EQ and Compression (Vocals Part 2?)

Welcome back to the Producers Corner! This is John from djprosperity.com. In this post I want to focus on your vocals a little more. As I stated in my previous "Vocals" post, the vocal is often times the most important instrument in a song and it is imperative to make sure that we get this right. So today I want to focus on some vocal processing effects and when and why we should use them in your recordings. So here are some EQ and Compression tips for recording your vocals:

EQ (Equalization):

So what is EQ? We've all used it at some point or another in our lives, right? Whether it be on our in-dash cd players in our cars, on our home stereos (sorry I'm really showing my age here now), or on our iPod's. In it's simplest form, EQ is used to "equal" out the tonal characteristics in sound. It is a tool used to boost (amplify) or cut (attenuate) the volume level of a frequency, or a range of frequencies, within an audio signal. I know what you're asking: How does it do that? Well let's look at a digital EQ and see what controls it offers and try to make sense of all this:

 EQ

Here is some explanation as to what we are seeing. So here we can see from this picture that an EQ gives the user control over an audio signal's frequency content by offering selectable bands of frequencies to be altered with various controls of its parameters. When looking at the graphic display the horizontal line represents frequency (cycles) measured in Hertz and the vertical line represents gain (amplitude). The main controls are GAIN, FREQ, and Q.

The Knobs
GAIN: This knob gives the user the ability to boost and/or cut (alter the amplitude or volume) of the frequencies selected.

FREQ: This knob allows the user to dial-in or sweep to a specified frequency that is to be affected.

Q: This knob controls the bandwidth or how broad or narrow the range is of the frequencies that are being affected.

INPUT: This knob allows you to boost or cut the amount of un-affected signal going into the EQ (to be processed).

OUTPUT: This knob allows you to boost or cut the signal after it has been processed.

The Bands
LF: Low Frequency band.
LMF: Low Mid Frequency band.
MF:  Mid Frequency band.
HMF: High Mid Frequency band.
HF: High Frequency band.

Understanding how these bands sound is a case of experimenting for yourself on your own. But these bands will help you focus in on certain areas of the frequency spectrum and help achieve balance and fullness to your recordings and mixes.

The Filters
HPF: High Pass Filter- This filter cuts the lows at a user defined point and only allows the high frequencies to pass from that point on.

LPF: Low Pass Filter- This filter cuts the highs at a user defined point and only allows the low frequencies to pass from that point on.

Notch Filter: This filter is used to remove hum or other undesirable discrete frequency noises. It has a very narrow bandwidth so it has little effect on the rest of the program material.

The Meters
This metering is pretty straight forward. IN is monitoring the input signal and OUT is monitoring the output signal.

Okay so there are the BASICS as far as the controls and function. Now, why would we want to use EQ? As an Audio Engineer I use EQ simply to carve out space for each instrument/voice to stand out and shine.

EQ Tips

* HPF- Cut low-end information out of your tracks to allow Bass and Kick drum to poke through. Just slap a HPF on the track and dial it in until it gets noticeably thin, then dial it back to bring the body back in. Works great on guitars, keyboards, vocal, etc.

* Not all EQ's sound the same, some aren't transparent and actually add "colour" to you sound so make sure you experiment to find what you are looking for.

* Keep your boosts and cuts subtle, remember from my "VOCALS" post where I talked about minimizing the processing on your vocals when recording, over-processed vocals don't always set well in the mix.

Key Frequencies for your Vocal
120 Hz- Fullness
200-240 Hz- Boominess
5 kHz- Presence
7.5 -10 kHz- Sibilance
10-15 kHz- Air

COMPRESSION:

So what is a compressor? The easiest way to look at a compressor is to think of it as a "virtual" volume knob. So what does it do? A compressor "compresses" (turns down) the peaks in the audio signal. Let's look at a digital compressor and see what controls it has to offer:

Compressor

Here is some explanation as to what you are seeing. Let's look at the control knobs and what they do. The main controls are Threshold, Gain, Ratio, Knee, Attack, and Release.

The Knobs
THRESHOLD: This knob selects the point at which you want the compressor to turn on (start working)and is notated in dB (decibels).

RATIO: Allows the user to control how much you turn down the peaks (volume). For example a Ratio setting of 3:1 means that if the peak is 3dB in volume then it would compress it to 1dB or turn it down a third.

ATTACK: This knob is used to tell the compressor how quickly to start working and turn down the peaks.

RELEASE: This knob is used to tell the compressor how quickly or slowly to stop working or let go of the peaks and stop compressing them.

GAIN: This knob is your overall volume control. It is commonly referred to as a makeup gain knob as it is used to turn up the processed signal (post compression) to match the signal from before processing.

KNEE: This knob controls how smooth or sharp the volume change (slope) occurs.

The Meters
IN: Monitors the input signal.
OUT: Monitors the output signal.
GR: (Gain Reduction) This meter shows how much the signal is being compressed and how much reduction in gain is happening.

So there you have some BASICS on compression. So when/why do we use compression? Simply put you use compression to keep a consistent performance level. While reducing dynamic range, it can "beef up" or add "punch" to low level and mid-level content to make a stronger musical message.

Compression Tips

* Lead Vocal- Set the Threshold to catch the peaks but only compress minimally (-3/-6 dB). A 3:1 Ratio is a good place to start but make sure to adjust as needed. Attack and Release should be set at a medium level to maintain musicality in the performance. Gain is set to taste but you should at least account for the gain reduction and match the previous level.

* Use Presets- Presets are your friend but don't rely on just presets settings. You should use them as a jumping off or starting point. Choose a preset to see what the parameters are set at (recommended) and adjust to your personal taste. Remember you don't know what source was referenced in creating these presets so you need to use your ears and adjust accordingly.

Huh? What'd he say? Is that clear as mud for you? In other words what we are looking at are surgical tools that can be used to sculpt the sound that we want. So I hope I've helped you understand a little more about what powerful tools we have available to use and what benefits we can get from them?! Again, I want to reiterate that these tools should be used sparingly and only when necessary. They are complimentary tools and if you have to do a lot of EQ'ing and Compressing to "fix" your sound then it's best to re-record it.


As always, please feel free to SUBSCRIBE to my blog and/or comment. Also, visit my website: www.djprosperity.com (there you can click the icons to follow me on facebook, twitter, etc.) and sign the Guestbook on the "Contact" page. I would be more than happy to help you with any of your audio needs or questions that you might have. God Bless and see you next post!

About Me:

I am a certified Audio Engineer and owner/operator of a website called djprosperity.com. I received my education in Audio Recording and Production from The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe Arizona. I have worked for Sweetwater Sounds in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as a Sales Engineer after interning in their recording studios. If you'd like to know more about me or would like my help with your projects, please visit my website and contact me.