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EQ Checklist
Thanks for downloading my 7 Step EQ Checklist! The goal of this checklist is to help
you quickly and easily walk through the method of using EQ that I teach on The
Recording Revolution. Whether you are working on your first mix, of you’ve been mixing
for years and just want to be sure you’re approaching your EQ plugins with the right
mindset, these 7 steps will help you get the most musical, natural, and best sound possible out of your mixes. Enjoy!
1. EQ: The Smart Volume Knob
• The best way to think about EQ is that it is a smart volume knob.
• An EQ simply increases or decreases volume of specific frequencies.
• 3 main controls on an EQ:
1.
2.
3.
Frequency - Which frequency are you going to alter?
Gain - By how much are you going to increase or decrease that frequency?
Bandwidth/Q - How much are you going to affect the frequencies either side
of the frequency you are altering?
2. Subtractive EQ
• Remove “bad” or unnecessary frequencies from a track to free up headroom and make
the “good” in your track stand out more.
• When doing subtractive EQ, you typically want a narrower or “tighter” bandwidth to only
affect the bad frequencies you want to reduce (except for low cut filters).
• TIP: A great way to find bad frequencies is to put in a really large boost, tighten it up by
having a narrow bandwidth and move it along the frequency line until you hear some
unpleasant/harsh sounding frequencies.
• Example 1: You might put a low cut filter at 95Hz on your vocals as you can’t hear the
frequencies below 95Hz anyway however you free up those frequencies for your bass
and drums.
• Example 2: You might find that at 328Hz, there’s a harsh distortion on your vocals, so
by cutting this frequency by 3 or 6 db, you eliminate this unpleasant sounding frequency.
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3. Additive EQ
• Use additive EQ to enhance what’s good about a track, not dramatically change the
sound of a track.
• When doing additive EQ, you typically want a wider bandwidth to have a more natural
boost.
• TIP: Just like when finding bad frequencies, a great way to find good frequencies is to
put in a large boost, tighten up the bandwidth and sweep it across the frequency line
until you hear some sweet spots.
• Example: You might find that a boost in the 100HZ range on a bass guitar, makes the
bass sound thicker and fuller.
• The 3db Chunk Rule: EQ boosts have a cumulative effect so first try boosting a frequency by just 3db. If that is not enough, go up in 3db increments so try 6db.
• If you are applying EQ on an entire mix (affecting all tracks), use even smaller increases
such as 1.5db as they will have a large cumulative effect when applied to all of the
tracks in your mix.
4. Level Matching
• We can fool ourselves into thinking that the EQ changes we made are causing a track to
sound better when really it’s just because the track is louder (because of the boosts).
• Use the output knob on your plugin to make sure that the signal that goes into your
plugin goes out of your plugin at the same volume.
• Look for the input and output meters on your EQ plugin and dial your output knob up or
down accordingly so that the meters match.
• TIP: Remember that the point of an EQ is to simply enhance the tone of a track, not
make it louder or quieter. By level matching, you can know with certainty whether or not
your EQ moves are actually helping the track.
• Example: You do a nice upper shelf boost at 7k for your lead vocal and it sounds
breathy and more alive. But after looking at the output meter you realize you’ve made
the vocal louder. Upon level matching the EQ plugin to the original input volume you realize that the vocal doesn’t actually sound any better. You could achieve a similar result
by simply turning the vocal up in the mix. No EQ needed!
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5. Carving EQ Holes
• Similar instruments have similar frequency responses so they overlap and cover each
other up - this is called EQ masking. Carving out space gives you more clarity and allows each instrument to be heard better.
• Focus on your main left and right instruments in the mix and give them their own pocket
of space in the frequency spectrum
• Pick a good sounding mid range frequency on the first track and boost it 3-6db. Cut
that same frequency on the second track. Then find a good sounding mid range frequency on the second track and boost it 3-6db. Cut that same frequency on the first
track.
• TIP: Be sure to carve EQ holes on at least the hard left and right tracks. This not only
gives your tracks more clarity, but you increase the perceived width of your mix simply
because these outer two tracks have more unique tonal qualities - your ear notices the
edges of the mix more.
6. Mix Buss EQ
• Make your mix sound better faster, and with fewer plugins, all by starting with a simple
EQ plugin on the master fader (mix buss)
• Think like a mastering engineer and do super subtle boosts and cuts (around 1-1.5db)
• Open up the top end, clear out some low mid build up, bring out the upper mids for the
vocals, beef up the low end, all with a few notch EQ moves.
• Be sure to level match the output and switch the EQ plugin on and off to make sure it's
helping and not hurting the mix
• TIP: Be sure to bring in a professional mix of your choice to reference at the beginning
of your mix while doing this mix buss EQ. Take note of how the top end of your reference sounds, as well as the bottom end, lead vocal, kick and snare. Then use subtle
mix buss EQ moves (1-1.5db increments) to bring your fresh mix closer to the ballpark
of the reference.
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7. The 3 Big EQ Mistakes
• Mistake #1 - Trusting Presets. The plugin designers have absolutely no idea what your
track sounds like, so their frequency boost and cut recommendations are completely
irrelevant to you and your mix.
• Mistake #2 - Focusing On What The EQ Curve Looks Like. Your eyes can trick you
into hearing things that aren't there. Try to close your eyes when bypassing your EQ
plugins to make sure that it SOUNDS better and doesn't simply LOOK like it's EQ'd
properly.
• Mistake #3 - Assuming Each Track Needs EQ. If a track sounds good in the mix and
sits well with everything else, it doesn't need any EQ. The less processing you can do to
your mix, the more natural and musical it will sound - so avoid EQing just because you
feel you should. Only touch a track if it needs help.
In Review…
EQ is your most powerful tool to give your mix clarity, depth, and excitement. So how you
use it will greatly affect the outcome of your mix. In review here are how to mentally approach the 7 steps we just covered.
When you sit down to EQ a track remember:
1. An EQ is simply a smart volume knob. Nothing more, nothing less. Use it to turn
up or down the frequencies you need to enhance a track.
2. Always choose to cut before boosting. Remove what’s bad about a track, giving
more headroom in the mix and more of a spotlight on the good.
3. Use additive EQ simply to enhance what’s good about a track. Do this after any
subtractive EQ moves you may have already made.
4. When done making your EQ moves, always level match the output of the plugin.
This way you aren’t fooling your ears.
5. It’s wise to carve out EQ holes on the outer tracks (hard left and right). This not
only gives you more clarity, but greater perceived stereo width.
6. Consider applying some subtle EQ to the mix buss - especially early on in your
mix, to get a better mix with less effort and fewer plugins.
7. Avoid the 3 big EQ mistakes: trusting presets, focusing too much on the EQ curve,
and assuming every track needs EQ to begin with.
Thanks for downloading and reading my 7 Step EQ Checklist. Feel free to review the 7
videos in my Mixing With EQ series anytime right here:
therecordingrevolution.com/eqvideos
To better mixes!
Graham Cochrane