From experience of about 40+ songs over 3 1/2 year all I will say is. Do what sounds
natural. Since you're a beginner, it'll probabaly be inevitable that you'll be lowering boosting frequencies you really shouldn't. The more further I have gone these past 3 years, the less I've found myself actually using EQ. Because it all really starts with right samples and sounds in the first place, and if you do want lets say a bass to fit more snug for lets say a dubstep song (and again it all depends the genre you're working in, and type of "mix" you're after) then --depending on the bass and the syth you're using-- you sometimes don't even need to boost, but around the 70hz range is key, and then sice we are working in dubstep just lowering a tad around 200 hz range for that snare to reveal itself a little more. Now this just isn't with the bass, you sometimes might want to remove a little low end and 200hz again with leads, Hi-Hats, percs, strings or any other sound, but also you don't have to do it with every single sound. Now this is just one aspect of one particular instance (bass n snare) where in a song there are literally thousands of aspects. Wish I didn't suck at explaining things but maybe you get what I mean.
Over time you'll learn what variables there are to certain sounds & how they fit in the frequency spectrum and to be quite frank it just takes time and practice. So my best advice to you is research a lot, don't just google, but look at vids like on youtube n stuff they can help A LOT! And do what sounds natural and sounds right to your ear, don't trust little dots or visuals and say it's good after you get done making a high shelf peak or whatever, always trust your ears, and sometimes it helps to look away from your screen and listen to the sound. I do that ALL the time when eq'ing.
Also one last thing. Download a spectrum analyzer, there a bunch of really good free ones, and run one of your favorite
artist songs through it; and you'll be blown away. Really though, this is a greate way to learn more about how the frequency spectrum works and how it pertains to the genre you work in and the type of music you're going after.
Once you start connecting the dots to how important the frequency spectrum is to mastering a song; it's truly beutiful. You'll be amazed- I defenitely was, and it's a great thing to experience. I know it kinda sounds like first time having sex or something, but that's the same feeling you'll get when your brain establishes the difference between low mid and high bands, and how compression can be used to change the character of each band, and adjusting the volume for each of these bands so to speak if you want your song brighter, and if your song is already well mixed, you're golden. Where was I going with that ? lol. Hard to explain, but yea.
Good luck, and happy music making. ?
