When mixing, do you throw an EQ8 on the end of each track?

[perplex]

Also, do you EQ it so just the main frequency is playing? Is this the basics for a good mix?

what else do you throw on each track?

[ollyb303]

I always stick an eq8 on the end of the chain in each track. I usually do this right when I set the project up. I don't always use every one of them, but I came from using analogue consoles so I have always been used to having an eq on every channel. This is the only thing I put on every track. Reverb/Delay are always on send/return channels and many tracks get compression added (before the eq) as required.

[perplex]

I only use an eq plugin/device (like EQ8) on a track if it needs it.

When eqing, you don't want to just take out everything but the main frequencies, this is really the wrong way to go about mixing in my opinion (though there is no wrong way, if you know what I mean) - even if you did do this, you'd probably end up with a pretty cold mix.

Mixing is kind of a complex subject that's hard to explain, but once you "get" it suddenly everything will become natural. Essentially though, you are trying to make it so that all of the elements gel together harmonically, spatially, and tonally, with each track in its own space.

So if you're mixing a synth with its main frequencies in the mids to highs with a bass instrument who's main frequencies are in the lows, you could do this - place a high pass filter on the synth so that it removes most of the area where the bass's main frequencies are. Remember, you don't have to completely remove the bass of the synth, you just want to remove enough so that it doesn't compete with the bass instrument, or so it "sits" right with the bass instrument.

Now on your bass instrument you can lower some of the mid-to-high frequencies where the synth sits, thus allowing the synth more room in its main frequencies.

Now, depending on the timbre of the bass instrument, you may have now sucked out the life of the bass while taking out the higher frequencies (remember - high frequencies = air = life). So now take your bass instrument and try boosting different frequency spots until it gets that life back, then remove the boost on the bass instrument and instead lower that same frequency on the synth (when eqing, especially with cheaper eqs, lowering always sounds better than boosting). So you basically just carved that little spot out of the synth to leave room for your bass instrument.

On top of eqing, you can also use a variety of effects like compressors (look up sidechain compression for a good and common way to mix bass-heavy kick drums with bass-heavy basses), reverbs, choruses, stereo spreaders, phasers, filters, etc... as well as panning to mix things together.

Hopefully all that made sense, and if it didn't (or even if it did haha), here are two helpful reads to get you going on mixing-

http://tarekith.com/assets/mixdowns.html <<<a great article by a Live user (though applicable to any DAW) that explains these things a lot better than I do, haha. He also has a lot of other great tutorials on his site.
http://tarekith.com/assets/mastering.html <<<same guy, though his tutorial on Mastering
http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manua ... 911&sr=8-1 <<<the Dance Music Manual - a GREAT book that you'll still be absorbing for a while (I mean that in a good way). Very easy to read and understand, it takes you from the ground up with all the various techniques used in dance music production, from synthesis, to mixing, writing music for specific genres (house, techno, dnb, etc...), to mastering, etc... Some tech info is a little dated, but it doesn't make much of a difference. The link is for the US copy, but I know it's available internationally

PS: Please excuse typos, I'm exhausted

awesome thanks!im about to sitdown with some coffee and have a good read on the mixing article you just posted!

I always stick an eq8 on the end of the chain in each track. I usually do this right when I set the project up. I don't always use every one of them, but I came from using analogue consoles so I have always been used to having an eq on every channel. This is the only thing I put on every track. Reverb/Delay are always on send/return channels and many tracks get compression added (before the eq) as required.

i actually do this too thanks bro!

[33tetragammon]

if i use send fx like reverb/delay, i always put a good eq after those in the same send channel. this can get rid of a lot of mud in your mix, which might drastically reduce your need to eq .
after that, i use highpass/ lowpass filters on tracks (when needed) to give them room inside a mix.
after that i use eq, when it's needed.

[memes_33]

pretty much everything but the kick & bass parts could use a high-pass filter, so i usually end up throwing one on every channel even if i just turn on one hpf.

everything else- delay, reverb, drum bus compression- is usually a send.

[Piplodocus]

http://tarekith.com/assets/mixdowns.html <<<a great article by a Live user (though applicable to any DAW) that explains these things a lot better than I do, haha. He also has a lot of other great tutorials on his site.
http://tarekith.com/assets/mastering.html <<<same guy, though his tutorial on Mastering
http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manua ... 911&sr=8-1 <<<the Dance Music Manual - a GREAT book that you'll still be absorbing for a while (I mean that in a good way). Very easy to read and understand, it takes you from the ground up with all the various techniques used in dance music production, from synthesis, to mixing, writing music for specific genres (house, techno, dnb, etc...), to mastering, etc... Some tech info is a little dated, but it doesn't make much of a difference. The link is for the US copy, but I know it's available internationally

Yeah, Tarekith has good tutorials, and I highly recommend the Dance Music Manual mentioned. I'm not really making "Dance Music" as such, but it's a great book that covers lots of good stuff on modern music production for anything with electronic and acoustic elements.

[2beats]

It really depends on what you are looking at. Here is what I generly use on a track, or atleast I am very likely to use.

EQ8
Reverb of some sort. I prefer the SIR1 Convolution Reverb actually.
Maybe compression if needed

Those are the basic things to consider.

[juanlittledevil]

ditto on the hi-pass on every band but kick and bass. It's really easy to set up your eq to default to say like a 100hz soft roll off. It really does wonders in keeping your mix nice and clean. I don't really keep reverbs on every track, I think it's easy to over do it. However, I do tend to use compressors quite a bit, specially when working with with recorded audio which hold a wide dynamic range as it really helps bring out those quiet sounds into the foreground.

[juanlittledevil]

oh yes and I often use some form of imager to widen and soften sounds which are a little harsh by nature, a multiband is even better.

[simonlb]

I tend to use one on most channels.

The more you learn about and practice mixing, the more you'll get the hang of it, but some of my tracks will have quite drastic EQing and others extremely subtle. Generally I don't remove entire frequency ranges though, with the exception of high-passing most non-bass elements as others have mentioned. I hardly ever leave anything untouched though, so yeah you could say I throw one on the end of nearly every track.

scutheotaku's post is very good. It gets to a point that there's no right or wrong way of doing things but generally it's not a case of only keeping the fundamental "action" frequencies. In fact it's sometimes expedient to remove the fundamental frequencies, it'll create less "mud" in the mix and your ears don't care that the fundamental is missing, it's all fun stuff

[innerstatejt]

+1 on the HP filter or EQ on everything but Kick & bass. Usually around 120hz for me. I also check for mud in the 300-600hz range on any track that has issues.
EQ is not a must on every track neccesarily, but it doesn't hurt to have the EQ on each track in the case you need it.

[sevzero]

Interesting discussion.

I agree that you shouldn't just use EQ as a matter of standard procedure. To determine whether EQ is to be used, I rely on two things: My ears and a spectrum analyser (Ableton's built-in spectrum is A+++). Lately, I'm relying more on the former and less on the latter (mainly use it for confirmation, really).

As has been said before, every element of a track has to have its place within the mix. And you have to take special care to ensure that not too many elements are sharing the same space. For instance, if you're doing a vocal track and you can't understand what is being sung, this is a classic example of a muddy mix. This would for instance prompt me to open some room in the mix so the vocals can site undisturbed.

If I'm using a sample that all the frequencies sit nicely within say, midrange and that's where I intend the sound to sit in, then I shall apply no EQ

Another thing that I found through trial and error is that leads sounds made out of synths and also sampled Pianos etc tend to occupy a LOT of the spectrum. In the case of the synths it makes them really stand out in the mix, and often that's not the result. I aim for a more organic, natural sound. What I have found is that applying a gentle low pass filter to keys and synths does help take away that "too polished" sound, as I often want percussion/hats/shakers to take up that space.

If your ears cannot tell you what's wrong with the mix, I strongly recommend using a spectrum analyser and then solo each channel to work out what frequencies are being used up by each element.

[regretfullySaid]

And after all that fun EQ8 has the M/S mode:)

[Cezband]

A whole bunch of brilliant stuff in this thread, especially for people who are new-ish to EQing. I'd have loved to have seen all this two or three years ago, instead of finding most of it out through trial and error.

The only thing I'm going to add is that if you're using the EQ8 in Live, remember to right click and choose "High Quality" mode. Just makes things a little nicer (even though it takes up a little bit more cpu).

[nicogrubert]

I put an EQ (UAD Cambridge) on every channel for chirgical editing and I throw the Cambridge EQ also on all Sends (Some FX really mess up your low and hi frequencies).
Additional, I throw a lot of character-EQs (UAD Manley, UAD Neve 1073) on my single tracks or busses.