Low pass filter??

[TBman]

Originally Posted by jim1960

You're right. I read it too fast but similar problems can be created. What I said is still applicable if we flip it on its head.

A low pass filter will reduce the level of the high frequencies that can be a problem, especially in small untreated rooms, but it won't do anything for the bass through the upper-mid frequencies that can also create issues in small untreated rooms. So it's not deverbing anything, it's simply lowering the level of some frequencies so that they're less noticeable.

Whether it's a high pass filter or a loss pass filter, it's a shelf eq on one end or the other. They do the same thing; they just do it to different frequencies.

The problem I think you'll have in using a high cut is that you're going to have lifeless guitar tracks that lack upper sheen and brilliance. It's a solution to your problem but it's not a sonically good solution. It's like using a sledgehammer to get rid of a smudge on a wall when an eraser would have done the job.

That said, it could be useful in some mixes where the guitar is stepping on another instrument in the high frequencies and you want to make some room, but for solo guitar, I don't see it as a good solution. A much better solution would be to use a parametric eq (I use Acon Digital Equalize). Narrow your Q and pan the high frequencies for what sounds problematic. Then either cut it all the way or lower it 3-6 db to lessen its impact. This is a better solution because it will get rid of the offensive bits but leave the high frequencies that are benefiting the track.

This video explains...

Thank you! This makes sense. I will study this.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by TBman

Thank you! This makes sense. I will study this.

When I first started with this stuff, I was using eq in a similar way to how I used eq on a stereo. Wrong. Just wrong. WhenI learned to use parametric eq this way, the skies opened and the seas parted.

[rick-slo]

I try for solo guitar recordings that do not need equalization.

On some recordings if I hear higher frequency harshness (usually spots somewhere in the 4500 to 7000 hertz range) I will frequency sweep with
a high Q and listen for offending frequencies and focus in on cutting those particular frequencies a little (2-4 decibels is usually enough).

I use a moderately steep high pass filter usually centered around 30 hertz.

I don't use a low pass filter.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by TBman

Thank you! This makes sense. I will study this.

Yes that is a fairly good video for how to find and reduce problem frequencies
However it is actually more apparent on many instruments especially acoustic guitar He is correct as often as not there will be a problem somewhere around 500 hz sweeping 400-600 will usually find it and as often as not there will be problems in the each of the octaves (numerical doubling ) above that ( 500- 1000-2000) again mre important in multiple instrument recordings

In some of the other threads you have started I mention that technique ( I may have called it subtractive EQ ) Now it is not as significant an issue with a solo acoustic recording but as soon as you start adding in a vocal and more instruments it gets increasingly more important.

Also as rule of thumb again especially with multi-instrument recording, the lower frequency problems and build up will be much more problematic than the high frequencies.
Particularly since a lot of low freq. problems are not heard directly or obviously as a problem, but tend to manifest themselves more as a lack of dynamics, lack of depth and presence, much more thin sounding and 2 dimensional as opposed to full and 3 dimensional.

Also note that as counterintuitive as it may sound, if you would like the say the lows to be noticeable then consider a low cut rather first than a low boost (boosting for clarity or distinction is usually the first mistake new people make) For example if you have a Bass and a kick drum and you want them both to be noticeable, then try cutting one at 40 - 60 hz and the other one at 70 -100

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by Gutch

I use one consistently. Roll off everything below 60-75 Hz. Gets rid of the rumble...

Wait! A low pass filter rolls of the highs.

A high pass filter rolls off the lows.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Oh, Nevermind!

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Wait! A low pass filter rolls of the highs.

A high pass filter rolls off the lows.

I think it's so easy to misconstrue because "pass" is so... um... passive.

If it was "low kill filter" or "high mega-destroy filter" nobody would ever get it wrong. And the graphics on the plugin GUI's would probably be a lot more fun, too.

[KevWind]

Speaking of surgical EQ. and more Here is a free plugin for any who may not have one with their chosen DAW. It looks to be full featured and also provides compression

http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home...eid=3af5b4ba3b

[TBman]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Speaking of surgical EQ. and more Here is a free plugin for any who may not have one with their chosen DAW. It looks to be full featured and also provides compression

http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home...eid=3af5b4ba3b

Thank you. I'll have to study the video and see what this all means. I downloaded the plug in and experimented briefly. It seems it has HighPass and Low Pass controls built in too.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by TBman

It seems it has HighPass and Low Pass controls built in too.

I've never seen a parametric eq that didn't have a shelf option.

[TBman]

What does "narrow your Q" mean? I have a feeling I need a college credits course called "home recording 101"

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by TBman

What does "narrow your Q" mean? I have a feeling I need a college credits course called "home recording 101"

"Q" is shorthand for "bandwidth." In shorthand, with a narrow Q your boost or cut will only affect the frequencies at or close to your target frequency. With a wide Q, the effect will be broader and diminish on the high and low sides a lot more gradually.

Since the thread's about hi- and lo-pass filters, well, those don't have a Q. Instead, they have a slope. A steep slope would typically be expressed as, say, 24 dB/octave. Meaning that if you've set your hi-pass filter to cut off at 100 Hz, the signal's 50 Hz content would be 24 dB lower, and its 25 Hz content would be 50 dB lower. Make sense?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by TBman

What does "narrow your Q" mean? I have a feeling I need a college credits course called "home recording 101"

The lingo will come with time
Q is the width of the band of frequencies being affected by the EQ
A narrow Q might be something like 500 hz to 505 hz where a wider Q might be more like 500 to 700

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by TBman

What does "narrow your Q" mean? I have a feeling I need a college credits course called "home recording 101"

I found a couple of webpages that will give you a decent overview.

https://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials...er--audio-2301

http://www.ccisolutions.com/StoreFro...derstanding-eq

[RustyAxe]

I've been using one of these ... very precise control over EQ. Infinitely better than pedal EQ and nearly all amp/mixer EQ.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by TBman

What does "narrow your Q" mean? I have a feeling I need a college credits course called "home recording 101"

Narrow and wide "Q" deals with the width of the bell curve based on a centered frequency (which is the peak of the bell curve). It can be confusing because of the actual numbers which are assigned to the "Q" specification, e.g., a "Q" of 2.1.

Here's the rub - the lower the "Q" value gets (numerically) the wider the bell curve gets and, conversely, the higher the "Q" value the narrower the bell curve. Thus, a "Q" of 2.1 is wider than a "Q" of 3.2.

Some studio cats correlate the generic terms "wide" and "narrow" with these number values (thus a "wide" Q equals a narrow bell curve). Some studio cats do just the opposite by correlating the terms "wide" and "narrow" with the visual width of the bell curve and not with the number value of the "Q", which is exactly the opposite.

I prefer the later, thus a wide "Q" means a wide bell curve even though the numerical value for that "Q" is a lower number. Still, many (most?) parametric eq hardware units and software plugin-ins use the numbering system on their knobs and controls for the "Q" function.