These five tips will help you approach EQ and your audio mix like a pro. Follow them, and you’ll add clarity, separation, and depth to your tracks.

Do you struggle with EQ when working on your audio mix? If so, you’re not alone. While it’s one of the most important tools we have in the mixing room, it’s also one of the most difficult to get a handle on.

The following five tips will help you approach EQ and your audio mix like a pro. Follow them, and you’ll add clarity, separation, and depth to your tracks.

1. Avoid the solo button

EQ can help make the tracks in your mix fit together. In fact, this is one of its biggest benefits. However, in order to do so, you need to be able to hear how different tracks in your mix interact with each other.

The solo button gets in the way of this.

Whenever you solo a track, you remove it from the context of your mix. This makes it impossible to determine how that track relates to others. Consequently, it becomes much harder to make decisions that help tracks fit together.

For this reason, the solo button can be dangerous. While you may think it helps focus your attention, it’s actually cutting you off from the information you need to make good EQ decisions. Avoid it, and your mixes will improve by leaps and bounds.

2. Cut first, then boost

You may have heard this old EQ adage before. Turns out, there’s some truth to it.

When you apply an EQ boost to a track, the track gets louder. Since our ears prefer louder sounds, it’s often difficult to evaluate the true effectiveness of an EQ boost without level-matching. It’s easy to get fooled into thinking a boost was a good choice, when in fact, you may have just turned your EQ into a glorified volume knob.

In comparison, EQ cuts aren’t subject to this problem. Since they don’t make tracks louder, it’s much easier to evaluate their effectiveness. If a track sounds better with a cut engaged, you can be sure that you’ve made the right decision.

3. Know thy spectrum

Modern parametric EQs give you an unprecedented degree of control over the frequency spectrum. But this can be overwhelming and even downright intimidating! With an infinite number of choices, how do you know which frequencies to home in on?

If you find yourself aimlessly sweeping up and down the spectrum, perhaps some studying is in order. With practice, you can significantly improve your ability to identify areas of the frequency spectrum. The following ear training resources will help:

4. Make intentional choices

Every time you add a boost or cut, ask yourself, “Why am I doing this? If you don’t have a clear answer, you probably don’t need it.

Sometimes, your EQ moves will need to be subtle. Other situations will warrant a bold and aggressive approach. Need to add 15 dB of top end to a kick drum? 10 dB of low end to a snare? So be it. As long as you’re making intentional decisions, you’re in the clear.

5. Ch-ch-check yourself

Mixing isn’t just about making the right choices. It’s also about avoiding the wrong ones.

Avoid EQ missteps by constantly A/B-ing every cut or boost with the original, unprocessed track. But remember, volume discrepancies between the before/after sounds will often cloud your judgement. To avoid bias, make sure to level-match before making any comparisons.

This often means you’ll need to adjust your EQ’s output gain. While some EQs (like FabFilter’s Pro-Q 2) have an auto-gain feature that streamlines this process, additional adjustments will often be needed.

Get in the habit of A/B-ing every EQ decision you make. This simple practice can massively improve the sound of your tracks.

Now that you know how to EQ like a pro, you’re ready to conquer the frequency spectrum in your next mix!

But first… did I miss one of your favorite EQ tips? If so, let me know by leaving a comment below!

Jason Moss is an LA-based mixer, producer, and engineer. His clients include Sabrina Carpenter, Madilyn Bailey, GIVERS, and Dylan Owen. You can check out more of his mixing tips at BehindTheSpeakers.com.

Related Posts

Use complementary EQ to widen your home studio audio mix

Add clarity to your audio mix using pre-delay

The four essential elements of EQ and your audio mix

Your home studio mix – recording tips for better results

Don’t boost – reduce! Subtractive equalization and your home studio mix