ear within inches of every instrument; thus mixes without reverberation sound unnatural. Instruments without reverberation in a mix tend to sound separate from the "band." The rule of thumb is, therefore, to put reverberation on all (or almost all) instruments in the mix. Role #2 - Reverberation gives a distance factor to the instrument sounds, a front and back perspective. There is more persecutive to a mix than left, right and center. There is also the perception of how far the instrument is away from the listener. This perspective is present in most successful hit records and often missing in the flop or "local" records. How far away an instrument sounds s the function of both reverb parameters and the amount of reverb. As previously discussed, initial delay on a reverb program lets an instrument sound more "up-front" and still have a lot of reverberation. Care must be exercised to prevent one instrument from sounding separate from the performing band and "right next to you" because of no or little reverberation.

Role 3 - Reverberation makes things sound larger and fuller. The largeness of an instrument's sound is really the size perception of the room or environment. A lead guitar will sound larger in a concert hall than it will in a basement. The "fullness" comes from the reverberation causing each sound to linger longer. The reverb parameter most affecting changes in "largeness" and "fullness" is "reverb time" which adjusts how long the reverberation tends to last. Usually "largeness" and "clarity" are opposites. Longer lasting reverb is larger but it reduces distinction on the instrument. Usually on Hall programs the reverb time is reduced to increase clarity. The amount of reverberation also affects largeness and fullness. Often it is better to use more reverberation that has a shorter reverb time to try and achieve both clarity and fullness. Adding or increasing the initial delay (up to 20 ms or so) tends to increase clarity. Diffusion, which has to do with how closely the repeats are spaced in the reverb, also affects clarity. Reducing diffusion to "medium" will often increase clarity more than it decreases fullness. Role 4 -. Reverberation can be used as a repair for intonation problems, sloppy rhythm and wrong notes. When two instruments try to sound the same pitch and one is slightly out of tune, a "beating" of the sound occurs. By "beating" we mean that the sound repeatedly increases and decreases in volume. Musicians use this phenomenon to tune their instruments by ear. When reverberation is added to the sound the beats become harder to hear and it is harder to hear that one instrument mis-tuned. Even when a wrong note is played, the reverberation tends to set it back, blended with the other instruments. Reverberation causes the notes being sounded by an instrument to linger on and continue to sound as the next note is being played. This fact is why reverberation adversely affects clarity. With more reverberation, it is hard to distinguish the beginning of the notes. Usually this is a disadvantage. If, however, two instruments are playing together and attacking the notes at slightly different times (playing with sloppy rhythm), the reverberation disguises this fact. It is probably best to set up a separate effects unit (using separate aux sends) for reverberation used as a "fix" for poor tuning or poor playing. Reverberation for this purpose usually would have no (or very little) initial delay and very short reverberation times (1/2 second or less). Using just this reverberation would sound very strange and unnatural; as a result, the "fix" reverberation is usually blended with a more common hall or camber reverberation. Mixing Tutorial Part 3 Frequency Ranges: A key to understanding equalization is to gain an understanding of the effect of different frequency ranges on music and instrument sounds. The "First Octave" The first usable octave for most recording is the 40 - 80 Hz range, with equalization settings centered around 50 Hz. This range of frequencies is often referred to as "Low Bass" There is sound between 20 Hz and 40 Hz but little or no sound from instruments. The lowest pipes of a pipe organ will get into this range but more "ordinary" instruments like Bass

Guitar, Upright Bass and Foot Drums do not. The lowest pitch on a bass guitar or string bass is at 41 Hz. Thunder, earthquakes and rumble from the building shaking extend below 40 Hz. While mixing, watch out for objectionable sounds below 40 Hz caused by building shifts and mic stands moving with heavy footsteps. If there is objectionable sounds in this range, the range can usually be taken entirely out with a filter. The first octave that we deal with (40 - 80Hz) gives more of a "feeling" and sense of "power" to the sound. This range is way down or non-existent in smaller stereo systems. This range is difficult to hear at all at medium and low volume levels because of the Fletcher Munson Effect. To properly set the amount of low bass in your mix or in your instrument sound, you must listen both loud and soft. You also may want to listen to the mix or instrument on large and small speaker systems. Too much energy in this range will make the mix sound muddy on large speakers played loud and still sound good on small speakers played at a medium volume. You want the mix or instrument to sound larger and more powerful over large speakers without sounding muddy. Rap, Hip Hop and "Dance" music (under various names) often have extra energy in the lowbass range. This is what causes cars equipped with sub-woofers to shake. Usually, however, it is not the entire mix that is boosted below 80 Hz, but just, for example, the foot drum. By boosting the energy on only one or two instruments, "clarity" can be achieved without "mud." A Typical Example of Equalization, using Recommended Frequencies

The following example uses all of the methods discussed. Instrumentation is drums, bass, electric guitar, keyboards, with lead and background vocals. a "+" indicates a boost and a "-" indicates a cut at the given frequency

INSTRUMENT

EQUALIZATION

NOTES

Foot Drum Snare All Drums Bass

-6 @ 400 Hz +4 @ 5 kHz +4 @ 7 kHz +2 @ 100 Hz -4 @ 400 Hz +4 @ 15 kHz -2 @ 50 Hz +4 @ 400 Hz

Guitar

+2 @ 1.5 kHz -4 @ 100 Hz

Reduces box quality Increases attack Increases snap Adds fullness to high-tuned snare Decreases ambiance & increases bass clarity Increases cymbal sizzle Increases clarity of bass Adds clarity to bass line & increases recognition at low volumes Increases pluck & recognition Increases guitar vs. bass distinction

+2 @ 3 kHz Keyboards Lead Vocal +4 @ 5 kHz + 4 @ 10 kHz +2 @ 5 kHz 200 Hz Bkg Vocal -6 @ 5 kHz

Increases attack (because of bass reduction, far less attack boost is needed) Increases clarity & brightness brightens Adds presence. Reduce 2 to 4 to add clarity to low vocals. Boost 2 to 4 to add body to higher vocals. Sends background vocals back and increases distinction between lead & background vocals

This "textbook" EQ can't be expected to work on all sessions. On the right session, however, it would give a very natural sounding recording or mix with surprising clarity & punch. Notice that boosting two instruments at the same frequency was avoided. Notice that the reduction is generally larger than the boost. The Bass Range Covering about 1.5 octaves, from 80 Hz to 250 Hz, this range of frequencies determines the "fatness" and "fullness" of the instrument's sound. Equalization is usually applied centered around two frequencies, 100 Hz and 200 Hz. For guitars and bass, the 100 Hz range tends to add body and fullness. Excessive energy in this range tends to make these instruments sound "boomy.," This range of frequencies is still greatly affected by the Fletcher-Muson Effect; this means you will need to listen to the mix and instrument both loud and soft. Similar to how the 50 Hz range affects the bass and foot, the guitars should sound fatter when played loud, not boomy. Reducing the 100 Hz energy on the guitar will usually cause distinction between the bass and guitar parts. The lowest fundamental frequency on a guitar is around 80 Hz. For vocals the 200 Hz range determines the fullness of the vocal. This range can often be reduced to increase distinction on the vocal. If, however, boosting in higher frequencies on the vocal makes the sound "thin" or "small" a boost of 200 Hz. will restore fullness. When 100 Hz is reduced on a guitar or bass to reduce "boom," at small boost at 200 Hz can be helpful to keep the instrument from sounding "lumpy" (certain notes hard to hear and others standing out). The guitar and bass have almost equal energy at their fundamental and 2nd harmonic frequencies. Thus if a range of notes becomes hard to hear because of a 100 Hz, reduction, adding 200 Hz will help the notes be heard again. The Lower Mid Range Covering about one octaves from 250 Hz to 500 Hz, this range accents ambience of studio and adds clarity to the bass and lower-string instruments (Chello and Upright Bass). Too much boost can make higher-frequency instruments muffled sounding and low-frequency drums (foot and toms) have a cardboard box quality. Equalization in this range is applied at many frequencies but most often between 300 Hz and 400 Hz. The lower part of this range (250 Hz to 350 Hz) is sometimes referred to as "Upper Bass" and is used to increase distinction and fullness on the vocal, especially on female singers. The Lower Mid Range in general can be viewed as the "Bass Presence Range" Increasing this range gives clarity to the bass line and the lower-register of pianos and organs. Clarity and distinction can be obtained between the foot drum and bass guitar by both reducing the foot

and increasing the bass guitar in this range, at the same frequency. This range is often reduced for overhead drum and cymbal microphones to increase clarity and presence on these instruments' and reduced on lower drums (foot and toms) to reduce boxiness. The Mid Range The Mid Range band of frequencies covers two octaves from 500 Hz to 2 kHz. This range can give a horn-like quality to instruments (500 Hz to 1 kHz) and a "tinny" sound (1 kHz to 2 kHz) or a telephone-like quality (all of the range). Equalization usually centers around 800 Hz and 1,.5 kHz. The mid-range also tends to accent the presence (800 Hz) and attack (1.5 kHz) of the bass guitar. The lower pitches of a rhythm guitar can be given more attack by a boost at 1.5 kHz. For your Mid Range Instruments (vocals, guitars and piano) this range is most-often reduced rather than accented. Reducing 500 - 800 Hz on an acoustic guitar can remove the "cheep" sound and make it sound more "silvery." Reducing 800 Hz on a vocal makes it sound less nasal and have more body and presence. For snare drums, a reduction of 800 Hz can take the tinny, cheep sound out of the drum and make the snares have more sizzle rather than rattle. The Upper Mid Range Covering about one octave, this range of frequencies is responsible for the attack on percussive and rhythm instruments and the "projection" of mid range instruments. Equalization can be applied at any frequency in this range but still somewhat centers around 3 kHz. On the foot drum, boosting 2.5 kHz or 4 kHz increases the attack. 2.5 kHz sounds more like a felt beater and 4 kHz sounds more like a hard-wood beater. These frequencies can also be used to increase the attack or "hit" sound on toms and snare drums. Guitar lines often get more attack and distinction with equalization added at this range. A small boost (1-3 dB) for the vocal will increase projection. Adding too much energy, in this range, makes it hard to distinguish the syllables of the vocal and can cause listening fatigue. This range of frequencies is often reduced on background vocal to give them a more "airy" and "transparent" sound. The Presence Range Although this range covers a mere half-octave of 4 kHz to 6 kHz, it is an often-used band of frequencies. This range makes most vocals and melody instruments sound closer and more distinct. Over-boosting causes a irritating and harsh sound. Equalization centers around 5 kHz. The Treble Frequencies Covering approximately that last two octaves of sound (6 kHz to 20 kHz), this band of frequencies is responsible for the brilliance and clarity on instruments. Equalization centers around 7 kHz, 10 kHz and 15 kHz. The vocal "S" sounds are at about 7 kHz, making this a frequency that is avoided for vocals. Care must be exercised in reducing 7 kHz on vocals, however, because the vocal will sound dull very fast. The breath sound of the vocal is at 15 kHz and above, giving a breath quality without much accent on the "S": sound of the vocal. The 7 kHz frequency is also the "metallic attack" frequency on drums The "sizzle" of cymbals is at 15 kHz. When equalizing, 10 kHz and above is often used as a general "brilliance" frequency band. The Recommended Frequencies

The recommended frequencies are frequencies for various instruments that can be used to enhanse or repair the instrument's sound. You would never "automatically" boost recommended frequencies, but use them when needed. There are many frequencies that can be boosted for each instrument. It would be a big mistake to try and use all recommended frequencies on an instrunent. One or two key freqwuencies is probably all you'll ever need on one instrument.

Equalization Methods The following discussion of equalization methods uses the "Recommended Frequencies" previously discussed, There are several distinct approaches to equaliztion that you can use. You are not "stuck" with one technique but able to use any method on any instrument Boosting Harmonic Frequencies Boosting harmonic frequencies is one of the first techniques an engineer learns to increase clarity and distinction on instruments. This is a very valid method of equalizing. Some of the suggested equaliztion on the "Recommended Frequencies" chart is for this method. Notice that there are at least two frequencies in the harmonic range of the instruments given that could be accented for "clarity" or "brightness." Having a choice of two frequencies allows the engineer to avoid masking. Bass Bass Guitar Guitar Vocal Vocal 400 Hz 1500 Hz 3 kHz 5 kHz 5 kHz 10 kHz "Increase to add clarity..." "Increase for clarity and pluck..." "Increase to add attack..." "Increase brightness..." "Increase vocal presence..." "Increase to brighten..."

Boosting Fundamental Frequencies The boosting of fundamental frequencies is also one of the first things an engineer tries, but, boosting of the fundamental frequencies is the last thing the engineer should consider. Accenting fundamental frequencies usually makes the instrument indistinct and muddy sounding. The fundamental frequencies of two instruments playing the same pitch are the same. For this reason, accenting the fundamental frequencies would make the instruments closer to sounding the same, causing indistinction. When two instruments are playing similar parts they indistinct when the fundamental frequencies of either instrument are boosted. Boosting the fundamental frequencies of an instrument makes it sound more powerful and at a higher volume. But an engineer has compressors and faders to hand for making instruments more powerful or louder. If an instrument sounds "thin" or "small", one can carefully boost the fundamental frequencies of that instrument to correct this. The microphone could have been poorly placed or the harmonics over-boasted with EQ. Listen to the instrument at a high volume when EQ'ing fundamentals, because all instruments tend to sound thin at lower volumes (due to the Fletcher Munson effect). Another application for boosting fundamentals is when the instrument is playing by itself (in solos, etc.)

Reducing Fundamental Frequencies Reducing fundaments of an instrument tends to increase the level of all of the harmonic frequencies. This method is a good alternative to boosting harmonic frequencies. This method is used most often in rock recording but works well for all styles of music. This method found its way into the "Recommended Frequencies Chart." Bass Guitar Vocal 50 Hz 100 Hz 200 Hz "Reduce to decrease boom and increase recognition..." "Reduce to decrease boom and increase clarity..." "Reduce to decrease muddiness on vocals."

Complimentary Equalization When two instruments are in the same range, you can often increase distinction by reducing the same frequency that you increased on the second instrument. The most classic example of this is to decrease 400 Hz on the foot drum (to get rid of the "cardboard" sound) and increasing 400 Hz on the bass (to add clarity).