9 EQ Techniques to Make a Great Live Mix

Intro

If there were one secret weapon in the audio mixing world it would be EQ.

Whether you happen to have issues with muddy or harsh vocals, or dealing with where the instruments are spaced in the mix, using equalization can help you shape frequencies to transform your mix.

If you are ready to up your skills, here are 9 techniques to up your game and allow you to create a clean, professional mix.

1. Understanding the Fundamentals

Before diving in let’s take a little time to go over the basics. In a nutshell, it allows you to adjust the different frequencies in your audio signal.

Think of it as a tool that allows you to carve out space in the mix, and cut or boost the frequencies in a specific range.

Knowing how each frequency affects different instruments and the overall mix is the key.

• Low frequencies (20 Hz – 250 Hz): Adds weight and warmth to bass and kick drums.
• Mid frequencies (250 Hz – 4 kHz): Influences the body and presence of most instruments, especially vocals.
• High frequencies (4 kHz – 20 kHz): Adds brightness and clarity to your mix.

Learning the role of the frequency ranges will help you make the best decisions when using parametric, shelving, or graphic EQs.

2. High Pass and Low Pass Filters

High and low pass filters (also called low and high cut) are the first step and easiest ways to clean up your mix.

A high pass filter will remove unnecessary low end frequencies. This is really useful for vocals and instruments that don’t need a lot of bass. For example, a high pass filter will remove the low frequencies that can bleed into a vocal track and cause a rumble.

Low pass filters do the exact opposite. They will help ring in bright and harsh sounds in the upper frequency ranges. It will help take things like cymbals and guitars from the vocal track.

You can over do these filters, so be careful.

3. Notching Out Problem Frequencies

Have you been going along in the middle of your service and all the sudden you get a ringing sound? That’s likely a problem frequency.

Every signal has a some resonances that can conflict with others in the mix.

If you use a narrow Q (bandwidth) on your equalizer, you can “notch out” any problem frequencies to kill harshness without affecting too much of the rest of the sound.

You can use a frequency analyzer tool to find problem frequencies, then apply a narrow EQ cut. This will reduce the impact of those frequencies.

This will help especially help with snare drums, vocals, and acoustic guitars.

4. How to EQ Vocals

Vocals are typically the focal point of most songs so making sure the sit well in the mix is very important.

To get clarity in the vocals, start cutting muddy vocal frequencies in the 250-400Hz areas.

Next, you’ll want to boost frequencies that support the presence in the vocals, around 3-6 kHz. This will help the vocal cut through the mix.

Watch out for sibilance (the harsh “s” sounds). If it starts being an issue, consider using a de-esser or slightly cut around 7-10kHz. These small adjustments will bring out the best in your vocalists.

5. Drums: How to Get that Punchy Sound

Drums are the backbone of your mix and making sure they are EQ’d properly is paramount to making them sound punchy and powerful.

Start by boosting the low end, on the kick drum, around 60-100 Hz to get that thump going in your chest. You can cut around 200-400 Hz to minimize muddiness.

The snare drum will benefit from boosting int he 1-2kHz. This will give you a nice snap.

Your overhead mics should get a high pass filter to top bleed from lower frequencies from other instruments.

When dealing with drums you need to keep in mind that each element of the kit should occupy it’s own space in the overall space in the mix

6. EQ for Depth and Width

Your equalizer helps create depth and space in your mix.

You can place each instrument into different parts of the stereo field by cutting and boosting the different frequencies.

Cutting some midrange frequencies for a guitar may allow it to sit in a wider space in the mix. At the same time, boosting presence of your vocals and bring them more forward in the mix.

Doing this prevents frequency masking, this is when instruments compete for the same space in the mix, making it sound cluttered.

7. Dynamic EQ

This combines traditional EQ and compression. This let’s you adjust frequencies only when they cross certain thresholds.

This is useful in mixes where certain frequencies may pop out at different times.

For example, let’s say you have a vocal signal that occasionally becomes harsh in the upper mids in the frequency range. Dynamic EQ can help you reduce those frequencies if the become to prominent.

This technique helps to keep consistency without overprocessing the mix.

8. Guitars

Guitars live in our mid range frequencies. So you need to carve out space for them to live in the mix and not affect the other instruments and vocals.

For electric guitars, cut around 200-400 Hz to reduce muddiness, then you can boost around 3-5 Hz for clarity. If the guitar is using distortion, add a high pass filter to stop unwanted low end noise. A small boot in the the 3-6 kHz range can help it cut through busy mixes.

Acoustic guitars will benefit from boosting in the upper mid’s (around 2-3 kHz) to add brightness to its sound.

9. Your Main Mix

In your main mix, making small adjustments can make a big difference in how everyone views you mix. You’ll want to focus on balancing the tonal spectrum by making small boosts or cuts across all your channels.

Live audio is dynamic, avoid major changes that may cause feedback or destroy your mixes balance.

Final Thoughts…

Equalization is one part art and one part science. Hopefully these 9 techniques offer a firm foundation for making sure you have the best possible mix.

Sticking with the fundamentals and using the methods above strategically and you will notice a cleaner more professional mix.

Let me know if this helps you out and if you were able to transform your next service.