Mixing is all about balance. It’s the art of telling a story with sounds and taking the listener through a journey. In this process, sculpting each element in the session to present and highlight them correctly is essential.

That’s where equalizers come into play. They help locate everything within the frequency spectrum so the mix sounds whole.

However, mastering their use might be daunting and challenging at first. That’s why we want to answer some of the internet’s hottest questions about EQ and help you understand how to use it correctly in your mixes. Let’s jump right in.

Should I EQ every track?

This is one of the most common questions, and the answer is simple: Not really.

Equalizers help us sculpt the sound of each element in the mix, but this process starts before we press record in our DAW. The microphone we use, its position, the preamps we choose, or the room we record in are a big part of this process. All these elements combined create the sound we capture. If that’s exactly the sound we want to achieve — why EQ it? That might be the sound that inspires the whole writing or production process. The same applies to virtual instruments since most virtual or sampled instruments were EQ and compressed from the source.

However, while the overall sound does not need extra EQ, you should clean it to emphasize the qualities of the recorded element, or to create space for other elements fighting for the same place in the frequency spectrum.

When should you Boost or Cut?

As a rule of thumb, it’s better to cut than boost since It can cause fewer problems. Most boost moves can be replicated by cutting in the opposite frequencies, resulting in a more controlled sound. If, once these cuts have been made, you still want to emphasize specific frequencies, you could do so by boosting them less than you originally intended, and keeping a balanced gain structure.

What frequencies should I cut when mixing?

The answer will depend on several factors, but certain steps can help you address some common problems.

The first one is using high-pass filters. This simple tool can help you clean and focus the sound of each instrument in the mix. Rumble, noises, and even plosive sounds can be cleaned using the appropriate high-pass filter. But where do I cut? You can start by filtering out everything under 80 Hz on everything but the bass, bass drum and bass synths. Suddenly, your whole mix will get more body and sound more focused.

A second area to control would be frequencies between 400 and 900 Hz. Depending on the instrument, they can make things sound boxy, roomy or nasal. Cutting this area can help clean the mix. Be careful with guitars or string sounds since most of their tone is in that area.

Finally, pay attention to frequencies around 6 kHz since they make things sound harsh, especially for instruments like cymbals or vocals.

Should I compress or EQ first?

The position of the EQ in the processing chain will vary on a case-to-case basis. While it is interesting to filter out first, or do some subtractive EQ first and then compress afterwards, controlling the dynamic range first might be interesting in cases of inconsistent performance, or in elements where the low end needs to be controlled, like the bass or bass drum. Afterwards, a more colorful EQ can be applied to highlight some of the sonic qualities of the instrument in the mix.

What EQ should you use for your Master Buss?

More and more producers and mixing engineers like to EQ their master bus to get a more finalized sound on their mixes. Especially when they are handling not only the mixing but also the mastering of the production.

In those cases, the EQ moves applied tend to be small with smooth curves. This is because the denser the mix, the easier it is to unbalance the overall sound. A typical EQ curve applied is the “smiley face”, where a low and high shelf lift is applied. Another option often used is analogue-sounding equalizers, which inject character rather than equalization to add weight and cohesion to the mix.

Sonimus EQ plugins offer a great variety of tones, flavors and characters to add to your mixes. Whether it is the 1073 color from Burnley 73, the punch and flexibility of A-EQ or the classic SonEQ — thanks to Sonimus’ musical filters and analogue sound, your mixes can be shaped to perfection, all whilst sounding richer.

Let us know in the comments below and remember to subscribe to our newsletter to receive more mixing tips and all the news about Sonimus products.