I’m posting here because I know WaveLab users understand EQ and mixing. This EQ is applied to a high baritone male rap vocal using a Shure SM7B with mouth about 4 to 6" away from mic with very little room reflections. It seems I have to shave off a ton of low and low mid to get the boom, box, and low honk out of the vocal. Is this normal? By normal I mean: to be expected in this situation. Note: I am going for a tone similar to scarface/2pac. Ie husky but not boomy.
I don’t know anything about that genre, but those cuts don’t look excessive. The question that matters - does it sound right?
You could try a low shelf instead of 4 separate bells - you might get a smoother effect. I would also try a 12 or 18dB slope on the low cut and see if that sounds better. Steep filters at low frequency can cause phase / ringing issues.
Thank you! Ok I will try those things
Everything @RichardTownsend suggested.
Since you are using EQ as a corrective, too much is always going to be relative to the source material. So what’s appropriate for a vocalist eating an SM7B is likely to be quite different than what’s needed for a different mic recorded 2 feet away from the vocalist.
Richard, I applied a low shelf with a 12 DB slope and lightly notched a few frequencies and the low end is much smoother and more defined. I can’t thank you enough. Here’s what it looks like now. More importantly, it SOUNDS amazing. I wonder, is it more common to use a low shelf rather than a high pass filter on vocals? Thanks again!
Great! Every case is different, so I think it’s really about trying out what works. Low cuts and shelves are both useful.