Not long ago I wrote a post about EQ and what the numbers mean. It’s one thing to be told that humans can hear 20Hz to 20kHz and that we consider 1,000Hz (1k) the mid-way point, but it’s another thing to  know what a kick drum actually sounds like with a bump at 2k and some low mids cut out at 400Hz. In this post, I’m going to talk a little about some of the basic concepts I use when applying EQ. I’m also going to give you some tools to help you along the way… if you haven’t found them already. The first concept I’m going to mention though, has nothing to do with EQ!

You cannot use these suggestions as anything more than starting points! You may find that in your room, with your sound system, that your microphone on that one input sounds better when you do the opposite of what I mention! Concept #1: Trust your ears.

Let’s start with drums. The goal for drums is that they punch through the mix without taking up too much space. Hopefully you are starting with good-sounding drums. If the heads are relatively fresh and your drummer can halfway tune, you can get the drums to punch through by adding some attack. To achieve that, add 3db of 2k. If the drums are muddy, you can clean them up by taking out somewhere between 200Hz and 400Hz.

The snare drum doesn’t necessarily go by these rules. The snare needs some crack, and to get that, add some 3k-4k. The snare can typically use some extra body too, so adding a little 250Hz can make it move some air. These 2 adjustments can get that snare to smack you in the face- in a good way.

If your church has auxillary percussion, such as congas, bongos, djembe, wood blocks, or your church needs more cowbell, then be careful taking out too much midrange. Those all rely on the mids for most of their tone. Adding too much attack or too much high end can quickly make these inputs piercing.

Now, moving on to the bass guitar. There are all kinds of strong opinions on how to even get the bass into your sound system to begin with, and whether you use a DI (pre or post amp), dynamic or condensor mic, or both, you probably will not need to add any low end. It seems a little counter intuitive, but attack and high-end will make the bass fit right into your mix. Boost your hi-mids, and move the sweepable knob between 1k and 8k to find the sweet spot for your bass.

Guitars are tricky. I know I say this for everything, but if the sound out of the amp is bad, your EQ is not going to save it. Try to work with your band to make sure the guitar tone they’re giving you is clean, cuts through a little, isn’t muddy or dull. If the tone is slathered in chorus, delay and verb, you’ve got bigger problems. As for the eq, boosting 2k-3k will make it cut. Some midrange (600-800) can give it some fullness, but a little goes a long long way.

Wrapping it up, vocals can easily be muddy, so I usually find myself cutting out some 500Hz right off the bat, especially if you are using SM58′s. To add some sparkle and clarity, try bumping up between 4k and 6k. If you have a vocalist with a sibilant voice, you can cut out around 8k-9k. This is where the Q knob can help pull out a very narrow band without taking all of the high end out.

This post is going to need a part 2 soon. I have a lot more to say about shelving EQs, when to boost and when to cut, and how to get some practice. I’ll finish by posting a video that you would have known about already if you follow my Twitter and Facebook. If you don’t keep an eye on those outlets, well, you should. Hope it helps and makes sense.