Equalizing

 When is it good enough? Is good enough the enemy of best where running sound and EQing is concerned? What should notify you first when there is a problem with a channel EQ, your ears or the equipment? Are there any artifacts in a vocal that are annoying to the ear? Is the vocal harsh to the ear or does it distract the listener from the message or song? These are the types of questions that come to mind when thinking about adjusting EQ on a given vocal.

Types of equalizers that we will be dealing with today:

● Graphic equalizer or graphic EQ. 

This is found across a wider range of devices—home sound systems, personal stereos, amps, pedals, mixing boards—but it’s not as precise as a parametric EQ. In a graphic EQ, the audio spectrum is divided up for you, and each band is assigned a specific fader or knob. You can then go through each fader/knob, and boost it, lower it, or leave it alone. Some graphic EQs only have three bands, usually labeled “treble,” “mid,” and “bass.” Some graphic EQs have five bands—this is  popular on home stereos. Some graphic EQs have upwards of 30 frequency bands.*

● Parametric equalizer or parametric EQ. 

This has three controls. The first determines what specific frequencies you want to boost or cut: you zero in on a frequency somewhere between20 Hz and 20,000 Hz, which you can then boost or decrease. The second, which is sometimes called the Q, determines the sharpness of the bandwidth (meaning “are you zeroing in tightly on one specific frequency, or are you targeting a wider  bandwidth surrounding that frequency?”). And the third is the level control—by how much do you want to boost or reduce a frequency? Parametric EQs usually exist in the form of digital software.* 

 ● High-pass filters and low-pass filters. 

These are very simple, and they do what the name implies. A high-pass filter (sometimes referred to as “hi-pass filter”) allows high frequencies to pass through unencumbered while blocking out low frequencies. A low-pass filter does the opposite: low frequencies pass through while high frequencies are blocked.* 

How do you identify what part of the frequency spectrum the problem has originated from? The spectrum analyzer is an amazing tool when trying to figure out where the adjustments need to be made, but never underestimate the human ear when detecting a problem. 

Incorrect EQ settings usually fall within a couple of categories:

● Harshness is one that is especially hard on the ears. It can make the volume seem much louder than it actually is. Many times removing some of the  frequencies between 2Khz and 4Khz will help to fix this problem. A light compressor setting can also help.

● Nasal tone to the vocal can sometimes happen when someone is experiencing sinus problems or something similar. Many times it can sound like they are talking inside of a box. 

 ● Rumble is usually more a result of excessive volume and/or feedback. It is generally happening at or below 100hz.

● P’s and B’s is a term when (similar to the S’s below) you start subconsciously noticing a person’s P’s and B’s during their speaking or singing. Removing a little bit at 80-100hz generally will fix this problem.

● S’s (or hiss) are generally over emphasized in this scenario. When you subconsciously start counting the number of S’s used on a song or sentence, you realize that there is likely a change needed up near the 8Khz to 10Khz frequency range. Correct EQ settings are evident when the vocal sounds smooth and natural, without any of the annoying artifacts listed above.

Also, know when to stop adjusting. The vocal can eventually sound unnatural if you do not  know when to stop. Don’t try to make the voice something that it isn’t naturally. Subtractive adjustments will likely be your most common. This means from your center horizontal like of 0db on the EQ graph, you will likely remove harmful frequencies much more than you will have to use additive corrections to boost frequencies. One very helpful way to find your problem area can be to boost an area and sweep across the EQ graph until you accentuate the problem area, then cut the frequencies in that specific area. You would generally want to do this in a practice setting and not in the actual service or performance.

Room acoustics play a big role in how sound is perceived in any given space. Many church buildings in particular were not designed with acoustics in mind. This is very unfortunate because when you think about it, every time an event is held in the sanctuary, speech intelligibility will be of utmost importance. The reason for this problem is generally lack of budget and/or no understanding of how much room acoustics can affect sound.

Having your main and monitor system EQ tuned to the room by a professional with the right equipment is essential to making your life easier when it comes to getting great sound out of each channel. If this isn’t done, the sound engineer will usually be compensating for this error every time he/she sets a vocal or instrument EQ.

The quality, characteristics and proper selection of the microphone being used can have a big effect on the quality of the sound that you are receiving from the vocal or instrument. This is why you see manufacturers making specific mics for specific instruments. Yes, any mic will reproduce sound, but it may not be able to reproduce a certain frequency that you are trying to get from your source.

Consider, for example, a bass drum specific mic. You can use a Shure SM58 vocal mic and hear a sound, but this mic is tailored to the 50Hz-15khz frequency range and is optimized to highlight vocals. A more correct choice would be the Shure Beta 52A with a response of 20Hz to 10khz. It also has a much larger diaphragm that will reproduce those low frequencies much more accurately. This is one of hundreds of examples, but I think you can begin from there and see that using mics for their intended use can make a huge difference in the overall EQ.

Frequency ranges: 

● Super Low (approximately 20 Hz to 60 Hz). These frequencies are the lowest audible sounds humans can hear. In club music, you’d hear this via a bass, sub-bass, or low-pitched drums. Boosting these frequencies can shake a room or a car and they can be heard from far away. That can be a cool effect, but too much boosting will make your mix muddy and undefined. It’s hard for our ears to pick out individual notes in super low frequencies, so use this region with caution. On an amplifier or speaker system, these frequencies would be heard via a subwoofer.*

● Lower Mids (app. 60 Hz to 250 Hz). 

These frequencies are resonant and pleasing to the human ear. A lot of producers boost the lower mids on drums to make them “pop” a bit more.  Melodic instruments that fit this range include cello, bassoon, baritone and tenor saxophones, trombone, and the low notes of a guitar. On an amplifier, these frequencies would be controlled with the bass knob.*

● Mids (app. 250 Hz to 1500 Hz).

 These are the frequencies that humans hear the most clearly. As a result, boosting the mids can almost have the same effect as simply boosting the overall volume. If you want a particular instrument to cut through a mix, boost the mids. But be aware that too much mid-boosting will tire the ear and overwhelm the listener. On an amplifier, these frequencies would be controlled with the middle or mid knob.*

● Upper Mids (app. 1500 Hz to 6600 Hz).

 Upper mids should be boosted sparingly because this is the frequency that can be most damaging to the human ear. When boosted correctly, the upper mids will produce a chime-y, bell-like sound. The upper mids are also the frequency that sounds most like distortion. This can be a great effect for intense, fuzzed-out keyboards or guitars. On an amplifier, these frequencies would be controlled with the treble knob.*

● Super High (app. 6600 Hz to 20,000 Hz).

 These frequencies are among the highest that the human ear can perceive. They range from stinging and annoying (in the lower part of this range) to ambient and atmospheric, as though you’re hearing background wind or surf (on the upper end of this range). A lot of producers will dip the upper mids so that nothing sounds too piercing, but they’ll boost the super high frequencies to create atmosphere. On an amplifier, these frequencies would be controlled with the presence knob.*

When working with a group of 3 or more vocalists, it is often difficult to properly EQ their  voices, especially when these are voices that you are unfamiliar with. How can you make their voice sound natural when you have never heard them speak or sing solo? The best policy of this is to either solo their voice in your headphones to “single” them out in your hearing, adjusting from what you hear in the headphones or wait for them to sing a solo part in a given song. Practice is an excellent time to do this, but it can be done on the fly using the methods listed above. Are there any annoying frequency problems that catch your attention? You may not make perfect changes initially, but every time you hear something out of place, make a small adjustment.

In summary, proper EQ settings can make or break your service or show. EQing all of the  channels/sources individually will give a better overall mix and potentially protect the ears of your audience in the process.

Sources:

*Portions copied from www.masterclass.com