Trim the excess. The best of MusicRadar in your inbox. Björgvin is the best-selling author of Step By Step Mixing and the founder of Audio Issues. Take the time to consider this context. Once you identify a problem, remove it with a cut. Again, all of this is context-dependent. This can pull the acoustic guitar forward and help it cut through a busy mix. How to amplify your electro-acoustic guitar for live gigs. Explore our selection of guitar equalizers. It will help guide you towards the right acoustic guitar EQ decisions, every time. 1 offer from CDN$76.99. (Any will do.). This means that your EQ decisions will (and should) vary based on what the rest of the tracks in your mix sound like. These EQ techniques will work well for a live recorded guitar as well as a VST guitar. And if you start with a good recording, you’ll often need little-to-no EQ in the mix. Also listen to the relationship between the acoustic guitar and vocals. Combining a broad top-end shelf with a slight cut in the upper midrange can often lead to a more natural sound. You can also use a spectrum analyzer to pinpoint problems you may not hear on studio monitors. But sometimes, a bit of extra magic may be needed…. Does the low end of the acoustic guitar sound fuller? If things sound fine, leave the high-pass filter off. Shop today at Long & McQuade, the largest chain of musical instrument retailers in Canada with over 70 stores. Mixing guitar is more than EQ work to get a great sound. This will give you a target to aim for while mixing—which will help you conquer acoustic guitar EQ, once and for all. A boost in the upper midrange (5 – 7 kHz) can add presence and enhance the sound of the pick on the strings. However, if your acoustic is still sounding a little dull, a broad boost in the area between 2 – 5 kHz can add some more brightness and attack. Cut in the area around 800 Hz to get rid of that cheap string sound you hear on inexpensive acoustic guitars. Extra fullness in this frequency range adds thickness to your audio, while too much can interfere with other instruments. We help home studio musicians and project studio producers make a greater musical impact in their lives by teaching them the skills needed to grow their hobbies and careers. I will show you how to find the best setting for an acoustic to make it sit well in a mix without clashing with other sounds. Pay close attention to the low end—often times, you’ll need to roll it off to create more room for the kick and bass. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Too many boosts in that area will muddy up your entire production. These are problem areas that don’t just jump out on one note, but remain present throughout the majority of the performance. How is the guitar meant to sit along with the rest of the arrangement?I’ve mixed plenty of tracks in which the acoustic guitar is intended to be in a place of sonic prominence. In fact, many of them (such as moving a microphone) will have a similar effect as EQ. Just the shelf to boost a few dB around 10kHz. Topics: mixing acoustic guitar, Mixing Skills By: Chris Huff November 29, 2017. There’s enough presence by just adding a little extra volume to compensate for your low-mid cuts. Consider how the acoustic guitar fits within the rest of your mix. The HPF will allow only high frequencies to pass through the filter. Give Me Six Weeks And You'll Never Doubt Your Mixing Skills Again, Here's My Perfect Solution for Taming Your Low-end, 3 Things You Must Do for Better Vocal Recordings, Why Persistence is More Important Than Talent in Music. Cuts in your acoustic guitar EQ in the lower-mids add subjective boosts to the higher mids, giving your acoustic guitar more presence. What other tracks do I need it to fit with? It’s a simple and easy way to navigate the frequency spectrum of your acoustic and results in a better acoustic guitar sound. This can often create separation without EQ. The following guide will help you get started. In this particular tutorial I’ve used only one EQ. Next. Cuts in your acoustic guitar EQ in the lower-mids add subjective boosts to the higher mids, giving your acoustic guitar more presence. From the body, strings, and presence, there's a lot that can go wrong and much to do to get it right. Exclusive access to cleaning, safety, and health supplies. Implement everything I cover here, and you’ll be well on your way to EQing acoustic guitar like a top-tier mixer! This means that your EQ decisions will (and should) vary based on what the rest of the tracks in your mix sound like. Next, dial in a steep boost (+18 dB) with a narrow Q (8) and slowly sweep it up the frequency spectrum. I would actually recommend going all the way up to 8 kHz for that extra brilliance to your strings if you like that sort of sound. In this blog post we’ll be looking at how to EQ an acoustic guitar to help it cut through the mix. I rarely boost the low end on an acoustic guitar (unless the track was unusually thin to begin with). If the acoustic guitar is the main player in your song, filtering up to about 80 Hz or so could be enough. If the acoustic guitar is competing with another track, try panning the two tracks to opposite sides of the mix first. In many cases, you may be set. If you’re mixing an acoustic guitar in a sparse ballad, you’ll make completely different decisions than if you … See how almost every instrument overlaps in the 200 Hz range in the picture below: Image from Audiotuts: http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mixing-mastering/8-easy-steps-to-better-eq/. Sweeping around this area is helpful if you need a little extra body to your acoustic guitar sound. However, the goal is always the same—to try to make the acoustic guitar sound great within the rest of your mix. Start by flipping the polarity on one of the tracks. This area can quickly become harsh and aggressive, as it’s where our ears are the most sensitive. You can even import them into your DAW to use as references! EQing Bass Guitar: 7 Tips For A Better Sound, How To EQ Vocals In 3 Simple Steps [Audio Examples], How To Make Your Studio Monitors Sound Better. And a word to the wise—be particularly careful when boosting the upper midrange. EQ. Also, listen closely for string squeaks and other unpleasant noises that may be accentuated when boosting. Like I’ve said time and again, filter out the low-end of the guitar to make room for the bass guitar and kick drum. (These will often happen when the player digs into certain notes or hits their palm on the body of the guitar.) I had to go a bit extreme since I was forced to record with a dynamic mic to remove all the annoying resonances. You can’t really hear the actual frequencies, but they can add extra low-frequency noise your audio doesn’t need. Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. Should You Be Concerned If You Don’t Have Haters. You can also experiment with time-aligning tracks to further optimize the phase relationships between them. It’s exceptionally difficult to EQ an acoustic guitar. If you’re mixing an acoustic guitar in a sparse ballad, you’ll make completely different decisions than if you were working on an uptempo, modern rock track. Just be careful. If they’re getting in the way, a de-esser or multiband compression can help tame them. In analog mixers, the HPF has a set frequency point, such as 100 Hz or it has a knob for controlling the range. This is not in the picture but it’s worth mentioning. Resist the urge to solo! With that being said, your ears should always be the final judge. Some mixers will tell you to add a high-pass filter to every acoustic guitar track. A narrow cut in the acoustic guitar EQ there can really smooth out the sound. You should now have an acoustic guitar that’s sitting pretty well in the mix. I grabbed my wire cutters and started walking toward his guitar. I think it’s better to let your ears decide. Synthesis Basics: How to Create Audio Effects From Scratch, Meet the Newest Member of the Cartoon Universe - Executive Producer Liz Pocock, The Importance of Failing w/ Emily Dolan Davies. Mixing consoles have a channel-level control labeled “HPF.” This stands for high pass filter. All the instruments occupy that same space between 100 – 250 Hz. Amazon Business: For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Also, if you pointed your microphone at the sound-hole when you recorded your acoustic guitar it might sound pretty … Remember these simple guidelines the next time you slap your EQ on that acoustic guitar track. You’ll end up needing less acoustic guitar EQ, and your finished mix will sound a whole lot better. Overly saturated guitars can sometimes sound very hissy and noisy before you start mixing. We do this by offering simple and practical music production and success skills they can use right away to level themselves up – while rejecting negativity and gear-shaming from the industry. The Four QUICK Steps to Acoustic Guitar EQ’ing. Alternately, if it’s meant to be a subtle flavor used sparingly, I’ll apply a liberal amount of subtractive EQ or filtering to allow the other elements to command the listener’s attention. While mastering the art of acoustic guitar EQ is undoubtedly tricky, it’s crucial if you want to achieve a studio-quality sound.