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Andrew Tintle
July 18th, 2013
Time In: 5:00 PM
Time Out: 2:00 AM
Lesson #: 12
Today's lesson was focused on Equalization (EQ). There are many different types of EQ available within Pro-Tools.
The one's that I have been using the most to get comfortable with EQ in Pro-Tools are the EQ7 (has 7 different bands of EQ available including a Low and High Pass Filter) and the Channel Strip. Based on my conversations with David, EQ is one of the most important adjustments that can be made to a track. Often times artists will want to jump to using a compressor right away to bring out the presence of something, but EQ can often times accomplish what they are looking for. It is for this reason that I have been encouraged to get very comfortable with EQ and how it can affect a track. David also suggests that I put EQ on a track before putting effects on (i.e. Delay, Chorus). This way the affect is applied to the already Equalized track rather than having the EQ try to adjust a track with an effect processor on it as well.
We also discussed High Pass and Low Pass Filters. These can be a very useful tool if a particular instrument track is experiencing bleed in the microphone from other instruments. For example, if the kick drum mic is picking up some of the higher frequencies from the high hat, a Low Pass Filter could be apply to allow the low frequencies to "pass" through while blocking out the higher frequencies.
Another important topic concept we discussed is the difference between a Parametric and a Graphic equalizer. A parametric equalizer allows you to chose frequencies you want to attenuate, while a Graphic equalizer has a fixed number of frequencies that can be adjusted. This was an easy concept for me to understand as I have been using a a Graphic EQ for quite a while without knowing it. I own a Boss GE-7 EQ for my guitar pedal board. Pointing this out led into a really nice lesson on how to get the most out of that EQ pedal for myself. This pedal has a boost fader to help bring the overall sound of the signal up. The reason this exists is that when certain frequencies are attenuated out of a signal, it has a tendency to lose some of it's presence. I learned that I don't want to have this boost set to the max level because when I turn the pedal on and off, there could be big jumps in the overall volume level of the sound. This is good advice and gives me something to think about as I set up for future live performances.
Towards the end of my lesson we had a walk-in session that I was able to stick around for. It was for a client who has been working with Shine On for many years and he wanted to go over some tracks recorded a few years ago. I had a chance to see David work on some basic mixing and apply some new effects to the tracks. He commented that it is interesting to see a mix from so long ago because it really reflects how much he has improved as an engineer and shows how much the artist has improved as well.
After the client left, David and I hung out and looked over almost every piece of equipment in his studio including a really old tape machine that plays vintage tape reels. So cool to get to see all of this stuff and really get a good handle on what everything does. I really enjoy being in this studio and feel really welcome. Can't wait for next week.
