5 EQ Mistakes We Make While Mixing - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro

➡️➡️Download the Cheat Sheet here: bit.ly/2CmcMCa
➡️Tip 1: Don’t just cut Frequencies On The Mix Bus: Find the source of EQ Build up. (0:49)
➡️Tip 2: Your Mix is Too Bright: Don’t Mix Too Loud (4:13)
➡️Tip 3: Use Proper High and Low Passing (6:40)
➡️Tip 4: Don’t Over Use EQ: If you’re Applying A Lot Correctional EQ Stop, Take a Break then Listen to it without EQ(10:28)
➡️Tip 5: Don’t Spend too Much Time in Solo: Check Frequently How the EQ Choices you Make work with your Mix(13:16)
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[@Sleepstatemusic]

The way you talk about mixing makes it much more fun to learn- you really are a great teacher Warren.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much my friend!! I'm so glads to be able to help!

[@leeforster1610]

Gday from down under. Another beaut video. I learn something from every video you put up Warren. You mentioned mixing Eqs into compression. I’d love to see more on that. I tend to experiment a lot with my effects chains to get the best sound. Thanks heaps again. Cheers Lee

[@in2gadgets]

It all makes great sense, Warren. In fact I was just wondering what to do with a Telecaster part that was far too harsh - and I fixed it straight away because of your advice!

[@Melvin7727]

May be the best video I've seen on EQ. I needed to hear a lot of this

[@monkeyxx]

made perfect sense indeed! I am constantly amazed at how much common practice there is in audio engineering. You could easily write a book about it, Warren.

[@DavidPalmer_blinder]

guilty of the mix bus EQ'ing. i'm glad you called it out, because i'm going to stop that now.

[@Jordan-jx5xg]

WARREN! I effing love your videos! I’m not new to mixing by any means, i like to think my mixes are getting competitive. Even so, I always find myself coming back to your channel to watch the simplest of things before I tackle a mix. The basics are basic for a reason. Because they work. I sometimes forget that I don’t have to get super technical. Your videos are very humbling, Cheers my guy!

[@JesusArmasOficial]

Vocally speaking. I like to listen to the vocal tracks in solo for tuning issues. Plosives, and external noises. Specially in a home studio, in the middle of the city. Thanks for these tips. Helpful as usual.

[@chuckgreenjr]

Another Great Video Warren. #3 - Filtering SLOPE and #4 - Dynamic EQ'ing versus surgical EQ'ing are the two BIGEST take aways for me. Truly Appreciated.

[@dwaynewyatt3]

So useful!!! I was working on a mix just today and I got so fatigued from listening too loud. And listening in the car the 1-5k range was brutal. I suffer from all of these so this was great to hear. Thanks for all you do Warren!!! I’ve been an avid fan for years. You are Much appreciated.

[@GustavoCosta-jr1mh]

This video simply changed my mixes... Thank you, Warren! That's you are the master.

[@KellyDavidMusic]

Great tips that everyone should now. The real nugget: Always look to cut frequencies first, but definitely learn how to EQ into compression. That's an important technique. Sometimes EQ into effects can have interesting results.

[@BukezFinezt]

I love this channel. Its just always on point. Especially your tipps. Its not ALWAYS new stuff when you been making music and mixing for a while BUT its always stuff which is good to keep watching. Stuff which should become a routine for a few people. Thank you!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much my friend!! I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren

[@codycreepcore]

i like how you've been referencing slight differences in techniques in your videos in regards to genre. Like the classic rock/metal difference.

[@mattcrescenzi9052]

I think what you said about mixing at a high level is such an important point to mixing. Ear fatigue will work against you all the time. Thanks Warren!

[@lafonttolliversr1847]

Warren you are the man! I've been scrambling my mind for hours trying to EQ. Everybody keep saying boost, cut do this and that. When all I gotto do is cut high and low ends. My mix sounds very good and I mix with volume low now. Very big difference. Thanks bro!

[@MartinLuxen]

Thank you Warren! Great tips! Always good to hear some of them again to keep myself sharp! One mistake I make a lot is thinking I have to put EQ on everything...but if it's good, it's good... not all channels/sources need plugins or effect or etc....

[@boldbearStudios]

Great summary of 5 common EQ missteps and thank you Warren for aggregating different topics in such videos. They become kind of mixing reference manuals for many of us! #4 is the one I've learned during the last few years and I love using TDR's Nova EQ for that job. It is a fantastic free plugin!

[@jaytyler5741]

You are 100% right. I do it the same way I find the source of the problem and take care of it and my mix bus usually does not have an eq. If you get the mix right you shouldn't need a EQ on your master bus.

[@Kitanoonline]

You rock... I did a mix by hearing too long too loud and made some of the mistakes you explain....

[@claudius3124]

Wonderful Words of Wisdom! ;-) All that is so true, especially 4 and 5 which I would combine : correctional EQ in solo mode for 10 minutes leads to absolute garbage! Always listen in context! Again, thanks Warren for what is, in my opinion, one of your best tutorial ever. So many people - including me! - tend to forget these basic and important principles once in a while... Have a wonderful day!

[@MichaelVakili]

Great tips thank you for the time spent ^ ^. At the end - no matter what you do always bypass your effects/plugins just to notice if things are getting better or worse from the source.

[@DavidRosario69]

Finally someone who agrees with me to fix at the source! Imagine you have to export stems to import into another DAW. Nothing you do on the master bus will be carried over; only exporting stems while applying plugins for those tracks will carry over.

[@kevinstocker8213]

Great video Warren! Please keep doing what you're doing! You are impacting so manny people! I don't have the ability to go to music school, so it's videos like these that allow me to pursue my true passion! Thank you!

[@rocamp56]

Awesome tips! thanks Warren. Learn so much from your channel! Thanks for sharing Hope you have a marvellous day! Cheers!

[@4dmind]

Useful to get a db meter too - and it's a fun visual gimmick for the studio. I have one mounted on the wall, and I mix at 85db or slightly less, but never below 80db. This was a huge puzzle piece for me, as my "enemy frequencies" were 150hz-300hz, as I was consistently mixing too much bass due to mixing at lower volumes.

[@Sellarmusic]

Thanks for sharing some great tips. One more that has tripped me up more than once is to make sure to compare EQ changes level matched because louder will fool you every time.

[@Producelikeapro]

Absolutely! That's a very good point my friend!

[@QuabmasM]

Amazing tips we all must force ourselves to remember otherwise we need great reminders like this. I chase my tail in the mix to my shame by forgetting some of these basics. Lord knows Ive lost years of time chasing my tail in the EQ boost/cutting in solo unaware my issue only applies to a section of the vocal performance and fixing it ruins the majority of the mix(unless I use a dynamic EQ, cut out that section and give it its own bus, or automate on/off an additional EQ just for that section).

[@unlockyoursound]

I for one love to work into an EQ on the mix bus, but I only use that for broad strokes. Normally this is an analogue-modelling EQ which can colour the mix in a nice way.

[@MarcBecker_Music]

Great video, Thank you, Warren. I know this situation, when you try to eq something and suddenly all frequency around the cut or boost do not sound anymore and then you'll start a cut and boost orgy all over the frequency range only to end up with an artificial sounding liveless signal. Using a dynamic EQ is a very good hint. Thank you!

[@chadfayrobinson7537]

And yet again I get great info!!!!! Thank You !

[@SorinDaniel]

All of your tips are well explained in every video. Thanks to you I've learned so much about mixing, mastering... and you've helped me to be better in my work. Thank you so much!!! :)))

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Sorin!! I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren

[@thiagoinsano]

Great video! MARVELOUS! Thanks for sharing with us

[@paul_smith66]

Agree with all of these points and succinctly put.

[@atomicmoon]

I really like the tip about not solely eqing in solo. Earlier today I was mixing a vocal in solo and when I listened to it with the rest of the track it was completely buried. The entire idea behind eqing is to make all of the elements blend together with each other and when you think about it that way it doesn't really make sense to mix each element in solo. This is definitely an area of mine that I will be working to correct in the future

[@orebromusik9080]

A very good video!! Great tips!! For me very clear and instructional, good length and straight to the point!Thanx!!❤🖒

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much! I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren

[@craigmurdock4740]

Absolutely love this channel. Thank you so much for your help and important, clear advice.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@Eventual420]

On the tracking channel input I use 'coloring' EQ. These corrective EQs are sometimes tone matches to reference songs. They're occasionally turned off, because I enjoy what comes naturally. Coloring EQs make speakers sound the same. These all head to a mix bus, which includes effects like delays and reverbs. At this point I add a corrective EQ, which is mostly to roll off the highs, just for the guitars. Then it finally ends up against drums and bass, since I am a hobbyist, there are no vocals. Hopefully that changes soon, one of your members agreed let me mix some of his vocals, and I'm super excited about it. (!!!) This final mix stage often has too much of everything, and they'll be uniformly reduced to eliminate clip at the master bus. Drums are allowed to spike the most. Similar to Rush or Queensryche, I like these lightning hot drums. Guitars come up to a level tested against YT's compression standard. When it fails the level test, I'll reduce the music and leave the drums. The LUFS test is concerned with overall loudness. For me, mostly the drums get compression. Guitars and synths are often loud enough, and will only get me penalized by YT so that's where my reductions occur. I have learned a lot. If you're just uploading your guitar playing to YT with no other instruments you can crank it up. One instrument, one recording can easily dominate. But when mixing, everything changes and becomes so complex. Getting a great recording is truly an art form. That's why I always listen closely to every word Warren says, every time he repeats himself. Thank you kindly Warren and the entire Produce Like A Pro team. -James

[@peterbrandt7911]

Useful as always. While you covered these things durng your mixing videos before, it isn't less helpful to hear them in a single video. I guess, that such videos are a great start for beginners and quite a good reference for everybody. Thanks Warren, thanks to the whole PLAP-Team.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much my friend! I really appreciate it Peter!!

[@unlockyoursound]

Dynamic EQs are a god send. I love TDR Nova.

[@dimoscondos]

great stuff Warren once more...it can happen to everyone ...even the experienced ones... cheers from rhodes greece !!!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks my friend! Have fun in beautiful Rhodos!!

[@paulEmotionalaudio]

Really great info. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@royglennie]

Hi Warren, I can say from my experiences in mixing I have only made mistakes no 1 and 2....and 3.....and 4..... and well no.5 and a whole heap of others haha!! This is such a valuable video - a great reminder of things we sometimes tend to forget as mixers! Thanks again!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Roy, we all still make these mistakes! We are human my friend, to err is human! It's ok! Plus often doing things wrong leads to amazing learning!

[@marceloribeirosimoes8959]

Thanx a lot, Warren!!! In fact, a great referente pick can really help... ...but to know how to get there makes it useful, right? Great video, as always.

[@gordkellie1]

Thanks Warren for the tips on low end...I write and produce my own music which is very cinematic and when you get Sub hits and explosions with kick drums and bass guitars and upright basses and trombones the low end can be a fricken NIGHTMARE

[@Producelikeapro]

That's amazing Gordon! Agreed, low end is really important to shape properly!

[@jamiebonsall430]

God bless you Warren. Because (a) this is a great video and (b) because the thumbnail for this video looks like you're about to sneeze.

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha thanks ever so much Jamie!! You Rock!

[@khronscave]

0:56 Bussing tracks together can and will help with that immensely. I probably "overdo" that a bit, with having a kick bus, snare bus, tom bus, overhead bus and rooms bus, all feeding into a drum bus; bass bus; guitars bus; vocals bus. That way, muting one (sub-)bus at a time can quickly and easily help narrow down the source of whatever "big issues" might occur.

[@quayweststudios3005]

Hi Warren, thanks for all your videos! Would be great for when you’re next in the UK to come see my studio in Gosport, Hampshire. We have some great gear and a great space including an API 1608 and some a large Guitar and amp selection.

[@michaelarthurmusic307]

If I could get back even half the time I have spent over EQ'ing things I would be at least 2 years younger. Thanks again Warren.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thant's a fantastic quote Mike!!

[@splashesin8]

Really great to know stuff here! Thank you Warren!

[@jnws30]

thanks for the advice. I was spending way to much time in solo. Glad you explained that

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi James Smith I hear you my friend!!

[@jnws30]

I think I over think the mix. It seems if you take the time to play with the effects tonally according to the effects applied, and your initial recording is sonically pleasing, the mix will be minimal. Trying to fine tune every stupid " off wave frequency", ultimately chokes the whole song out. I think you have described this as letting the song breath.

[@vanderlamp]

great video.. loved the eq-part.. really easy to get carried away there.. :) just wondered if you could share if there´s a certain way how you approach a track.. like a sequence (vol->pan->hp/lp-> aso).. is it more or less the same or totally different for every track.. anyway big thanx.. really helpful video.. :)

[@jacquelamontharenberg]

Great stuff Warren.... just a little here and there goes a long way....

[@netzer442]

Guilty on all points. Great tips Warren. Thanks.

[@davidmeyer8756]

This is really helpful. Thank you!

[@zilion111]

Amazing tips ! thank you .

[@devinunderwood9039]

Yet another God send of a vid for us beginners. Thanks Warren

[@Producelikeapro]

Aw shucks thanks ever so much my friend!

[@royglennie]

Devin Underwood - agreed, and a God send for experienced mixers too, sometimes when wrapped up in a mix it's easy to forget many of these points from time to time. As Warren says, 'we are all learning every day'! All the best

[@davidallenhammond2777]

Excellent tips Warren, thank you so much for sharing these with us.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi David Allen Hammond you’re very welcome my friend!

[@kaiulrich6185]

I am mainly a live mixer and I agree on the "don't boost" law for the most part, although there are always some exeptions...studio is a totally different ball game to me and I boost, whenever I think, it's needed without thinking "I shouldn't".

[@GDawg2K2]

Great Tips.. I probably spent half the 80s figuring out those 5, plus no6! Though only relevant in an era when per diem's are paid in Peruvian Flake. Rule #6: Ask A&R Dude/Producer/Manager/... to Move the mirror from the console's producer desk to the lounge while mixing. ;-)

[@marshallhawkins3754]

I often find myself trying to avoid low pass/high pass... and I wonder why my guitars sound so chunky. I also appreciate your tips on correctional eq /dynamic eq.

[@vladonie]

So True! Thank You mr Warren! 😊

[@stuartwrigglesworth9339]

Fantastic video mate

[@CarlosSanchez_Lowwaxx]

Excellent!!! absolutely agree

[@wellingtonsdog]

interesting on the HPF and LPF use, something to think about as always, thanks chap

[@Producelikeapro]

You're welcome Scott! You Rock!

[@louishuddle1]

I like how you rate Al Schmitt as one of the engineers you look up to on a video about EQ haha. Thanks for all the tips!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Louis, yes, indeed! Al makes amazing choices in microphones, places them in the right place and records Big Bands and Orchestras! I know when he was mixing some things for me on the last Aerosmith Album he did use EQ, sparingly, but he did! It's 'Horses For Courses'! Thanks for your amazing comment!

[@bighornaudioproductions6104]

thanks for your incite whats your thoughts on Soothe and Spiff by oek audio?

[@charosgerotolios8125]

As always, thank you!

[@MikeLuke]

It’s interesting. A long time I followed those commonly heard tips like „Start with your mix bus first“ or „always EQ before compression“ ... but recently I started to do quite the opposite and follow that what Warren said: I don‘t touch the master fader at all or just slightly with a console emulation like Slate‘s VCC, but then I work track after track. This whole top-down-mixing can easily lead you in the wrong way, at least that’s what I experienced. I remember what Ian Shepherd once said: If you mix properly, you don’t need master bus processing to create dynamics, punch and excitement.

[@SteveSchuffert]

And...get great tones going down...always! That’s gonna eliminate a lot of stuff right there and then. (Says Ray K. ) as always, great advice Warren. 👍

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Stephen! You Rock my friend!

[@darrenross9168]

Hi Warren, great video, very helpful, thank you for these awesome tips, all the best , Darren Ross.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever son much Darren! You Rock my friend!

[@DerekWhitaker]

Wonderful advice as always Warren. Thank you!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Derek! You Rock!

[@HeyImFlex]

great tips warren your a big help!

[@UnearthlyViking]

Great tips. Thank you for sharing!

[@rexlarsen4218]

Thank you Warren. We always need good advice.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Rex!!

[@wiklundvswiklund8770]

As usual thanks for the invaluable info Warren.. Cheers!

[@LeeboFreeman]

Fookin Great video! Very intuitive and applicable 🤘🏻⚡️

[@johnnythunqvist]

Hey Warren! Im absolutely stoned by your videos. Ive about 20 gold and platina in Sweden as a producer/songwriter but I learn a lot from u and have lot of fun!!!n All the very best and love Johnny T

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow! Thanks ever so much Johnny! You Rock my friend!!

[@wee-oww]

you’re my daily dose of wisdom)

[@Mrgreytung]

Hi Warren, thanks for all the great videos! I have a question where I can't seem to find an answer on the internet, I wonder if you could spend some time to help? And that's timing, vocal timing. Especially rap vocal. I understand for some sentimental songs I might not want every words to be perfectly on beat, might wanna keep the natural feeling in there, but of course not too much off tempo. However in Rap vocal, Do you quantize or pull every single word to the exact beat/position where it should be, or fix only the one that are obviously off? Also, what plugins or method do you think is the best to fix vocal timing issue? Thanks alot!

[@jethrokarsters9125]

Great tips as always. Greetings from Surinam Warren!

[@oscarortegarey635]

Hi, Warren. Thank you very much for the advice. I have a doubt and a subject: Can you explain what phase issues we can find when using a filter? (Low pass or Hi pass). If we do not have a dynamic/intelligent EQ, we can always automate a regular parametric EQ and cut those annoying frequencies when it's necessary.

[@DjVarun]

Hi Warren, great video as always. I have a question - I completed a mix that I'm satisfied with, however, when I compared it to some references the spectral balance was lacking sparkle and had more bass. I was wondering if it's ok to use something like the Tonelux Tilt EQ on the 2-bus to "shift" the spectral balance i.e. reduce the low end and increase the top end. I just tried it on the stereo bounce, and it seems to have done the trick. What are your thoughts?

[@diregremo]

I am doing marvelously well, thank you!

[@Producelikeapro]

diregremo glad to get it my friend! Truly marvelous!

[@distantidentitymusic]

Great explanation

[@maximiliangockel]

Warren's videos keep getting better and better.

[@Producelikeapro]

That's very kind of you Maximillian!

[@robertjohnleehorse]

3:41 "Liitle Boom n' Fizz"... I'm definitely nicking that.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Robert, haha please do!

[@kimchristiansen2397]

Some really great tips there. Thank you 👍

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Kim, thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it!

[@MrVahe]

Warren, I love you! :D love your videos

[@artist1303]

Do you have any knowledge about song streaming revenue, collecting song royalties and important steps on how and what to do when it comes time to release a song online? Also any tips on selling beats on line? Thanks Warren!

[@jurgenschuler8389]

Great tips and warnings! Thanks!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Jürgen Schuler thanks ever so much my friend!

[@spiral-m]

Great tips thanks

[@pluvioworld4716]

Warren please do a video on balancing your mix

[@4dmind]

I've done the correctional EQ nightmare thing as well. Now, my rule is: Try not to do any EQ (not counting high pass), and then play with level. For vocals, you can reasonably accept that some EQ will be needed, especially if a stylistic treatment is what you're going for - for example, in rock, sometimes band-passing a vocal can be a great effect. But we're talking just correction and natural sounding vocals. Then it also depends on the singer. For example, I have a resonant voice and I tend to have too much centered around 4.5K. With guitars, I find that for the main rhythm track, I'm almost always better off not making many changes at all - a high pass, and maybe I'll pull some 280hz or so - subtract mud. But even there, I would much rather go back to the amp or source, and pull the mud in the performance.

[@markgoslett6334]

Thank you ever so much for your marvellous video

[@Producelikeapro]

You're very welcome Mark!

[@DRsewage]

Is this a good way, when Im trying to get the best of each tracks (I mean finding all the issues.. when Im listening to the all raw tracks of well known songs.. they sounds great just as they are, So im trying to get this kind of sound for tracks, when they are played solo and with rest of the tracks sounds great), panning and then mixing all of them on mono on low gain? For me works. And, for every tracks at first Im adding a little bit of echo to get more room-ish sound than just directly flat thing.. I love to feel the room like big room studio (studio 2 in abbey road)....

[@crimsun7186]

A question. What is your opinion on room simulator plugins like Tonebooster's Isone, Redline Monitor, etc. when you don't have access to a good room or monitors, but have decent headphones?

[@FreddysFrets]

A brilliant video. Thanks Warren! Here's an odd observation. I do a lot of live mixing. I love live mixing because I don't worry about anything....I never second guess myself because I'm doing what I think is right in the moment. It sounds good to me and that's all that matters. So I throw the "rule book" out...for example things that I might be timid about doing when mixing recorded music in the studio I have no fear of live. If I have to wildly EQ something to make it sound good in the house I'll do it....a good example is say a kick drum. I might boost the low end by 18db, cut the boxy stuff by 18db etc....stuff I would never do in studio. And the psychology of live and studio is so different. In the studio I'm always worried about how the mix will translate to other speakers, different systems etc....this often leads to spending time agonizing over little details, which leads to losing site of the big picture. Live mixes? None of that matters....you just do it, you can't stop time, you can't solo an instrument (well OK you can in headphones) you have to make the mix sound great right now and at every moment. Warren, have you ever addressed the issue of spending too much time on a mix and the deadly "analysis paralysis"? It may be a good topic in future, I know that when I do a mix quickly it's usually better....gut instinct decisions and all that (much like mixing live)

[@vanpeethovenstudio]

Open jam sessions are the best for people who wants to learn how to mix. No soundchecks and/or long preparations, just your instincts, fader, eq and a bit of reverb. It helps to learn to do only what is needed in the mix.

[@int3533]

I never understood people who criticise EQ in to compression. I EQ into compression because then I can manipulate what the compressor is listening to. Great video as always.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Elroi The Overseer I agree! It’s the sound of an SSL! You can look on most great mixers consoles and you’ll see the yellow button engaged on the EQ on a 4000! Thanks ever so much

[@metalupyourass9]

Agreed.. Why wouldn't you want to compress the good sound!

[@Producelikeapro]

Derek M yes, indeed!

[@fakshen1973]

The only downside is that if you adjust your EQ you might have to fiddle with your compression setting. Experiment. Before, after, both... neither... whatever you have to do to get it to sit and sound right.

[@shawnmelody8346]

great tips! +1 for dynamic eq

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Shawn!!