can someone simplify equalizing vocals for a newbie?

N

notoriousben15

New member
got a mic, and an interface, just recorded some raps through garageband and they dont sound good. I am assuming the vocals sound bad because they arent mixed/equalized. I am having serious difficulties hooking up the pro tools essential program on my computer, but im anxious, so ive been messing with garageband, audacity, and i even pulled my audio file in wav format into Reason 4.0 to try and equalize.

The problem is, i dont even know where to start. Every single thing i have read is beyond me, i cant understand how to translate what people are saying into a usable format.

For example, i read on a website "The website Audio Recording Tips recommends cutting the 200 Hz frequency (high pass filter) to -6 dB and boosting both the 30,000 Hz frequency and the 15,000 Hz frequency to 3 dB."

On reason, i am looking at the equalizer and i see lo cut, lo shelf, param 1/2, and hi shelf. How do i follow the directions above using the equalizer options on Reason? Or in Garageband even? I just dont know what the hell it all means!

Which program would be the easiest to learn on? Audacity, garageband, or Reason?

P.S. i know Reason is not really supposed to be used for vocals, but since its the only software i really know how to use, i figure i should continue to learn on it until i can get pro tools working.

Thanks
 
You have to listen to the sound before you decide what EQ settings you might use. Some vocals might like a cut at 200hz but others might sound worse with that. The same goes with adding "air" to the vocal by boosting a little at 12 -15KHz. Although this is a much safer move for vocals. Boosting at 30Khz won't do anything as no-one can hear that high :)

Read the EQ sticky at the top of this page to learn about EQ.
 
I wouldn't low pass at 200hz, usually 70-120hz depending on the voice. I couldn't give numbers as far as where I boost and cut, everything is different and I might EQ the same voice very differently on two tracks, you eq shit to fit in with the other instruments, not so that it sounds good on its own.
 
To be honest, there is no real formula for EQ'ing anything, and without letting people hear it, you prolly won't get any good advice.

It could even be a recording issue, what type of MIC are you using?
 
It really depends - mostly it depends of the music you have to blend vocals in, it's all about the context. Giving you some general rules might help, but providing a link to hear what you're struggling with would help a lot more
 
i was using the above equalizer ranges more as an example of something i would like translated. i would really just love a basic EQ lesson. i read the sticky post, but i am still not entirely sure how to use that information. I understand that there are numbers that you aim for, but do i'm not sure where these numbers exactly come into play.

For example, on Reason, the Equalizer settings say : low cut 30 hz (with no knobs), lo shelf - 39hz-20khz, param 1/param 2- 39hz-20 khz, and hi shelf- 3khz-12khz.

I'm reading an article that says "For rounding out a vocal and making it more thick and full I would search around the 150 Hz area"

150 hz would be attainable on the lo shelf, or either one of the param options, which one do i use? I tried to alter this frequency on the Lo shelf. It made a minimal difference.

The article then says "If your singer doesn't seem to be cutting through the mix, he might need to be presented to 5Khz."

I tried to set the hi shelf to frequency 5khz. This made a minimal difference.

the frequency doesnt seem to make any difference, it seems to be all in the gain, so where does gain come into play? Should i be adjusting the gain as opposed to the frequency???

and what is the "Q" knob for? the 3 knobs on each equalizer setting are freq, gain, and Q.
 
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Boost wide, cut narrow....There are not set numbers. Each element is different. (Vocals, synths, piano)
 
Man, you need to fully understand that those frequencies they're throwing out are only rough outlines/ loose guidelines. They are not automatic fixes.

If you're recording Barry White and Chris Brown in the same session (could you imagine? lol), and neither voice is "cutting through the mix", are you seriously going to just boost each vocal at 5khz and expect them to cut through the mix? No... why? because they have DIFFERENT VOICES. It may also take a compressor to help it cut through the mix and some reverb to help it sit in. I don't know... it's depending on the sound.

Don't get caught up in the specific numbers. Maybe use them as suggestions/examples/ideas/guidelines of what you may want to try... but you gotta tailor them to your own situation.

The best way to find the problem frequencies is to overaccentuate them to see what's causing the problems. Take an EQ, make something crazy like a 20db boost and a narrow Q, and just sweep that across the sound. That's how you find what frequencies you may want to adjust to improve your mix.

And if EQ isn't solving the problem.... first define what the actual problem is.. and then pick a better tool to correct it.
 
Getting the best possible vocal recording from the get-go is an important thing. If you have a great vocal recording you really shouldn't have to do much extreme EQing to get things sounding right. You should mix within the context of the song as far as the vocal goes; don't use the solo button. You can also do the opposite of this: start a mix with getting a good vocal EQ going on, but I wouldn't suggest this as you probably aren't at the stage yet where that would come easily. But yeah, everything that everyone's said in here is exactly right. Experiment with your mic placement and EQ adjustments until things start coming together. Compression is also very important but that's a whole other issue.
 
Yeah EQ is something that takes years to understand for a lot of people, especially if you're going the self taught route. Try loading up an EQ and sweeping a Hi-pass filter, so you can get an idea for what the frequencies sound like, just as a beginners exercise. Everyones voice is different, and the track may call for different things, no quick fixes dude.
 
CPhoenix said:
Man, you need to fully understand that those frequencies they're throwing out are only rough outlines/ loose guidelines. They are not automatic fixes.

If you're recording Barry White and Chris Brown in the same session (could you imagine? lol), and neither voice is "cutting through the mix", are you seriously going to just boost each vocal at 5khz and expect them to cut through the mix? No... why? because they have DIFFERENT VOICES. It may also take a compressor to help it cut through the mix and some reverb to help it sit in. I don't know... it's depending on the sound.

Don't get caught up in the specific numbers. Maybe use them as suggestions/examples/ideas/guidelines of what you may want to try... but you gotta tailor them to your own situation.

The best way to find the problem frequencies is to overaccentuate them to see what's causing the problems. Take an EQ, make something crazy like a 20db boost and a narrow Q, and just sweep that across the sound. That's how you find what frequencies you may want to adjust to improve your mix.

And if EQ isn't solving the problem.... first define what the actual problem is.. and then pick a better tool to correct it.
Click to expand...


i entirely agree, which is why on the thread title i was asking if someone could break down EQing for me, not necessarily help me tailor my tracks to the specifications that i have read. I only want to mess with the specific levels ive read to use as a guidance/reference step, and so that my question would not be quite so broad.

I appreciate everyones comments but unfortunately i just don't know the first thing about EQing. Could someone maybe just point me towards a good book/video/website that has a VERY in depth and easy to understand explanation of EQing for an idiot? I really think thats where i need to start and the sticky post didnt quite cut it for me.

P.S. I am recording on a very old mic, an audio-technica ATM61HE hypercardioid dynamic microphone. I know its not ideal but it was FREE, and i dont have money to go spend on a mic. I am also using an M-Audio Fast Track (not pro).

With this set up, is there anyway its gonna sound decent at all or is it really just gonna sound bad either way? Would the room make THAT much of a difference with this set up?

P.P.S. I finally got pro tools working, so if anyone has an specific advice for EQing on pro tools, that might be helpful.

Thanks!
 
Instead of spending all your time working with a poor sounding vocal, try finding a nice room to record in and re-record your vocal. A nice room for rap vocals wouldn't have much natural reverb, a dry vocal is what you are looking for, it will make EQing and compressing a hell of easier.

Also don't expect to get a professional sounding vocal with just 1 track. Record your vocal a few times, do doubles, adlibs, softer and more aggressive versions. Then once you get to the mixing stage, you have a lot more to work with.

The moral of the story is, crap in - crap out!
 
First I filter them, then I solo them and ask myself "What do I not like about them?". Then I try to fix that.
 
It sounds like you are going to have to start at the absolutely very basics of recording and engineering. Your bad vocal sound could easily be because the mic and interface you are using are not very good. If that is the case, NO AMOUNT of eq is going to make that sound any better.

All that said, I'm going to give you a few basics just to start with but you really have to play around with things on your own to understand and learn what happens when you turn certain knobs.

First of all, you have to understand frequency ranges. Obviously you have:

Bass range (approx 100hz and down)
Mid bass (approx 100hz-250hz)
Mid range (approx 250hz-1khz)
Upper mid range (approx. 1khz-3khz)
Highs (approx 3khz and higher)

When you use a parametric EQ (which is what is found on most EQ plug ins), you'll usually have three knobs associated with a frequency range. The knobs are:

Width (sometimes called octave)
Gain (how much you want to boost or cut)
Frequency (which range or frequency you want to boost or cut)

The width knob determines how wide or narrow you want change the sound. Usually the higher the number, the narrower the width. In other words, if you set the width to a low number, you are going to make very broad (wide) changes to the sound. If you use a higher number, you are going to make very specific (narrow) changes to the sound. The more narrow you set the width, the more specific the frequency that you selected will be changed.

Your frequency knob tells you which frequency you want to center your changes around. So for instance, if you decide that your vocal needs "more body", you might want to turn the frequency knob to an area in the Mid Range area (lets say 350hz).

Then you go to your Gain knob. You can decide on whether you want to boost your desired frequency, or cut the desired frequency. In the example that I gave above (adding more body to the vocals), you'll want to boost 350hz by a few decibels. (You have to use your own ears to determine how much boost you need).

The more comfortable you get at knowing vocal and instrument frequencies, the better you'll be at knowing what to change and how to change it with EQ. I hope this helps. Good luck.
 
Hi,

If you want a quick lesson in EQ you might want to check a vid on youtube named Introduction to EQ - Pro Tools 9
Even though it is based in pro tools, the concepts are universal to all eq's and it outlines the function of each band and how to use them.

Other than that its really all about listening and trying out things. As mentioned earlier in the thread EQ is really to make elements of the mix slot in together. Try listening to your vocal and putting words to what you hear. Is it nasal? Is it thinck, muddy, harsh etc. Even though these words dont necessarily mean much in the real world, they help contextualize what you're hearing, and then you cans tart treating.

Remember though, that as soon as you reach for an EQ to make corrective changes, you have recorded it wrong, and you should look at what you can do differently on the microphone side of the equation. Shit in is usually only polished shit out, if you get what I mean.

Hope you get there! Keep plugging away at it!
 
I try to ignore the presets and recommended hz #'s. One thing that is for sure, a male lead vocal will automatically need a high end/ mid-high boost. Has nothing to do with the tone, but the dynamics and sonics of a male voice compared to the female voice. You want the vox crisp, but not hissy.
 
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