View All Students
David Keller
EQ is the best/worst thing ever!
Why do I say that you say??
So, what comes to mind with EQ is that, unfortunately, it is yet another way for kids these days to manipulate and skew poorly-recorded, poorly-done performance.
What is sad in this day and age of artificial music production, is that people with little regard for true quality, and true recording accuracy and technique, are able to still make competitive music. By competitive, I mean as long as they can make butts shake, and clubs thump, they will take center stage and overshadow truly talented artists in the music market.
I will get to my take on the EQ chapter in a moment, but I have a couple more things to say on mass-produced, and artificially manufactured "music." As with gender and sexuality and politics these days, there are no longer clear-cut lines. No longer can someone spot a fake or a phony in the music industry any longer. My mentor always says it best, but you know unfortunately, an engineer can know anything and everything about intricate recording techniques, but ultimately, most listeners just. Don't. Care. (Or notice!)
Ok. So. EQ!
I am not just a pessimist in these matters for the record. In fact, I have always tried to reach into the depths of a seemingly desparing situation (where most love to dwell for plenty of company), and pull out the flakes of gold!
In my opinion, all of the DJ's and thumpers and home-studio folly artists are making it TREMENDOUSLY easier to join the sects of active and serious listeners of music WHO CARE! About quality! In other words, since we are so easily able now to realize these abused traits in music, there is a bright future for those that create something DIFFERENT and UNIQUE! Technology is moving so quickly with sound alone, and in other areas, that it is my hope that those SERIOUS about studying the true arts will have MORE opportunity to hone their skills and creat new nitches! Small communities, production companies, churches, schools, etc., will now have the chance for a serious artist/engineer/producer to come in and shake it up shake it up! SO much still lacks in our communities, and with music being as powerful to move people as it is, I believe that we the serious music feinds will finally be able to make big changes in small places!
Ok, so back to EQ...
This chapter was cool! I learned about all the different types and uses of Equalization. Little did I know that it can be used to simply assist in as small of things as transmitting phone conversations and speeches more clearly! Moreso, I loved learning that frequencies DOUBLE or get cut IN HALF every time there is a change in an octave!
It is also AMAZING to know that frequencies can be so intricately controlled! A 7-band EQ interface also finally makes sense to me, which I am happy about!
Since day one, however, I have watched my mentor use and explain equalization, so it has made a decent amount of sense as time has gone on.
To sum up my understanding of EQ: Sometimes, all other adjustable factors in a mix can be adjusted, but you can still not be able to distinguish or eliminate certain sounds. EQ-ing allows you to pull the layers so-to-speak out of the music, and hear everything or less than what you were supposed to hear! For every bad use of EQ, there can be good use, and we must remember that as serious artists. Sometimes we have to know that our musicians or ourselves cannot be clearly heard and appreciated on their own. EQ is there to help!
Later, ya'll!
