Mistakes
10 EQ Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
Mastering it is the key to crafting clear, larger-than-life tracks. Abusing it, however, will
put you on the fast track to wimpy, muddy mixes.
The following EQ mistakes will destroy the clarity and separation in your tracks,
dooming you to mixes that sound small and amateur. Avoid them, and you’ll be well on
your way to creating tracks that compete with the pros.
And to supercharge your EQ skills, check out the free cheatsheet attached to this PDF.
It features plugin picks, plus tips and tricks for EQ’ing common instruments—which will
help you narrow the gap between your mixes and your favorite tracks.
The truth?
The results are often an improvement. The low end clears up, creating more space for
the kick and bass.
Filtering everything will often remove low end that isn’t getting in the way. This is the low
end you want to keep, because it will add weight and body to your mixes. Getting rid of
it might make the low end clearer, but you’ll sacrifice fullness by doing so.
If you filter everything at the beginning of a mix, you’ll never know what you’re missing.
My vote: If the low end on a track is getting in the way, nix it. Otherwise, leave it alone.
“The midrange is where the heart and soul of music live. It’s where you feel the real
emotion that someone is trying to convey with an instrument or voice…” (CEPro)
The midrange should be a priority, not an afterthought. Spend more time focusing your
attention here.
Mixing seems complicated, but it’s actually simple. The entire process can be broken
down into five steps:
When you’re mixing, there should always be a step 1. You should always be trying to
solve a problem.
Before reaching for an EQ, ask yourself—what problem am I trying to solve? If you don’t
have an answer, ditch the plugin.
Instead, they focus on one track at a time and make decisions in a vacuum. If they’re
working on a vocal, they solo it and tweak the EQ until it sounds great on its own.
The problem?
While soloing might be fine for basic cleanup work, do the majority of your EQing with
the whole mix playing. This can be hard at first, but it’s one of the easiest ways to
improve your mixes.
If you’re like many, you add an EQ to your mix bus and cut the offending frequencies
there.
Problem solved…right?
Wrong.
While you might have fixed the problem, you probably cut a lot of stuff that didn’t need
to be cut too.
Instead, find the offending track in your mix and make the cut there. This will produce
much better results.
Imagine you’re mixing a multi-mic’d drum kit, and the snare sounds thin.
What gives?
While no amount of EQ will fix this problem, the solution is easy. Just flip the polarity on
the snare track, and you’ll have all the low end you need.
Don’t forget to check for phase cancellation before EQing. If the low end sounds thin,
phase is often the culprit.
Let’s say you recorded a vocalist who frequently grabbed the mic stand while singing.
The result?
The recording has some low-end rumble in it.
A compressor doesn’t know the difference between this rumble and the sound of the
vocal. If the rumble exceeds the compressor’s threshold, the entire track will be turned
down.
So if the singer grabbed the mic stand in the middle of a phrase, her performance will
suddenly dip in volume. Not because she’s too loud, but because the rumble is.
This can lead to a track that gets quieter at seemingly random, unmusical moments.
Which can sound quite odd.
For this reason, I always high-pass before I compress. This way, my compressor won’t
be triggered by low-end rumble.
This is just one of many things impacted by where you place your EQ.
Before reaching for EQ, try the faders. Many problems can be solved simply by turning
tracks up.
On certain phrases, he got too close to the mic. These spots sound boomy and muddy.
But in other spots, the recording sounds fine.
But the spots that were fine to begin with will end up sounding thin.
Pssht.
The truth? Compression is crucial. And if you want to craft a modern-sounding mix,
you’re gonna have to use it.
But conquering compression is tricky. There are hundreds of plugins to choose from, a
plethora of parameters to tweak, and dozens of things you can do with it.
With so many options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. And it’s even easier to make
mistakes—which can turn any mix into a flat, lifeless pancake.
Yikes.
Avoid these nine pitfalls, however, and you’ll have nothing to worry about. Before long,
you’ll be compressing like a pro.
And if you’re looking to dive deeper, check out the compression cheatsheet attached to
this PDF. It features tips and tricks for compressing common instruments, as well as my
top picks for plugin compressors. This cheatsheet will further demystify the process of
using compression, so you can approach it with clarity and confidence in your next mix.
Sure, it was great for its time. But are there no better tools
available today? Has no one improved upon this design
over the last 50 years?
No other industry romanticizes the past to such a great degree. Publishers don’t do
shootouts to find the best version of the Guttenberg printing press. Sure, it was great for
its time. But today, we have the internet.
If you’re trying to find the best replica of an ancient compressor, you’re barking up the
wrong tree. Many modern compressors blow the classics out of the water. They’re more
versatile and sound better.
They cause compressors to clamp down quickly, which can make tracks sit evenly in a
mix with minimal fuss. For this reason, many mixers dial in fast attack times by default.
These are the short bursts of sound at the beginning of notes—the bright pluck of a pick
hitting a string, the thwack of a drumstick on a snare, the consonants in a vocal
performance. Transients add energy and life to music. Removing them can make a mix
sound flat and unexciting.
This is likely why Bruce Swedien avoids compression altogether. To him, the risk of
sacrificing the transients isn’t worth the benefits.
But there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead of avoiding
compression, just slow the attack time down. This will cause the compressor to let the
transients pass through unharmed.
The result?
You’ll get all the benefits of compression, while retaining the punch and impact that
makes music compelling.
3. You Compress Without Context
To hone in on difficult decisions, many mixers solo the track they’re working on.
This makes changes easier to hear. Without the distraction of other tracks, you can be
more discerning. The right choices seem more obvious.
The solo button removes the context you need to make good mixing decisions.
In solo, you’ll be guided towards choices that make tracks sound better on their own.
But these decisions often don’t hold up in context. At best, they’ll need additional
tweaking. At worst, they’ll lead you down the wrong path.
For example, tracks often need a lot more compression than you’d ever apply in solo.
Excessive soloing can lead to under-compression, which can make tracks sound shaky
and unstable in a mix.
It doesn’t matter how a track sounds in solo. All that matters is how it fits within the rest
of your mix.
Avoid the solo button while compressing. Force yourself to make decisions in context,
with the rest of the tracks playing. This can be difficult at first, but it will lead to better
compression decisions.
The secret?
Always have a reason for using it. And don’t be afraid to leave things alone. Many
tracks—including distorted guitars, drum samples, and virtual instruments—will sound
fine without it.
When you crank the speakers, it’s easy to hear everything. Tracks sound clear and
impactful. And you feel like a pro.
Turn the speakers down, however, and a lot of that detail will disappear. When the
singer dips into her lower register, she’ll get drowned out. That dynamic guitar part will
sound shaky and inconsistent. And suddenly, you don’t feel like a pro.
But you end up working a lot harder. And compressing a lot more.
This is a good thing. It will lead to a mix that sounds great at any volume.
Force yourself to mix at lower levels, and your mixes will improve.
Rely on compression exclusively, and you’ll continually come up short. You may not
have to move any faders, but your tracks will often end up sounding flat and lifeless.
The trick?
Get 80 to 90 percent of the way there with compression. Tracks should sit evenly
without moving any faders. Then, flip on the automation and bring it home. Ride up the
words and phrases that get lost. Bring up any details that the compressor missed.
Even the best compressor won’t replace a fader. They’re both essential. Use them
together.
7. You Use Multiband Like It’s Going Out Of Style
While many mixers use multiband compression liberally, I find it works best as a
problem-solving tool. I avoid it unless necessary, because it’s got some serious
downsides.
Splitting a track into multiple bands and processing them independently can create
artifacts and phase problems. And in most cases, single-band compression will do the
job just fine.
My advice? Try single-band first. And if you’re using a multiband compressor, have a
reason for it. More knobs don’t mean better results.
First, they cover the walls with primer. Then, they add a few coats of paint. And finally,
they touch up any areas they missed.
The result?
Instead, compress in stages. Shave a few dB off tracks. Take a few more off your group
busses. And finish it off with some gentle mix bus compression.
This approach will yield more musical results. And the kicker? You’ll often be able to
achieve louder levels without distortion.
Most compressors have a control called makeup gain, which allows you to turn the track
up after it’s been compressed.
This control can be dangerous. Add too much makeup gain, and your track will end up
louder than it was originally. This can make it difficult to determine whether the
compressor is actually making the track sound better.
Flip the bypass button in and out, and you’ll probably prefer the track with compression.
But is it really better, or just louder? It’s hard to know. In some cases, your compressor
might not be compressing at all. It may even be making things sound worse.
To avoid this trap, always adjust the makeup gain until there is no change in level when
you hit the bypass button. This is the only fair way to evaluate your decisions. Get this
right, and you’ll always make the correct call.
Steer clear of these nine mistakes, and you’ll be on track to conquer compression for
good.
But if you’re looking to dive deeper, I put together a bonus cheatsheet with tips and
tricks for compressing common tracks. I also included a list of my 5 favorite plugin
compressors, so you can make sure you have the best tools for the job. This cheatsheet
will give you even more clarity, so you can approach compression like a pro in your next
mix. It’s attached to this PDF, and I hope you find it helpful!
7 Reverb Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
Use it right, and your tracks will sound deep, wide, and three-dimensional. But mess it
up, and you’ll be on the fast track to a flat, muddy mix.
These seven mistakes will hold you back from using reverb like a pro. Avoid them, and
you’ll be on your way to crafting clear, immersive, larger-than-life tracks.
Some mixers use reverb to obscure out of tune vocals, sub-par performances, or tracks
that get in the way.
While this can seem like a good idea, it often creates more problems than it solves. It
can lead to a muddy, murky soundstage that lacks clarity and depth. It can create
ambiguity—which will cause listeners to wonder if the decision was a mistake.
Don’t use reverb to avoid making a decision. Instead, approach problem tracks
head-on. Ask yourself—does this really need to be here? Can I re-record it?
To create depth, you need contrast. Certain tracks need to feel close, whereas others
need to feel far away.
This image has depth because the chess piece in front feels close, but the blurred pieces behind it feel far
away.
You can use reverb to make this happen. It only works, however, when you use it
selectively.
If you drown everything in reverb, there will be no contrast. Everything will sound far
away, and nothing will sound close. Hence, no depth.
Instead, be selective about which tracks you add reverb to. Use it to make some tracks
feel close, and others far away. This is the key to creating depth.
Reverbs that ring out too long will trample over the rhythm of a track. This can quickly
lead to a muddy mix.
Set it so it covers the space between notes, but gets out of the way before the
next note hits.
This means that decay times are largely tempo-dependent. Faster tempos will usually
warrant shorter decays, because there’s less space between notes. On the other hand,
ballads and downtempo tracks will normally need longer decays.
The effect? You’ll hear reverb, but the vocals will remain up-front.
Unless you’re trying to recreate the sound of the 80’s, a little reverb goes a long way.
Reverb takes up lots of space. Use too much of it, and you’ll run out of room for other
tracks in your mix. This can lead to a record that sounds muddy and unclear.
Use less than you think you need. A good rule of thumb is to turn up the reverb until you
can hear it, and then back off a bit.
Most of the time, you want to feel reverb, rather than hear it. You shouldn’t notice that
it’s there, but you should miss it when it’s gone.
6. You Never Use Short Reverbs
They can add a convincing sense of depth without the space-sucking side effects of
longer verbs.
Try the small rooms or short ambience presets on your favorite reverb plugin. Often
times, these can get the job done, while taking up almost no space in a mix.
In general, the larger the session, the more helpful shorter reverbs are. Don’t discount
them.
It was so cool.
From the moment I kicked it in and watched the meter dance, I was hooked.
In the year that followed, I became obsessed with my mix bus. I piled on every plugin I
could find. I copied the chains of my favorite mixers. “What’s on your mix bus?” became
my favorite ice breaker.
But along the way, I made every mistake in the book. I crushed, slammed, distorted,
over-compressed, and over-EQ’d nearly every mix I made. When I listen to these tracks
today, I cringe.
You don’t have to repeat my mistakes. Avoid these nine pitfalls, and you’ll sidestep
some of my biggest mix bus slip-ups...
When I first discovered you could add processing to the mix bus, I was pumped.
The truth?
Add mix bus processing at the end of a mix, and you can easily destroy the delicate
balance you’ve spent days crafting.
For better results, add it early and mix into it. This way, every decision you make
throughout the mixing process will be shaped by what it’s doing.
The result?
You’ll get all the benefits of mix bus processing without messing things up at the end of
the line.
For example—if your mix sounds muddy, there might be too much low end on a synth.
Or maybe the lower midrange on a guitar is too thick.
Either way, when you make a move on your mix bus, you affect every track in your
session.
Cut the low end there, and you cut it from every track in your mix.
Why do this if only one track is causing the problem?
Get this right, and you’ll optimize your mix bus for
peak performance.
At first listen, they can make a mix sound smoother and more controlled.
Transients are the short bursts of sound at the beginning of notes. They add energy and
life to music, and taming them can make a mix sound flat and unexciting.
Since slower attack times preserve transients, they’re usually a better choice (especially
on the mix bus).
Sometimes, aggressive mix bus processing makes sense. But most of the time, subtle
is the way to go.
Be gentle. Low-ratio compression and broad, tempered EQ curves often sound best.
If you find yourself digging in deeper, make sure you’re not trying to solve a problem
that can be fixed on an individual track (see #3 above).
Why?
Because in our quest to make things loud, we regularly destroy the mixes we’ve
created.
The result?
This feature links the limiter’s input and output gain. When you turn the input up, the
output turns down. So as you add more limiting, there’s no change in level.
Gain compensation makes it easy to determine the right amount of limiting for any mix.
Just crank the input gain until the mix starts to sound smaller. Then back it off a bit.
Problem solved.
Saturators can make a mix sound harsh and edgy. Stereo imagers can cause phase
problems. Multiband compressors can create artifacts between bands. (There’s a
reason why mastering engineer John Scrip calls them “maul-the-band” compressors…)
Probably not.
Instead, go back to basics. It’s amazing what proper balance, EQ and compression can
do. Get this stuff right, and you’ll find you can often craft better mixes without these
specialty tools.
The material in this eBook was adapted from several articles originally written for The
Pro Audio Files.