Anyone automate EQ's here? Story and question...

[The Arkitekt]

Great thread God, I need to look into this stuff.

 

[Vice]

yeah i'm in the same boat chief...but i've jotted a lil memo about this to research later. I've read alot about eq, but for me its a constant learning experience i tell ya.

for real... that's what I love about the production aspect of music, there is always something new you can learn or try.

 

[LDB]

LDB:

Thanks for defining to these folks what EQ automation is. It's good to see that there still are folks that are trained to do this.

No problem. I'm sure I just beat you to it.....lol.

Anyway, I haven't used this technique since school. I have never found much need for it in hip hop. We mixed a lot of Rock and Pop music in school. I think I might start playing with it again. I actually enjoyed doing it back then. It may be the next level of producing and mixing hip hop for me, a way to set my production apart from all the kazillion other producers out there.

 

[Chrono]

ALSO: Think of your mix as something that is fluid. There is constant movement. Levels are changed, EQs are moving, FX knobs are always being turned. It's never static.

It also makes for a better sounding mix, and listeners actually enjoy it (even though they don't know what it is they're enjoying.)

It's the next step in your evolution as producer/engineer. Mixes are NOT static.

much respect for the knowledge you dropped! I have been in study-mode and am eating all this up like pacman

 

[God]

No problem. I'm sure I just beat you to it.....lol.

Anyway, I haven't used this technique since school. I have never found much need for it in hip hop. We mixed a lot of Rock and Pop music in school. I think I might start playing with it again. I actually enjoyed doing it back then. It may be the next level of producing and mixing hip hop for me, a way to set my production apart from all the kazillion other producers out there.

I'm interested in hearing some of your tips and tricks on automated EQ. It would help everyone on this forum - especially the newbs.

 

[God]

Funny I was singin Pyromania to myself last night. lol
I'll try this eq automation, I was just taught (obviously not in a school though) that if you get the takes right to begin with you dont have a headache later. Obviously I'm not up for a grammy or anything ,lol, but we do ALOT of our stuff (artist wise) in no more than four takes and usually in one. Now me mixing it wrong or right afterwards shouldn't reflect on the artist so much I would hope.

It doesn't matter - even if you capture a good take, there are variations in strength of voice/air pressure vs. microphone that cause variation.

Try some EQ automation on a vocal track by removing offending frequencies throughout the song. You'll hear them. Maybe the rapper says "shit" at an awkward frequency, scoop it out - automate it... and then go line by line.

You'll be surprised at how professional the results sound.

 

[StressWon]

Opinion
Judging from the responses I received - you guys have to study some of the engineering mastery of late 70's and 80's rock. Listen to cuts from Def Leppard's Pyromania.

You don't get such mixes simply by running a couple bullshit plugins from your Waves Diamond bundle and calling it a day.

Sit there and listen to the vox - listen to the change in voice - sit in front of a couple good studio monitors and listen to how "space" is created in different signal ranges for different sounds coming in and out of the arrangements. Instead of riding the fader and pulling down a guitar in the mix when the lead vox come in... why not scoop out the eq and make frequency space?

It's a different way of thinking - a different way of mixing that more people should understand. A note though - this takes up a LOT of processing power on your computer. Especially if you multitrack a shitload of instruments.

I've seen it done more by English engineers than Americans. I do it - but I wonder why there's that divide between English EQ mastery and the American version of "just get the take right..." even though the take could be made better by applying some automation to the EQ.

First off...

**looks around***

Pyromania was the shit back in the day!


I agree with the waves plugin comment. I uesed to think like that, but i started really studyin the art form of engineering. And I highly recommend reading and learning these things. I picked up "Creative Recording 1" bu Paul White. Great intro and helps a ton!

 

[Cell 2Dee]

It looks like it's just me, but did anyone else not understand ANYTHING in the first post? What is automating EQ's?

 

[2GooD Productions]

It looks like it's just me, but did anyone else not understand ANYTHING in the first post? What is automating EQ's?

Say you have a 5 band eq.
its is having the 5 bands adjust automatically and independently in a way that you have set, throughout the track.
automated.

 

[Cell 2Dee]

Say you have a 5 band eq.
its is having the 5 bands adjust automatically and independently in a way that you have set, throughout the track.
automated.

I get it now, thanks.