Using the Cakewalk Para-EQ (pdf file)

Nice job, Joe!

Excellent one for the archives!!

I find the method very useful with other EQs i have like the EQ in my MTS program, and also the 10 band EQ that Classics makes it really worked well with it. Since you did such a great job on this one, i guess bring back the one i did on compression and master limiting. Al though i did not write it I found it on the net, it is very well done and should be added to the personal manual. You know the more of this stuff we do the more we learn of this stuff.

I went over it Joe. I'm trying to come along, but am having a really hard time visualizing some of this stuff. Maybe I should trust my ears and try to fiddle around more with it, to get a feel how things work, based on what movements I do.

Like you talk about the bands--each X represents a band, but I have having a hard time visualizing this. Sometimes you see a straight line that goes into a band and stops or comes out of one and stops and other times you have lines connecting the bands.

I also tried typing a message earlier, but was timed out. Haven't gotten familiar with the spectral analysis thing, which sounds like you may need.

Maybe I can go to the Cakewalk techniques area to try and get a little more basic feel for this, before jumping into the other stuff. Haven't really done much with software EQ before. It's kinda easier when I try it on a Tascam 414MKII with 3 basic EQ's--low, mid and high and can adjust it and stuff. Maybe I should compare the two and that could help me visualize it better.

I would just like some of the basic applications--you tried showing some--like lowering peaks with which bands, raising ones to bring the vocals out, smoothing everything out, etc...

Maybe I can compare bands to the low, mid and high settings on the Portastudio at home. IT just gets kinda confusing--there are the 4 bands and then there are the 3 band shelfs or whatever. Not sure how they all come together...

Could be. I was just wanting to get a grasp on how the EQ was set up. So the 4 bands are basically low, mid-mid and high. But then you still have the 3 band shelfs at the bottom left of the diagram. Just knowing how they are all supposed to work together and stuff, would be kewl. :)

I'm getting closer! Heh, heh. Write all you want about mastering, but I don't think I am gonna delve into that topic yet. You get better at that and I can send you stuff to master in time.. :)

Anyways, back to EQ. I will probably need to go to the techniques and just read up more, but yeah--I need more method on going through it. I could pick it up pretty quick if I just saw someone doing it on various situations. Some of it is hard to get down in writing.

Not to be (too) sarcastic, but you turn up the vocals in the mixing phase. Although, if not, I would set up a peak filter with a Q of around 1-2.5 and a gain of 10 db and I'd sweep it (move the center frequency around until something pleasing hits the ear). You could also try a low shelf to pull out some lows around 40-100 hz to pull out some of the powerful frequencies. What you need to understand is it's all relative. My main frequencies in vocals will be different from yours. Also, most of this stuff has to be done correctly at mix phase, and not when you have your final mix.

Joe

Mixing rock is like anything else, you have to make sure your levels aren't ridiculous. If you're talking about getting the vocals to stand out with EQ, thats another story. It requires carving out a niche in the other instruments for the vocals to sit better. That's a whole other ball game, and, not to be harsh, you can't expect to pull off something like that if you don't even fully understand bands yet. Crawl before you can walk.

Joe

ORIGINAL: joeh20_444

...can someone verify the link works? I'm at work and can't check for a while.

She be workin' Joe, just like you. It's still a handy reference. I printed one out long ago.

Yep! Given up on trying to search out a way to help people search for themselves.

But, as they say in the "Godfather" - I'm still keeping my beak in from time to time.

Hope all is well on the Gulf for you and yours. Big one-year anniversary coming already.