Eq-ing Help

Cubase
#1

Hi

Quick description of my setup:
I have cubase 5, i7 processor, 9GB ram.

I am recording an album. In a few songs i think the mix sounds muddy. I’m not very experienced at eq-ing/mixing. Amateur in fact.
Anyway, i came across this article:

http://www.homerecordingconnection.com/news.php?action=view_story&id=154

I think if i were to separate the various instruments eq wise this would really help my songs. This article is great. It tells you what to do, but i need more info on HOW. That why i came to this forum for help doing it in cubase. (people who use the same tools can advise me)

In that article the 3rd image down, (it shows all the instruments sitting together their main frequencies not colliding)
Can someone help me to achieve this with cubase.

Someone tell me what tools in cubase to use to manipulate/analyse, how to use them etc.

For example, is there some sort of meter in cubase you can run vocals through and you can judge what frequencies the main bulk of the vocal sits at?
Wheni go to eq the vocals, In that diagram, the vocals, (looks like a yellow pyramid) should my eq diagram look like a pyramid? How do i achieve this exactly?

If anyone can help or point me in the right direction i would be very grateful.
I think this is the last hurdle i need to overcome to get the sound i’m looking for.

Regards

Conor

#2

There are several options for monitoring frequency domains for tracks. Cubase has its own multiscope which you can insert in an fx slot on a track. You can also download Bluecat’s frequency analyser which works much the same way. This is a free plugin. Voxengo span is another option, also free. Note that these draw the graph for 1 track (mono or stereo), not for all the tracks simultaneously in different colours. I know bluecats frequency analyser has a transparancy option so you can insert it in multiple tracks and then put all the windows on top of eachother to draw the graphs for several tracks in the same window.

From the graph you can see which frequencies are the main frequencies for a certain track. For instance it is good practice to use a low cut filter on every track apart from Drums and the bass, because the low frequencies don’t really add much character to most instruments and usually open up the mix quite a bit when gone.

I got most of what I know about mixing from Friedemann Tischmeyer’s ‘internal mixing’ dvd which is a tutorial dvd aimed at exactly the type of things you just asked. Very clear instructions and tips on how to find a good balance in your mix with different instruments, and tips on panning, EQ, compression etc. He is using Cubase as well, so it should all look familiar. He is using very expensive plugins though, but especially for amateurs there are more than enough free alternatives for everything he’s doing. I really recommend that DVD if you want to learn the basics of mixing, it’s helped me a great deal!
Here is a short sample of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbh6n3wySDc

#3

ok, thank you for that tip.
That bluecat sounds good. i must give it a try.

I recently bought: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Audio-Concepts-Practices-Tools/dp/0240520688/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321016766&sr=8-2
And i’m starting to make my way through it also. But that dvd i will consider getting.

Ok, i’ll also try using the filter to take out the low frequenciies on all instruments but the drums. (i’m not sure where exactly to stop though) . I guess i’ll just experiment see what sounds good.

Thanks Again

#4

Yes, I’d say do some rigorous cuts on some frequency bands and just see what happens. Don’t do the cuts when listening to the track you’re editing on solo, make the cuts while all tracks are playing. That way you can better hear the impact a cut has on the mix. As long as you don’t notice you’re cutting you’re good :slight_smile: