Using ROOM EQ to improve your mixes

WARNING: Long and nerdy! Are you possibly being led astray by poor acoustics in your room?This concept has had the largest effect on my production quality by far!
For clarity: Sonarworks will do a much better job than the iPhone app method.
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RTA app for iPhone: itunes.apple.com/au/app/rta/i...

[@Blakus]

To clarify @ 17:15 - i am referring to the ProQ eq I made to simulate my room, NOT the actual room correction. It should sound more balanced with less boominess during "Room EQ ON" (in blue) sections. If it sounds better to you during "Room EQ OFF (simulated)" sections, that's where I'd suggest you have some strange room problems, or you just don't like my mix, which btw - is not that amazing yet haha! Sorry, articulating this stuff is difficult!

[@zaharishtonov]

blakus | music for media - It actually makes perfect sense 🙂 As a Hollywood engineer I vouch for everything you said in this video. Room EQ could be a huge problem, especially in smaller rooms the like and equipping yourself with something like the two plug-ins you discussed is a must. Thank you for sharing!

[@faraiwesa-shapiro9018]

Where can I hear the final song in this video!

[@gimmpy123]

I have a question the technique you used in this video to copy the eq curve from sonarworks using pro q 2 can you do the same thing but for the correction I already have a measurement mic and I'm wondering if I could use the demo of sonarworks to measure my room then copy the correction curve into pro q 2 there by not having to buy the expensive software I hope this question makes sense if anyone could help that would be amazing !!!

[@AshtonGleckman]

Deffinetely been considering it! Thanks for the video, Blake!

[@pavelzuk]

Rewatched this video like 3 or 4 times to really sink in all the valuable information, thanks and keep it up! 🌞

[@ijsbrand5137]

WOW! That's a huge difference, thanks for the valuable information!

[@thormyrdalofficial]

love this! the way you take the whole approach to the topic is just professional and without all this mumbojumbo, simple facts checking and giving people a hint and way to do something about the stuff they aren´t even aware of.

[@PeteCalandra]

Thanks. I'm moving to a smaller room in a couple of months and this will be helpful when i set up my new space!

[@bogdanfrincu-composer2996]

Such a big difference! Thank you for this tip,love your videos!

[@dillonmderosa]

I bought into this immediately when I first heard about it and it helped me realize I kept adding too much low frequencies to my mixes because I couldn't hear them in my room. Also, damn you got some crazy room eq fixing from sonarworks mine was kind of just a huge bass lift but yours seems all over lol.

[@UntoldStoriesProductions]

Dear God, an unexpected Blakus video! To say I envy the quality of sound you produce is a massive understatement. I can't tell you how many times I've combed through your videos trying to steal as much knowledge as I possibly could from you. There are a lot of "digital" composers out there but I have yet to find one whose mix and sound is as crisp and realistic as yours tend to be. Thanks for the video :P

[@brents4248]

Cheers Blakus , not nerdy at all , very much appreciated and would love to see more of these tips n trick style vids

[@aeshaeshaesh]

This is so helpful. Thank you Blake! Also, nice piece of music there :)

[@TimSFischer]

That video helped me alot to "fix" my bad mixing room. Kudos. Thank you so much Blake!

[@shawnbarnesmusic2285]

WOW! I was always one of those guys that said you don't need this. You 100% changed my mind. Incredible stuff, thanks Blakus!

[@shawnbarnesmusic2285]

Just downloaded the free trial. WHAT IN THE F*CK was I thinking not using this... This is a game-changer!

[@jaikumarsivalingam]

Thanks for the video. Had done something similar for my studio a year ago...

[@jensloetzsch]

The thing you talked about at 14:29 is extremely important ! I now do this for almost all my mix/master decisions, especially ,, eqing '' stuff in high mid/high frequencies. Before I switch to unprocessed and processed versions, I pause the sound, give my ears a little break (even if it's a few seconds) and than I listen to the other sound. With that method, you can compare your decisions much better without your brain and ears going crazy and compensating immediately which is dangerous. Great video as always !

[@nRGmusicproduction]

Interesting video. Thank you Blake!

[@DAGMAOfficial]

Thank you for this video mate!Very useful

[@woodsdenis]

Very interesting, and a clever solution.

[@ChristianFernandoPerucchi]

Great Video! im Gonna try it out! love your channel always top notch!

[@PhilsHarmony]

So helpful. Thanks a lot for taking the effort to make this video! :D

[@pontiuspd]

Great video! Thanks for the insights

[@prosper7452]

Thank you so very much for that Blakus! Just bought Morphit and the difference is huge. Blake you wouldn't mind sharing that song you put up at the very end would you? Maybe creating an Album? I would insta buy baby! Or even a tutorial would be very much appreciated

[@LMSNmusic]

VERY usefull, did not know this software. Thanks 4 sharing 🙌🌟

[@mitchellf76]

Thanks so much for this.

[@Movediz]

Hello, Blakus! Thanks for sharing with us how you make a music - so inspiring. Need to try this system! I have a question and offer. 1. Where and how long did you learning on making music? 2. Can you make a new version of video about your orchestral template? Very interested to see what kind of changes was happened for last 5 years (what kontakt libraries do you use and prefer; what do you use on insert rack (VSTs) and stuff like that.) Many thanks!

[@maximilianbeiel6812]

He uses many custom libraries. - So does Thomas Bergersen by the way :D. This also leads to a point where the fx chain shouldnt matter to you because apllying his EQ curve for lets say the strings on to your cinematic studio strings might make them sound even worse. - Because CSS is recorded in a really dark room, where as afflatus was recorded in a really bright sounding room. So, only do what works best for you

[@zimouspero]

Beautiful master piece... Where we can listen that?

[@WillemvanWyk]

Thank you for sharing. Love your insight. What desk are you using?

[@highzsounds8498]

Using REW (room eq wizard) which is free, you can get even better results. Measure the room and export corrected frequency response of a room as impulse response and import it in convolution reverb plugin. This way you can have more control, for example you can set your filters to correct only up to 500hz...which is the usually the range which is tricky to tame with acoustic panels (rockwool) in a small room. I find sonarworks not correcting low frequencies decay as i would like to, at least in my experience. I have great results with DIY measurement microphone. For 5$ and some soldering you can make yourself a decent tool, no need for spending a fortune ;) . (Correction is only for a decent acoustically treated room) cheerz

[@andrewgoodwincomposer]

Highly recommend it! Been using for 3 years. Setting up gear properly and baffling whatever room you have helps then this kinda gets you closer. I tested an old mix and then the same one reworked with sonarworks in place and noticed a big difference I had been boosting 1k over lots of instruments because my monitors had a dip there because that’s what i was hearing.

[@LegacyMMXXIV]

Blakus videos... give me life.

[@Blakus]

Hahah! Even stupidly nerdy incoherent ones? :D :D

[@LegacyMMXXIV]

even stupidly nerdy incoherent ones :D :D but no, bro. It was all very well explained honesty!

[@MikeyIV]

Can you give a walkthrough of your template?

[@JawdatOutree]

to me I am using Roland Octa-Capture sound card and Adam speakers, it sounded better without the Fabfilter!! so should I do something too!!!!

[@MustacheVerra]

Thanks man.

[@wrightproductionsuk8318]

I does certainly improve things I can hear (even with one ear) the reference 4 does cost quite a bit is there anything better for the money?

[@richardwilliamsmusic]

Fantastic! Is Soundworks a one time purchase or a subscription?

[@accentontheoff]

Greetings and thanks for a super video. Just wondering, if I may - what if I were if I were to try this. I sit in my listening position for a few weeks repeatedly listening to professionally mixed songs (inside Logic Pro X) that I know really well, with an EQ plugin loaded up, all along, in my main output channel. While I do this I keep tweaking the EQ plugin to reflect what I am looking for, i.e. a balanced neutral sound, using the songs as a reference point of course. Once I am done with this EQ setting, it kind of becomes a part of my default template. For what it is worth, this approach uses the ears as the main evaluation and analytical tool. What do you think. Thanks again.

[@au66621]

Hi Blake’s I really like those panels you have got installed. I have just moved to a new place an and the room sounds shocking. Could you tell me where did you purchase those panels including all of them? Thanks a lot

[@thevisi0naryy]

I was considering getting a reference / measurement mic and recording the output of my monitors, then using that to make a custom curve with pro q 2. What do you think of this method?

[@BojanBojovic]

This is a must. Those who claim it is bad to digitally correct your room are purusts who care more about their religiosity towards their equipment than to improve their workflow.

[@Mrjononotbono]

G'day mate. Amazing video and the difference is absolutely mental. I'm going to try this out. Curse you for spending my money for me.

[@dillonmderosa]

Blakus, how are you recording your DAW output for these videos. I see you have OBS if I'm not mistaken? Are you using a second audio interface to route the audio or voicemeter software to route the audio with Sonarworks reference systemwide?

[@IKwebz]

But you need a flat RTA microphone this right? Because mics are colored otherwise.

[@Ahmad-Mounir44]

So bro, does this solution also work if there's no acoustic treatments at all? .. I still mix in my headphone monitors as I haven't installed any treatments yet. Will this solution do?

[@vishalpatil9307]

hi sir which symphony use for end of this video and which string library ?

[@vishalpatil9307]

and choir ?

[@davedrat1]

I think I already know the answer to this... but is Room EQ software so effective now, that we don't need to physically treat our rooms first?

[@Kraflyn]

i want that strings sound... How did you achieve that strings sound, Maestro, please?! Do tell, please! Thank You!

[@JonAdamich]

Orchestration/Composition/Balance/Mockup. Not eq for the bulk of it

[@Kraflyn]

:D Err... I understand everything, thanks, except for the "mockup". What did you mean by "mockup" exactly please? Thanks for replying so far! o/

[@leomusicianforlife3971]

is this what parametric equalization is?

[@electedmusic7685]

Hello friend, one question, you no use listening spot activated in sonarw?

[@Blakus]

I normally do, I think in my room in just lowers one side by 0.2db.

[@DaveBode]

Hi Blakus! Thanks for the vid. You might also consider a hardware DSP that does what your EQ plugin is doing. That way you never have to worry about disabling the plug before final renders. Also, I have done a lot of measurements in my own space and it looks like your measurement software is doing some smoothing, which may not be all that bad. I use Room EQ Wizzard (REW) and my measurements with treatment can look scary! I would guess that all that flat (and clean for video) desk area is causing a lot of temporal, destructive interference between 2k - 20k. That's what I experienced in my space. Putting a bunch of stuff on my desk diffused the sound and fixed the issue. Here is a photo of the front of my office for reference (desk cleaned for photo). photos.app.goo.gl/Zs3QCkLgoxjG7iX73 I have another 6 2'x4' panels and 2 custom skinny panels that are 17"x35" and 8"x75" in the back. I have 4 2'x8' bass edge absorbents positioned in the corner (3 up front and one in the back) but it only provides marginal LF absorption. The best solution is probably a tuned membrane absorber, but that's a project for later! Almost all of my absorbers use 2" thick compressed mineral wool (Roxul Rockboard) and a few use 3" mineral wool bats for insulation.

[@joaosilvasousa88]

3:24 Sorry, but how can EQ introduce Phase issues?

[@phantasma669]

Haha exactly the same feeling with pro q on.

[@SharmaYelverton]

You've got a crazy long reverb on that. What are you using these days?

[@charleswestphal9566]

Pretty sure I heard some Valhalla in there

[@Blakus]

That reverb was just a long shimmer verb (Valhalla Shimmer) on the pad sound. The main verb I'm using for orchestra these days is a Bricasti M7, but I go to ValhallaRoom or the Exponential Audio verbs when I need verb in the box

[@SharmaYelverton]

Thanks. What does"in the box" mean?

[@Blakus]

Sharma Yelverton just referring to plugin reverb, instead of hardware.

[@prosper7452]

Can you, kind sir upload a video of that song you put up on the outro? I will donate my kidney for a child in need if needed be

[@passerby789]

Does anyone know what's the song between 9:29 to 9:37 ??

[@Blakus]

That's one of many unreleased tracks I have just laying around ;)

[@passerby789]

​@@Blakus what a great art-piece , just caught me in few seconds. I'm looking forward for the release !!

[@bluematrix5001]

U WILL BE FLOORED TO SEE THE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE MEASUREMENTS OF ROOM EQ WIZARD AND SONARWORKS

[@MiguelGortari]

I can not apreciate any diference with my phones... probably my ears or brain is the problem XD Thanks Blakus!

[@jack12xu]

It does not support ASIO it will not work on PCs

[@Blakus]

I’m on PC?