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EQ controls the tone of a sound by increasing or decreasing the amplitude/loudness of sonic frequencies. You may compare this control to that of the brightness,contrast and colour definition used in photography.
There are several types of Equalizer ranging from those with very fine control over individual frequencies (parametric) to those that control a wider range or block of frequencies (graphic or shelf).
Frequency/tonal qualities are catagorised into three main zones:
Please note: these values are an approximation/guide
and may vary from other sources of reference.
High and Low zones are commonly found as rotary controls on domestic Hi-Fi systems. Increasing both equally will make music sound slightly louder through speakers.
The additional Middle zone is often found on a basic mixer that might be used by video editors, DJ’s or on PA Systems.
With wide frequency zones and no control over individual frequencies the equalizer is known as a Shelf EQ.
Graphic Equalizers are the same but are divided into smaller blocks of frequencies. The technical name for these “blocks” is bands. Graphic Equalizers commonly have 31 bands that are divided between 20Hz and 20kHz.
31-Band Graphic Equalizer
Parametric Equalizers offer finer control over narrower bands of frequency. With more control comes more parameters and the parametric comes with three – Bandwidth (Q), Sweep (frequency selector) and Gain (volume/amplitude).
Bandwidth can be thought of as an umbrella over frequencies.The more open the umbrella is, the wider the coverage. With the umbrella closed, the coverage is very narrow over almost individual frequencies.
The Sweep control is used simply to scan through the whole frequency spectrum, much like a radio tuner, and when the gain is up, the sonic effect can be compared to that of a wah-wah pedal or resonant filter.
Parametric Equalizer Setting: Bandwidth=100; Sweep=500Hz; Gain=+24dB
Have your questions answered in a 2-4 hour tutorial session:
Benefit from:
- One to one tuition.
- Expert guidance and practical application of EQ on your mixes.
- Bring your mixes to our speakers and together we'll look at them in fine detail.
- Ongoing online support following your first tutorial.
Tutorials are priced at £25 per hour.
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