How To Hear EQ - Mixing Tutorial

[@DS-wn4dx]

Love the way you use free plugins instead of trying to plug the expensive FX, It shows young kids that the skill comes from the user and not the plugins that cost a fortune. Also love the way you explain with clarity and are not trying to blind with science.

[@johnsno9018]

Checkout this eq tutorial, explanation is amazing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGnbknpsoLh2l7s&ab_channel=KarimPorterKarimPorter

[@italyisntreal]

*Ozone costs money*

[@navneetkumar9516]

@@italyisntreal Hey this plugin was free about a month ago.

[@BloodernutGaming]

Nit just the young ones but us broke adults too lmao

[@gerrysnatabraja]

"The strongest EQ is the fader" - Kush

[@inthemix]

In some ways I would agree but I’d say the strongest “EQ” is how you chose to record it, what tone you dialled in right from the microphone or synth. But that doesn’t really sound as slick!

[@gerrysnatabraja]

@@inthemix THIS! It's kinda obvious but how you play, how you record, into what kind of equipment determines what tone coming in to the mix

[@KnzoVortex]

seems dumb (lol)

[@martinmiller9885]

@@KnzoVortex well, it is dumb

[@KnzoVortex]

@@martinmiller9885 On second thought,I kinda get the idea. Basically saying that even when we care so much about in depth things like EQ, We gotta remember that the basics (getting the right levels) is the most important thing. So I retract my calling of this dumb, and to think I said such a thing right in from of the man himself 😔😔😔

[@quinten2083]

The stuff you said at the end about taking a step back instead of forcing your way through a problem is so true! For the last month or so i had motivation issues, i tried every day to work on music but I just couldn't. So i took a week off and it has helped tremendously.

[@Windklang705]

Taking a break and return when your muse is back can really help a lot. I guess those who are hobbyist should abuse the luxury to chose not to do music whenever they feel unmotivated. I personally feel like my motivation always comes back when I remind myself that there is nothing in the world that forces me to do it

[@ousmaaan1677]

When I don’t really feel inspired I go to fortnite for 2 3 weeks will listening to music meanwhile . Producing is art , never force through it .

[@Da-Creams]

Ousmaaan haha

[@inthemix]

In this video, I share a simple EQ mixing tip which should help you use EQ with more purpose and clarity. This is primarily aimed at beginners and people who are struggling to hear distinction between frequency ranges. 0:00 - Topics Covered 0:45 - The issues with "Boost and Sweep" 2:45 - Subtractive EQ on Guitar 4:35 - Using Your Ears Only! 6:35 - Issues with 'Boost and Sweep' on Beat 7:45 - Subtractive EQ on Beat 9:15 - Soling Bands with EQ 9:55 - Soling Bands with SPAN 10:25 - Final Thoughts

[@Lor_Kreny]

Yeah I need this

[@ramizian]

The timing for me tho! I'm actually struggling a little bit with EQ mixing ^^ Thx!

[@Lor_Kreny]

@@ramizian Same

[@its_ars_3]

tnx sir🙏🙏

[@overimagination2812]

I cannot believe this video was just made, I was just thinking yesterday OUT LOUD that i don't understand what the hell to do with Eq and wish there was a video about it. Unbelievably weird.

[@JanithHarinda]

I have seen some professional mixing engineers are doing this thing and It's really a big question to me. Thank you so much for explaining.

[@syndice]

I feel like when they do it they are looking for other sounds to take out, but what exactly they look for is a mystery to me lol. I used to do the gain sweep thing till I realised every frequency distorted and sounded strange

[@CRUIZEwithme]

Syndice hey bro! I’m actually an audio engineer too and work at a studio ran by the city of Toronto! For vocals when you raise the eq while sweeping if you put it up all the way up and move left to right along the EQ scale there will be some points that just sound waaaay worse then others. If you have vocals to work on you’ll see why I mean if you solo the vocal layer and bring up one point doing a sweep. There are several “points of annoyance” located on the EQ scale that every single vocal has but it varies depending on the voice. This is very general but there should be about 4-7 points on the EQ scale that should be lowered for every vocals in general. You just have to sweep til you find these points individually and then bring them down maybe about -2db to -4db depending on how harsh the sound is that you want to take out. That’s what I find helps give more clarity and brightness for vocals.

[@syndice]

@@CRUIZEwithme Thanks for the comment thats really helpful to know :) I don't work on vocals very often but next time I do I'll think of this. Id probably be using dymanic eq at least a bit too

[@CRUIZEwithme]

Syndice forsure bro np! If you wanna ever talk music or collab on something bro hit me up on Instagram! @cruize.x 👊🏽

[@StevenSoto]

@@CRUIZEwithme true.

[@Shroomerz]

Really nice intro...Not only that,all your videos are so chill,informative and straight to the point.Just wanna let you know what you’re doing is really helping the producer community SO MUCH and we really appreciate you selflessly putting your time and effort for our growth.THANK YOU!

[@Windklang705]

There actually is an InTheMix discord server, where the community evolves further if you are interested - you can find the invite on Michaels video from last week

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Great video and life lesson. I'm so glad I watched 😁

[@srb909]

Lol! You said the same thing in other eq video

[@johnsno9018]

Checkout this eq tutorial, explanation is amazing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGnbknpsoLh2l7s&ab_channel=KarimPorterKarimPorter

[@Lor_Kreny]

I really need this one.

[@vluri258]

We know.

[@ProdByArtturo]

It was free like a month ago

[@AKARWATV]

I decided to download this for the offline detailed learning but i made sure that i watched the opening ad so that we(+your pocket) keep you motivated for offering such awesome videos free.blessings!

[@nahush8090]

He has mastered the art of explaining and convincing the thing he want to teach or share!

[@Xake_Official]

Great video dude!

[@kertantal7537]

I watched tons of mixing tutorial videos and you are way more specific, understandably celar about what you're doing and why and you give gentle advices. And an irrelevant detail: you don't shout while speaking, you're chilled, you make me chilled and not stressed about when the time will come when my mixes finally sound the way I want. You tought me patience and selfconfidence that I just need to practice more and spend time with it experiencing different methods. So you did me a huge favor! Thanks

[@marcvandewall804]

Loving the sort of 'sweeping' technique in which you substract frequencies instead of boosting. Never saw it before but to me it sounds like a valid technique with way more potential.

[@pablocronin4229]

This guy is the real deal he’s very humble, genuine and a fuckin genius about what he talks. Lots of respect and love ❤️

[@dragon-id5uj]

to me, not only has it been great to learn from you but also watch you yourself learn. this creates a feedback loop where everyone wins. thank you for generating that.

[@calumrife]

This is such a great proof of concept, and a confirmation to me that after years of mixing things the wrong way (or misunderstandings) - subtracting the bad leaves behind what you actually want. If you have even a decent starting point, just remove what sucks, and what's left is usually the juice you're after. I've been mixing this way for the last two-ish years and it has done wonders for clarity and overall tone. Thanks dude!

[@1henno]

Lol lowkey I was doing your suggested technique all the time intiutively without thinkin about why I did this. My ears loved it.

[@citizenofearth]

I still need to train my ears so I could understand what do you mean by "bad" or "muddy". To me, the kick was a bit punchy and it covered the rest of the track at most of the time. But that's just me. Very nice video, always a gem.

[@scaho]

Muddy is like how the song sounds on a speaker but when you put your hands on it. Kinda sounds like underwater, boomy and far away.

[@deadpaul6587]

The kick and the snare did stick out a bit but this is a beat so it's most likely mixed knowing that there is gonna be a vocal on top, in which case those core drums need to be louder than the rest of the track. Or maybe you ment something else by punchy lol, these terms can be little vague.

[@monisprabu1174]

Muddy is like when all the sounds clashes to gether

[@VocasoGK]

For me, muddy and punchy are in the same frequency. You cut it too much, you'll get less mud but it will sounds less punchy. You boost it too much, it will sounds muddy.

[@bubahercsooshhercules4292]

Muddy is resonating frequencies that phase together unsettling the mix. Punchy is tightening a sound so it has more kick. In one spot the kick would have sounded good boosted without disturbing the mix but the good punchy sound you are taking about is just the volume getting louder. The amount of mud or phasing that happens when you boost a random frequency band upsets the low end and travels all thru out your mix. If you want punchy then you wanna cut the bad frequencies with a eq.boost any pleasing sounding frequency thats not quite up with the others .compress with a slow attack. That will give it a punchy sound.

[@alkali836]

Generally I use the "boost and sweep" method to get a feel for where a frequency is (my ears aren't very well trained in the frequency spectrum) and just dial it down until it sounds good (which could result in a boost, a large cut, a small cut, or nothing at all). Of course you can also do this with an EQ that supports soloing frequencies.

[@HaharuRecords]

This is what i always thought and disagree with a lot of sound designers teaching about EQ, it doesn't make any sense when you top to bottom high/low a frequency it will probably sound bad, it doesn't mean that it needs to be cut for the sake of clarity because sound or a note (timber) is made of a lot of different textures sounds including breath and even noise. Michael: Finally you have resolved this, beautifully . Thank You.😊✌️🌴

[@markus3141]

I liked that bit of life philosophy at the end

[@Windklang705]

Michael is always down for some seriously good advice

[@MichaelKyles-v9o]

3 years later still great advice, been doing music almost 20 years and just now learning you can always learn how to do something else from what your use to doing you got a new sub today bro

[@redfarrowmusic]

You are such an excellent speaker! Thanks for the great video!

[@Tearsoftechnologymusic]

One tip, Is to raise the freq high, then back down. By doing this, you make loud the freqs you are adjusting so you can hear and identify what is being changed. I can hear slight changes but do this anyway, esp on mid bands. its good practice.

[@schoontube]

Great idea to use subtractive EQ to find problem areas and improve the sound. Makes much more sense than the boost-and-sweep, which just identifies problems from too much gain in a frequency. In "hindsight", it seems so obvious. In any case, fantastic content. I will be joining today! :)

[@EkeneJesusVictor]

Thank you very much. Best Online Teacher in the World

[@Windklang705]

100% agreed!

[@nirjhar3110]

You are getting blessings of those whom you're solving problems of

[@Steven_Fisher1]

Great video! These tutorials help me out a lot with my music. Thanks! :D

[@TwoDudeGamesChnnel]

It's so cool that you told us about that technique. I actually already do that when I can't locate the problem in high-freq range on vocals, because when the problem is not present it's quite easy to find it in the spot you muted.

[@92_Redd]

You literally changed the way I Eq'd. My equing is much more quicker and focused, plus my mix sounds way better. Thank you! The boosting and sweeping technique made me think everything sounded bad like you described.

[@ToniArcelinni]

Loved this video and I love how you talk gently during the video, it kinda pull some trigger to make people REALLY pay attention to the sounds! Great tutorial, thanks always :)

[@quariusmusic]

So happy to see some of the techniques which i already do recommended by you ,its a sign im on a right path🙌

[@flipperpitstudio]

You are my favorite audio tutorial channel! Your style is so wonderful: informative, calm, succinct... oh and so darn good lookin'. 😍 Thanks for all the vids you put out. Really helping a late-starter like me. 😎👍

[@joeyrabz1616]

I feel like I shouldn't bother trying to produce anymore... Michael I've been following for years, here & Insta. I wish I could understand all these things you speak of and hear because you speak with so much conviction & I clearly see that you know what you are talking about. I'm thankful for all the help you render and I wish you great things man. I'll keep on watching, maybe one good day it'll all make sense, cause WOW, my projects are not satisfying me one bit. Lol😥

[@sapphony6464]

Awww, don’t beat yourself up like that! Just focus on creating your tracks and then tweaking them for now... with a bit of feedback from friends, you’ll quickly start realizing what the real problems are and grow to eliminate those problems even before they appear. I have several issues with EQing still, but I cannot be any more thankful for this tip and for many chances of improving that I have because of tutorials like these. :)

[@Windklang705]

Honestly, I feel you a lot! The more I understand what happens in the more in depth process of producing, the less I find the courage to even try. But currently Im trying to remember, that music can already be satisfying when the mix and master isn't perfect - honestly, it is still music and as long as you enjoy it, don't let yourself be dragged down. You love your music and that's what is the most important thing. The rest has to be learned step by step. Let's work up some courage together

[@joeyrabz1616]

@@Windklang705 thank you so much for the courage🙏... I've literally been trying to make music for years & I do notice the upgrades I make. I have so much love for music, the ideas ALWAYS flow when I listen to commercially released music, but when I try to implement it just turns to something else. Funny thing is as much as I think I'm bad, I just never completely give up because of how I love music, of all genres.

[@joeyrabz1616]

Haha @@sapphony6464 thanks a lot.. I hope I'll get the hang of this. All these channels i have subscribed to are teaching me a lot, ey but Michael is the best amongst them all, I trust his knowledge.. So effortless for him. What genre do you mostly produce?

[@emerydoerksen8005]

Bro you’re g! I didn’t have any knowledge of music when I started. I didn’t even know what a freaking chord was, and although I still don’t make money or anything, I can confidently say that I’ve made a few good beats! Practice makes perfect and I’m sure you are better than you say you are!

[@1henno]

I think you should mention that EQing mixer channels is important too. Gettin EQ onto the full mix can be frustrating if the channels arent weighed out. If so it shouldnt be needed at all. Just from my ears experience. And for a boost of all sounds on the master I found out a little trick: Fruity Compressor - Full Mix

[@Yzera_]

Hi and thanks for all theses tutorial ! Very helpful for a beginner like me :D

[@DruDilly]

Agreed! I have been starting to EQ by cutting and sweeping first instead of boosting and sweeping to find undesirable frequencies. You end up taking too much out when you boost. Sometimes it is good but I think cutting and sweeping make you hear where things were covering up other elements.

[@Windklang705]

I agree. Sometimes you already hear theres a problem on the raw recording, then with boosting and sweeping you can locate it, but if it sounds just fine, anything is gonna sound off with boosting xD

[@imdm_ofc]

its really beautiful to see someone passionate like this, it's peaceful.

[@SMEL]

Gratitude life changing for my mixes... immediately better mixes!!!

[@milan.mishra10]

I was just watching a video you made two years ago..about mixing acoustic guitars. You kind of explained it more elaborately here. I'm just beginning to learn these things, and i love that you understand that these topics are difficult for beginners to understand and how you simplify it. Subscriber for life buddy. Thanks.

[@inthemix]

Thank you so much! I always remember how complex these topics were for me when I started out

[@saucegod8867]

This is EXACTLY what I needed! In the mix is God tier!

[@ajentertainment6035]

I like watching your videos. I'm just wondering what you think about Audient Nero Monitor Controller. Thanks

[@nickirsel682]

Wow never thought of taking away the frequencies to find the problem.. Big thanks

[@Lonewolfs8128]

Someone nominate this guy for a Emmy for his tutorials -- I've learned so much from you. Thanks

[@Windklang705]

Petition signed lol!

[@qelo9529]

Thank you and have a great day 🥂😊

[@blacklight_god]

Thanks for sharing, I find this to be good ear training

[@techyvenkysmp2605]

Thats exactly what i was thinking whileEquing boosting frequencies and cutting harsh frequencies that which level is better because after boosting around 20db every frequency content becomes annoying, i use to boost around 12 db to 15 db while checking but you way makes it much better ,when boosting and cutting not work this will work ,its about balence at that time,Thank you soo much for sharing your knowledge and explaining so well, span plugin solo trick too works well

[@THATSFYAHK]

You just fixed all my next projects by teaching this technique. MASTER!

[@abbosxon03]

In my opinion,this channel is the best source of tutorials of FL studio. And this channel is created by a person who is proffesional of his job. Good luck Michael 👍. Keep going.

[@fadeskywards1245]

I have never considered doing any mixing myself. I accidentally stumbled upon this. I like this a lot

[@HYPEREX]

Always Amazing tutorials!

[@aniketkanojia7083]

Love from india ...❤❤❤ i have no words ...🤐🤐 no one can teach you mixing , mastering, from start to end in free but this man ....😘😘😘 awesome bhai..( bhai = brother 😁😁 yeah today i have teach u a word of hindi language..remember this..😅😅).

[@soddraco8183]

You’re the only person I watch when it comes to mixing, keep it up !!

[@dom5511]

Learned how to make music through your videos! Truly grateful for your effort in making this kind of vids! All the love.

[@harsh-tu2yr]

this is something that I'm never gonna see or i have never seen in any other channel or video and i am just so grateful that i found this channel🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@ScJ1309]

Excellent video, I love how you talk about this and sound design as two different things

[@skullkid5182]

You did it. I've been thinking about the sound of just soloing a band of frequency for a while but was clueless on how to accomplish the effect! Thank you!!! F*cking awesome video

[@kgfx3987]

truly the bob Ross of music production, so pure, so loved

[@Windklang705]

haha omg, such an accurate comparison... so many *happy little frequencies*

[@hegotgame9347]

I thought I was alone out here!!! I feel that if I Boost any Freq it sounds nasty. Nice TUT

[@markgonzalez1713]

5 seconds in and I already love the new "topics covered" function with the scrub bar

[@markgonzalez1713]

this was a very productive and helpful production video, cheers!

[@Dexton0742]

Brilliant. Wow, seems obvious this when you watch the video. Soon as you mentioned increasing leading to taking away too many areas I knew I'd fell prey to doing it. Reducing to find possible problems seems way more usable. Great video Michael

[@88keyz]

I have never seen anyone do a eq sweep without visual I learned something new well saw something new lol 👍🏾

[@okzoomer7537]

I was literally just wondering how to EQ! Thanks a lot!!

[@jupiter901]

That was great advice and major help, and thank you for the advice last week about buying too many plugins and using the time more wisley instead learning about what plugins you already have, I took it to heart and have learn't so much more this week with the things I already have. Many thanks.

[@Windklang705]

Yeah last weeks advice also had me on the spot

[@shubhdeepgandhi]

Thank you for this video! A request to make tutorial on 5.1 surround sound mixing or whatever!!... like plugins and all.. may be in a detail!!

[@kristopherclark350]

Excellent mate I have done this before but ovb thought it was wrong to do it but finding the sweep spot on a cut is more pleasing way to work, thanks for the reassurance

[@Windklang705]

One more time a proof to the fact that there isn't actually a "wrong" in music production. Feel confident in your own judgement

[@Disero]

Thank you for busting the boost and sweep technique, you're fighting the good fight. I have a comment regarding ears only, I have found that using my eyes along with my ears has helped my ears become more refined and at a more rapid pace than when I was using ears only. This is due to the fact that I connect the reality of the tonal balance to what I'm hearing, and the more my eyes confirm what my ears are hearing, the more accurately I am able to hone in on specific issues intuitively rather than analytically.

[@jaykamble04]

Great !! Learnt a lot !! Thanks

[@friiiz1]

It's crazy how you keep delivering very high quality content. I always learn something new, no matter what topic. There's honestly no such channel as this one. Keep it up!

[@AudioReplica2023]

Arrangement is key. A lot of times we fight to make instruments jump out without realizing that instrument don't have the space to do it by itself. When the arrangement it's well worked out mixing it's just so easy.

[@rosemayangwa]

Got this on my recommended while watching your other tutorial!!

[@rosemayangwa]

Best tutorials I’ve come across so far!!

[@Windklang705]

same XD

[@bismaofficialph]

really nice. i've been doing that boosting everywhere a lot.

[@SimpathiMusic]

Thanks for making this, I've learned about how to eq certain things but there's still a LOT to learn for me lol

[@thecagedbirdsings5586]

This is so useful, thanks so much! I'm gonna try it right away! Keep it up pal!

[@antonellomascarello4698]

I really appreciate this type of videos. In my opinion, I find the boosting technique pretty "dangerous" for a beginner (such as myself), because it sounds like a systematic approach but you risk to cut too much especially if you do not have that much of experience to realise that it sounds odd just because you are boosting too much. Keep you with the great work!! Thanks !!!

[@iamSho]

Thank you, you are a great teacher ! all of you videos and tutorials are very informative and help me learn. thank you.

[@Keroser1983]

Thank you very much man! The traditional boost and swipe technique is very useful for me but I do it as corrective and very very gentle. I will try this one as well..

[@ELMCinc]

Thanks for sharing this definitely makes more sense than boosting the frequencies.

[@88keyz]

That solo frequency option has come in very useful the last few months focusing more on mixing and Mastering that feature is awesome to USe lol 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾😊

[@Windklang705]

Thank you for the tip!

[@windaworld_pk]

You are right,, we are equing with our eyes more.☺️

[@ayMillmusic]

Great tips! Cheers!

[@jcrain85]

Thank you so much! I just used this on my new track. Wow... it works very well!

[@ziko9519]

I appreciate your effort to help those who are new to mixing and music production

[@myrequiem___15]

I only need to hear about the eq techniques but that quote in the end instantly turned this into a life coaching session 🤣

[@heavymetalmixer91]

This cut-n-sweep method has always been my favorite for the reasons you mentioned, and because my ears don't accumulate as much fatigue, so I don't need to take breaks as often. Great video, keep it up buddy. Btw, TDR NOVA allows to Solo specific bands too, both this one and SPAN are necessary to me LOL

[@kweinfurt]

Brilliant video-clear, engaging, and mercifully brief. I just subscribed!

[@aadityadautkhane7328]

Wow !!! This is the best tutorial on EQ

[@sunnysuman1255]

Thank you so much for this video. I asked about this a while ago on this channel and other mixing channels as well. Everyone tells you how to eq but no one tells you what to eq and that can be a bit confusing if you're a beginner. It would be very helpful if you did an entire series on this type of videos like how to hear compression. And how to use reverb(we tend to use a lot of reverb when starting out or even delay).

[@ht9896886]

I like your opinion！ checking EQ like that, comparing the lost frequency with the original sound, to decide what frequency can't not be lost. is better than boosting some frequency up, and cutting everything you don't like. But I still don't understand why you only low-cut the guitar like that 04:00

[@Florian_Sieben]

Yooo Michael... you're such a god man. I really needed this tutorial... like really bad actually. I'm still very new to music production and the mixing process always looked so daunting to me... now it looks actually quite fun and, with your presented approach, much more manageable as well. Thank you so much for everything you do! Much love from Germany

[@Windklang705]

Liebe Grüsse aus der Schweiz ins Nachbarland

[@ItsMe-gv2ug]

Thank you so much for posting these tutorials!

[@ronaldirawan3643]

For rapid production, eq with freq step selector really help instant result.

[@boondi4785]

pls make a video about soundgoodiser. i always screw my vocals with soundgoodiser

[@musicgutter4560]

Bro i am your very very very very very very very very Very very very very infinite very much big fan. I am following your channel from a long time a everytime your videos are helpfull I love you bro. Great love from India 🇮🇳 keep making these videos I support you to become a great musician someday as soon as possible.

[@laapata6921]

This is so helpful bro. More videos on EQ please.

[@victornoagbodji]

🙏 🙏 absolutely awesome video! thanks for doing them 😊

[@LoveAudioProduction]

This is great, Michael. Nice job as always 😊 Paul.

[@paulcrompton6654]

Very nicely put, I've been watching a few tutorials that explain this way of thinking or working... And you explain this very clearly too... Ta very much and all the best.

[@WesMott1994]

I've been feeling like the boost and sweep method has been misleading to me over the past few years. Thanks for the insight!