Subtle EQing vs Harsh EQing?

T

TMPST

New member
So I have seen many people say that you should only use EQ subtly and lightly with gentle curves, yet I have seen equally as many people saying that is really doesn't matter. In result, I am extremely conflicted.

Is there a legitimate reason explaining why you shouldn't use steep curves, or, conversely, is this just another one of those "music has no rules, do whatever you want" type things (which I'm finding is applied to pretty much everything)

This is something that has been bothering me for quite some time now, so any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 
If you like the sound you have, subtle EQ to remove the extreme lows, or to slightly round out the sound. You might use more dynamic curves if you're still trying to create the sound you want. Then again, I've also seen people use very steep, thin cuts to remove harmonics.

It is one of those "music has no rules" situations, but I'd word it more like "Use as necessary".
 
I would go a little further and distinguish between mix scenarios where eq is subtle and sound design scenarios where anything goes to get the sound you are looking for

i.e. horses for courses and there are guidelines rather than rules
 
So "likes" turned into "thanks" round here huh? Seems a little silly....
Back on topic- Bandcoach nails it as per ALWAYS :cheers::victory:
 
yeah seoVB (which included the likes) has been deprecated as it is a security problem waiting to happen - we ran both side by side for a few months

thank you for the love
 
It depends on the sound you are working with and what you ultimately want to achieve. If you need to boost or cut a LOT, then do it. Hell, I've been known to boost 18dB on stuff. Every now and then I need to boost more than an EQ will allow and I need to stack two EQs. The reason people say to use subtle EQ is because when you are starting out, you tend to OVER EQ because you haven't developed the ears and you wind up doing more harm than good. As well, a lot of people are working out of their bedroom in an untreated, or poorly treated room, so they start EQing stuff because the room is skewing what they are hearing. Then you play it back on another system in a different room and all of a sudden that low end you dialed in while in your bedroom that sounded so perfect is complete overkill.

The issue with broad vs. narrow.... If you have to perform surgery (ie. cutting narrow notches for resonance issues), then that's a situation where only narrow will work. But outside of that, I tend to prefer extremely broad boosts and cuts. The broader it is, the less noticeable the EQing. But broad comes at a cost in that it becomes much more of a general shaping thing. I recommend experimenting with narrow, medium and broad boosts and cuts to learn the pros and cons.
 
TMPST said:
So I have seen many people say that you should only use EQ subtly and lightly with gentle curves, yet I have seen equally as many people saying that is really doesn't matter. In result, I am extremely conflicted.

Is there a legitimate reason explaining why you shouldn't use steep curves, or, conversely, is this just another one of those "music has no rules, do whatever you want" type things (which I'm finding is applied to pretty much everything)

This is something that has been bothering me for quite some time now, so any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

1. If the source is great -> Minimum to NO eq.

2. If the source sucks -> Re-record or find a better sample and go back to step 1.

3. If the source sucks and you can't record -> Use extreme stuff to get the best you can since you can't do step 2.
 
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