Roland VS-CDRII User Manual download pdf (Page 21)

EQ—short for equalization—is the process of adjusting the amplitude

(volume) of certain frequencies. The tone control of a car stereo, for example,

is a very crude EQ control. Usually one EQ can be used to boost or cut more

than one single group of frequencies, or bands. For example, an EQ that has

high, mid and low controls is referred to as a 3-band EQ.

Uses of EQ

EQ can be used for a variety of applications. The most common are:

Correctional EQ is, unfortunately, most often used to compensate for poor

sound or recording quality of instruments or vocals being recorded. For

example, maybe during mixdown you realize that your cymbals sound dull.

EQ can be used to add some high end to the cymbals and allow them to

“sizzle.” For another example, let’s say you are recording a vocalist and you

notice that your microphone is a bit nasal-sounding. By cutting out some of

the high-mid frequency range, you can get a warmer vocal sound out of

your singer. However, be careful here! EQ should not be used as a substitute

for poor recording techniques. When you have selected the proper

microphones and placed them properly, very little, if any, correctional EQ

should be needed.

Creative EQ is the process of adjusting frequencies for purely creative

reasons. For example, maybe you would like your vocalist to sound like

she’s singing through the radio. By severely limiting the bandwidth of the

vocal frequencies, you can obtain this effect.

Blending – Professional engineers are able to build a “wall of sound” by

assigning certain ranges of frequencies to certain instruments, so that these

ranges line up to each other to cover the entire frequency spectrum without

overlapping each other.

EQ can be applied either during the recording process or, more commonly,

during mixdown. Be careful when recording your track with EQ, because it

can’t be adjusted later. Also keep in mind that adding EQ can often add noise,

so it should be applied conservatively (this mainly applies to analog EQ, not

digital).

20 The Basics of Modern Recording

Basics of EQ

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Roland VS-CDRII User Manual Page 21