EQ Tutorial - Basics

Today's tutorial is about EQ basics and is aimed at beginners - however, more seasoned users may get some great tips from it!
10% off all Fabfilter Plugins (including Pro EQ3) by joining VSTBuzz: vstbuzz.com/perks/?ref=62
Nomad Factory Graphic EQ: nomadfactory.com/products/ess...
Waves GEQ: www.waves.com/plugins/geq-gra...
Waves SSL Eq: www.waves.com/plugins/ssl-g-e...
Waves VEQ4: www.waves.com/plugins/v-eq4?g...
Studio One Pro EQ: www.pro-tools-expert.com/stud...
Sonitus Equalizer (Cakewalk): www.cakewalk.com/Support/Know...
Melda MEqualizer (free): www.meldaproduction.com/MEqua...
TDR Nova (free): www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/
Ozone EQ: www.izotope.com/en/products/m...
Fabfilter Pro Q3: www.fabfilter.com/products/pr...
PLEASE SUPPORT MY CHANNEL BY TIPPING ME HERE!:
www.paypal.me/creativesauce
#eq #beginners #howto
== MIKE RECOMMENDS ==
My gear guide: www.creativesauce.net/gear-guide/
Note - Links provided in this video description may be affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase products using these links, a small commission may be paid to me for referring you. Thanks for helping me and the channel.
== MERCHANDISE ==
Creative Sauce T-Shirts, Mugs etc: www.redbubble.com/people/crea...
=====================================================
Thanks for watching Creative Sauce! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE!
I’d love to hear from you in any of the following ways:
Email: [e-mail]
Twitter: / creativesauce2b
Facebook: / creativesaucetube
Instagram: / creativesauce2b
#CreativeSauce #HomeRecording #HomeStudio

[@AllfornaughtMA]

"If you didn't like this video, hit the dislike button..twice" is exactly the type of humor I, an American, must turn to the internet for. Thank you for making me smile. And ya know, teaching me EQ. That too

[@cianbrady1557]

Your litterally like god thank you for having this KZbin channel and never stop

[@jamf102]

Just a quick note to say that you have helped me so much. You have a great teaching style, and clearly know the questions I have had in my head as you have answered each of them. I mean, a metronome that plays to me?! Amazing, thank you.

[@timothyreynolds6255]

I made it to the end. Thanks, Mike. I'm learning so much from you.

[@AlekosMazzolotti]

Man, I discovered your channel today and I not only made it to the end, but I really am DIGGING to make ALL OF THEM to the end! Very useful information, brilliantly presented. Thank you really much for that!

[@sig1809]

Made it to the end and I really wish I'd seen this a long time ago. You just make it make sense, as ever. Well done, mate.

[@markcotton7081]

Thanks Mike. I’ve been trying all your tips on a song I’m working on currently. Really helpful and please keep the lessons coming. All the best!

[@ViniVendramel]

Mike, your explanation is perfectly direct and easy to understand... I hope you know you really help many new producers worldwide. Im from Brazil btw

[@zaraperez770]

made it to the end. Really helpful, thank you. We (my band) have no experience or knowledge of eqing whatsoever and this really got us started.

[@electorize]

Mike, I made it to the end! Thank you for the knowledge!

[@Alex-no3co]

Thank you so much, you really know how to explain things in an understandable way. I've watched countless videos on other channels and still couldn't quite grasp most concepts, but whenever I'd watched one of your videos, I would have an AHA- moment. You're the best!!!

[@johncutts7599]

Mike, I made it to the end. You are becoming my best mate, I am learning so much. BIG TA, John.

[@NateHendrix]

This is a very beautiful and educational video. Thank you for making this!

[@connyhermansson6069]

Made it to the end! This is so good!!! thanks Bro!!

[@JakeWaterSnake]

That's one of the best explanations I've seen. That really helped. Thx

[@russlowe60]

Thanks Mike! I made it to the end. Very helpful video.

[@JavierValdeolmillos]

Thank you very much from Valencia, Spain. I´m really learning a lot with you. Thank you for your time.

[@Amandarileymusic]

I made it to the end. Thanks so much for this video! I've made hundreds of recordings and I'm embarrassed to say I've never learned how to use EQ at all. It's surprisingly difficult to find simple tutorials on which one to use and how to actually start using it- most tutorials are tips for improving at it and assume you already know the basics of how it works! I'm so glad that as of today I finally know how to add it to the track, understand the analyzer and experiment with different frequencies. I do not have a good ear for the subtleties yet but I look forward to working on it!

[@markhill6661]

Fantastic tutorial, loving all your videos. I am an old musician just getting into DAW work with Cakewalk and your guidance is brilliant. Thanks from New Zealand, Kia Kaha

[@paulhaullussy8662]

And another great video! I bumped into your channel only a week ago and turned in a real fan! During this corona period, I am able to take the time to watch all of your vides. They are so very helpfull and eye opening!

[@CreativeSauce]

Cheers Paul. Whilst I hope everyone can get back to normal soon, I'm glad to hear that I can help to make your time fruitful!

[@johngernaey5223]

I made it to the end. Very informative. Thanks

[@striverfor7628]

Made it to the end, thanks Mike

[@garethpoole1645]

Yay, I made it to the end and all I can say is a huge thank you for tackling the black art, (as far as I'm concerned!), of EQ'ing. I'm sure there is a lot more to learn but this has really put me on the road . Now I'm off to the next to look at another of your' tutorials and another puzzler for me: basic compression.

[@MetalFret.]

Great Video! Thanks for taking the time to teach us musicians how to better are Skills in Recording & Mixing.

[@sonnyrichardstriorockabill5684]

Yet another brilliant video Mike....I am really hooked now - don't go away !!

[@CreativeSauce]

Haha - cheers Sonny. I'm here for a while!

[@HostilePro]

This is a really helpful video, thank you!!

[@ServingMyJesus]

Wow that was the best demonstration for using Eq that I have seen. Thank you.

[@CreativeSauce]

Thats good to hear. Cheers!

[@danielscott9395]

Learned a lot great vid as usual mike

[@propagandapandaman]

I made it to the end of the video because it is so informative. Thanks for the advice.

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Bobby!

[@nochecristal2012]

Once again, thank you very much, thanx for the congrats. The second video in a row...

[@infiniteblueprint7285]

yep, made it to the end. excellent tutorial, really enjoyed and have subbed

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you, congratulations for going the distance! Glad to have you as a subscriber :)

[@GPM80]

i have watched hundreds of eq vids mike and at last one that really explains it simple. I am still a few weeks away from having all my gear setup and ready to go but your vids are really making the wait worth it.... made it to the end as always brother......massive thumbs up👍🏻👍🏻

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey Glyn, nice to see you again mate. I'll be excited to see your gear setup. We live in blessed times to have these things at our fingertips!

[@GPM80]

@@CreativeSauce its only guna be basic for now but working on house at minute so its had to be delayed until then. fingers crossed over next few weeks i will be sorted!!

[@TheAllenPride]

Mike!! You gotta get us lurkers to comment somehow/someway/anyways - One of the better tutorials on EQ I've watched - Took the Tech out of it and made it more accessible to the user. I especially like your encouragement to "use your ears". So many people get wrangled up in the so-called "rules" that they forget their ears are the best judge. I saw others posting they watched to the end. I watched and I was disappointed. I thought maybe your were giving something away. Who needs your praises we want prizes hahaha.. Kid'n with ya.. Glad to see your productions moving along. I've gotta find my other posting here about the PreSonus - Wanted to let you know how that all ended up.. All The Best!!!

[@CreativeSauce]

Yes, how DID it go? I really want to know!!

[@TheAllenPride]

@@CreativeSauce - Once I finally convinced PreSonus support that there was a problem - Only a hundred hours later and a completely wiped and clean installation of Windows later - Yes, they asked me to wipe my computer - Even then StudioOne would fail. If I had the interface set to 48kHz and StudioOne session was set to 96kHz SR - Everything would work fine until the end of the session. As soon as StudioOne was closed the audio drivers would freeze.. SweetWater offered to either swap out for new one or swap to a different brand - I opted for a different brand and out of the low priced devices and into the MOTU 1248 - 4 PreAmps and 8 1/4' TRS inputs - Most of my gear connects via 1/4" and now I have a way to use external PreAmps when I add them to the gear - -

[@CreativeSauce]

OMG! That's pretty terrible lengths to go to! I'd be very unhappy about that. I havnt used the Motu gear, but I've been very tempted in the past. The quality looks great. I hope you can get to actually yh making music soon!

[@mattquinn8022]

Awesome vid mate, thank you!

[@wilwenpmogak9024]

I like your tutorial sir. It's easier to understand. Helps a lot. Tqvm!

[@Deephouseproducer]

Just what i was missing in my learning curve thanks :)

[@ilanmetoudi]

great advanced techniques btw I made to the end, Mike!

[@CreativeSauce]

Congratulations Ilan!!

[@ilanmetoudi]

@@CreativeSauce Thanks

[@Fretboard_Chaos_Productions]

Fantastic explanation and examples - thank you

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Peter - glad you enjoyed :)

[@skipfinken5348]

took me almost a week but i made it to the end! looking forward to trying this out.

[@CreativeSauce]

Congratulations! Well done for hanging in there!

[@randallhibbard3598]

Thanks Mike! Made it to the end. Very...ear opening.

[@Stevethesearcher]

I can remember when this channel had about 300-400 subscribers and that wasn't long ago. Now its got over one and a half thousand subscribers. I definitely think more EQ videos like this would go down well. There is a lot of EQ videos on KZbin that are badly explained. Everyone seems to have their own way of doing things and that's fair enough. However I think when doing a EQ video for beginners its better to take a universal approach. What I mean is to introduce general mixing techniques like keeping the kick and the bass in the middle and panning guitars and keyboards more wider as a general rule. Taking the low end off instruments that don't need it as mentioned in this video and so on etc is the best starting place for beginners. I really got fed up of watching videos that were aimed at beginners and they layering kicks after two minutes and using advanced compression techniques.

[@CreativeSauce]

Hi Steve! Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, the channel is growing nicely, and it's been lots of learning for me. Honestly, the channel growth is really down to people such as yourself, who take time to watch and comment - I never take it for granted! Yes, I hope that people can find a way in with this tutorial to start using EQ with a little core knowledge. The more complex things come in time. Sometimes the complex stuff only makes .oooo1 % of difference anyway! I have some more giveaways planned, so I'm crossing my fingers for you!

[@auchild433]

thanks for adding more knowledge to the creative sauce im drinking here, my thanks

[@patrickmcclellan8726]

Mike, I made it to the end, and glad I did. I know that EQ is probably the most misunderstood plugin in my work flow. But this video began to really pick it apart. Never thought to use reverb to actually remove sound......oh, and I am enjoying your songs on Spotify!

[@jimfogle184]

Mike, I made it to the end! :) This video has shown me some some new techniques to try. You may think this is a silly remark but I like that you showed multiple parametric equalizers and took time to tell some of the differences and similariies. I've always wondered why there are so many but now I see each one offers different features. Thanks for showing a mixture.

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey Jim - thank you very much, and thanks for your ongoing support! EQ is just one of those things where even understanding the basics well, can be a huge benefit!

[@wasdwasd12321]

I found allot of value in this video. Thanks.

[@jaapbadlands]

Great tutorial mate thanks

[@wiltaylor]

Nice made it to the end great training video for fabfilter they should hire you!!

[@weaselwardance1380]

I made it to the end and I liked it three times

[@DivineDisciple7]

This turned me from Eq for dummies last night. 🤣🤣 To an EQ advanced pro today. New sub today after I watched a perfect tutorial on your stage gaining through studio one. Finally I found a perfect teacher. 🥰 Thanks so much. 🦋💯👍🏽🤸

[@jordidelmetall1]

Made it to the end 🙏

[@humbertocueva3904]

Wow great video. I always use melda vst so it’s nice to find tutorials that use the plugins I use most. Thanks a lot, subscribed!

[@CreativeSauce]

Yeah the Melda stuff is awesome!

[@danielgadal6725]

Thanks .. Powerful basics

[@amaracea]

Amazing insights! Also, I made it to the end

[@CreativeSauce]

Nice to see you here again. I hope Pete and myself get to see you on the live show on Thursday! Well done on going the distance!

[@NatShaw]

love this video ❤️

[@mikesmith3084]

Great Mike.

[@bunaventure2]

Great video, enjoyed it quite a lot.

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey, thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@RisaTheKid]

mike, I made it to the end 🎃 thank you so much for your tutorials

[@louyCIA]

I made it to the end Mike!

[@CallMeCaroline]

This was really helpful, just spent the past 3-4 hours playing around with EQ. Also love that you are a fellow Aussie :)

[@CreativeSauce]

Haha. Cheers Cazza!

[@Suezanart]

Haha, yes made it! Thanks again for such a usefull video! I love these tutorials, also the basic one! Hope you'll do many more... One thing I'd love to see is one about using busses... I do use it, but actually no idea what's happening, and I'm sure there's lots of tips and tricks! Anywayzzz... Keep going! Great content!

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey, I'm so happy to hear it's useful to you You might wanna check out my video 'Organising your mix', where I discuss busses and VCAs in the middle (kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6C6lp2GismEZs0). But you are right, a video dedicated to busses is a good idea!

[@striverfor7628]

0:57 EQ Types. Graphic equalisers and parametric EQs. Graphic equaliser example. Essential Graphic EQ - Nomad Factory. GEQ Modern from Waves - has a spectrum analyser, a useful tool for beginners. 1:51 Parametric EQs are used more often, they're more versatile. SSL from Waves. V EQ from Waves. Not recommended for beginners. 2:34 More recommended is a more transparent EQ, like Pro EQ that comes with Studio One. Your DAW will likely have a stock EQ plugin similar to it. 3:25 Free EQs. MEqualizer - MeldaProduction. NOVA - Tokyo Dawn Records. 4:03 Paid EQs. Ozone from iZotope. 4:20 Today will use Pro Q3 from Fabfilter. 5:05 Frequency Ranges. Human hearing is about 20 to 20,000 Hz. 5:49 Bass guitar, kick drum demo. 6:38 Hi-hat, mainly a high frequency instrument. 7:01 Acoustic guitar, wider range of frequencies. 7:34 Adjustments and Curve Types. Drawing a curve with a node. 8:14 Adjust the Q to adjust the range of frequencies of the node. 9:05 A low cut curve. Also gets called a High Pass but it's the same thing. 9:39 Control the rate at which it happens. Use a Brick wall to cut off absolutely everything. Demo of the acoustic guitar as the brick wall is dragged up. 10:50 There's also its counterpart, a high cut. 11:07 A "Shelf". These are the 3 curves you should really be aware of. You can get a lot out of them. 11:39 A technique for listening for which frequency you want to adjust. A 'Sweep'. 12:35 Some EQs have a 'solo' feature. 13:06 Subtractive and Additive Eqing. Increasing and reducing particular frequencies. Mike uses a combo of both. Demo, with an acoustic guitar there's a honky sound in the midrange that you want rid of. 14:05 Narrow the Q to focus on a frequency. 14:36 Just use your ears to determine how much you add or subtract. 15:37 Low cut subtractive EQing. Add a low cut. Getting rid of low booming rumbly sound of the acoustic guitar. Make the slope steeper to really get rid of the low frequencies. 16:40 You should cut frequencies you can't really hear because, using several instruments, you can get a build-up in that area and it can create a rumble in your mix. And because the plugins can hear them and it'll affect other plugins in the chain - like it might make the compressor kick in. That's all his subtractive EQing done. 17:28 Now to add sparkle. Using a high shelf. These are benefits of using both subtractive and additive EQing. 18:33 Example Techniques (of using EQ). 19:00 1st. To carve out space for an instrument in the mix. Instruments occupying same frequencies cancel eachother out. 19:26 Tools exist to visually help you see which frequencies some instruments are occupying. Putting Pro Q3 on two instruments, they can be viewed alongside eachother. See the organ and guitar together. 20:24 Decrease or increase frequencies of one instrument to make space for the other. He reduces the mid frequencies of the guitar. 21:00 2nd trick. Using it with reverb. He puts an EQ in the chain before it reaches the reverb, on the bus where the reverb is. 22:00 Adding a low cut to clean up the muddy reverb. Slides it up. 22:39 Best way to learn is to get stuck in.

[@ristotakkala4188]

This guy is great !

[@user-wr8lt3zo6f]

Was so helpful to me

[@skitzotheproducer3469]

Great info!

[@levenbridges1]

Great info!! Thanks

[@a7suspended4]

Great content!

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you!

[@ricciaccardi840]

Mike..you are too much man! You are making this so much easier for me..Later

[@RainStickland]

Made it to the end, of course. I have questions about frequencies. I use a 7-string guitar, which means I'm tuning to 60-something Hz on the 7th string. I do a lot of djent-like playing (chugging open B5 sort of thing), since I play metal and rock. I can't high-pass above 60 Hz, or I'm going to lose my lower notes, if I'm understanding all this correctly. Extended-range guitars make dealing with low-end a lot more complex, it seems, just because of the panning. If I do mono channels for the bass stuff like kick and bass guitar, running them down the centre, and the (stereo?) vocals down the centre as well, what do I do with low-tuned guitars? Electric guitar normally gets panned really wide to left and right, and they're treated as mid-range instruments, but not like vocals where you usually want them to come straight into your forehead. For that matter, to have a bass guitar that works, am I going to need a 5-string bass? If I do have that lower B, it's half the frequency of the one an octave above, so only 30-something Hz. Am I getting something wrong with regard to how sound works through an EQ? Because I just watched Warren Huart say to HP below 150 for electric guitar. That works if you're only playing higher notes, but not for even an open E, which is 82.4 Hz.

[@marekvoosen]

Great video

[@Ownsongwriter]

Great information

[@earDrops72]

Mike, I made it to the end!

[@Penman-Music]

Love your videos, very informative. Could make one showing step by step how to create clips and use them?

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey Charles, you mean audio clips?

[@music_creator_capable]

Very interesting! ^^

[@GooberPee]

Wonderful video! Thank you so much! Question: Why low-cut the already low-cut guitar prior to reverb as described near the end of your video? Wouldn't it make sense to low cut the guitar at the source (as you did in the video) rather than adding another EQ instance just before the reverb? Thanks again. :)

[@alancollins2782]

I love your videos. They are so helpful, straightforward and easy to follow. I have one question about carving out a space in the mix for an instrument such as an acoustic guitar that covers so many frequencies to allow other instruments to cut through better. Say you have a song where parts of the song have just acoustic guitar, but then other parts have other instruments competing for some of the same frequencies. I( don't want those frequencies cut when it is not competing with another instrument in the same frequency range. How would one go about really letting the guitar shine when solo, but then cutting out certain frequencies when other instruments are added? Multiple tracks each EQed differently, maybe?

[@stephenfell4338]

Great! Explanation, What amount of​ hi and low cut EQ shelving would you suggest to apply on the master​ fader before​ you start recording so not to include frequenies​ we cannot hear?

[@danpettimusic]

Great video thanks. You've helped me do so many things I never thought I'd do. My EQ question is, if I already EQ'ed the guitar perfectly and I love the sound, but then later in the mix I hear it clashing with another instrument's frequency, do I go back to fix the original EQ I did, or only adjust the other instrustment, or do i add an additional EQ on that same guitar and adjust that one problematic frequency without tweaking the original EQ i did?? Thanks in advance.

[@tylerjeffries7507]

*aggressive swallow* besides that loved to video and it was very helpful

[@DrGrooveBeat]

Dave, I made it to the start.

[@auchild433]

and yeah i made to the end going to another video thanks

[@wadebryant587]

Hi, Mike; I'm a beginner and also somewhat "technically challenged", which is a bad combination! I believe I have Studio One6. I have a song which I have adjusted volume by track, and it sounds pretty good. However, when I do the mixdown to a "wav" file, the song gets very , very "bass'y/muddy". It doesn't appear to be from the guitars (both electric and acoustic, I mute them independently and resave as wav), and I've basically eliminated the bass volume, with no change when I resave as a "wav" file. You mention how effects can throw the mix a curve. I think I added some reverb to the guitars from the StudioLive AR12c mixer. But when I muted each guitar and resaved as the wav file, there was no change??? Did you have a video about how to EQ the whole song at one time? I really like your videos, and go to you first. Although, as someone at my level, you sometimes go too fast. Sorry...my problem, not yours!!! LOL Thanks for everything you do to help everyone. Sincerely, Wade B.

[@stephenowens1965]

Hi Mike. Love your work and Thank you. I got a problem. I finally got my monitors, recording and playback to sound great. I am not using an interface. I'm using my Behringer Mixer. I want to record a new track (track 2) over an existing track (track 1) , but the recording track (2) is re-recording my previous track (1). There's a Bleed going on. I've got my record preferences set on "sound on sound". Asio4all drivers for both record and playback. How do I separate a newly recorded track from a previous recorded track? I want to monitor my previously recorded tracks, and simultaneously record a new track without "bleed". How do I do that??? Is something wrong with the software? Is there something else I'm overlooking?

[@krisolin]

Hello Mike! Do you have a video on the Cakewalk Pro Channel EQ?

[@gerryan3637]

i made it to the end

[@yeserneirda3451]

Mike I made it to the end

[@99xara99]

That moment when I realized the EQ he is using costs more than my entire setup... 😂 Useful tutorial, but is there a cakewalk specific one perhabs?

[@birdybirds1955]

Yeees, good video, but after installing the plug in I dont know where to find and open them :-/ They are just gone!? I have windows 10.

[@jasyenjo]

Oh so we are learning about Emotional Intelligence(EQ)

[@CreativeSauce]

Oh yes certainly - but I'm using recording technology as an analogy :)

[@ParthChakraborty]

Great tutorial sir. one more thing, you have hollywood actor kinda face.

[@marekvoosen]

People who don’t want to spend too much money, take a look at the Toneboosters eq v4. It’s cheaper and there are some great features Pro Q3 don’t own or the MautodynamicEq by Meldaproduction. It’s the uber eq

[@mattbrook-lee7732]

Mike I made it to the e.......

[@DCCfhrue]

18:59

[@tavmessore4262]

i love your videos but please dont pickup every sound man i can hear so much detail in each swallow. im trying to continue watching lol. i hope i can!! lmfao

[@khasab6124]

isn't this stuff then just used to try and improve bad recordings? I mean If I walk into a pub with a keyboard player and we set up and plug in our instruments we can play live without any of this and the sound could be fine and everyone enjoys themselves. If the gig was recorded why would it need any IQ or other stuff? What I'm trying to say is, I understand there might be a use for a bit of this with say home recordings where the recording *doesn't* represent the live sound, but isn't there a danger that people / musicians who enjoy the technical side of this stuff, get obsessed with it and lose sight of the fact they are supposed to be producing Music? Thousands of loved recordings from the past exist where things were pretty much just captured through a mic and that was it. Even early bands like the Beatles went in to studios and cut a load of songs in a day or two with very little to no high tech fiddling about.

[@CreativeSauce]

I absolutely agree not to lose sight of the music, the performance and the song. They make up 95% of what makes a piece of art great. This stuff is just perfecting details. Myself and others enjoy the process of tweaking, but I do agree with you, its importance can be over magnified.

[@nekoyaiba]

I double clicked the dislike twice and the like once

[@Losovox]

soooo... 4 clicks on the dislike?