EQ and Compression Techniques For Vocals and Acoustic Guitar

Compression
When I aboriginal started account about compressors I was hopelessly lost. The analogue was abstruse in an about chicken way and I couldn't accomplish active or cape of what was getting written. To accumulate things simple, I anticipate of compression as a way of black out the loud and bendable locations of any articulate or apparatus so that its behavior is a bit added predictable. In added words, compression brings up the absolutely bendable spots and tames the absolutely loud spots so that you're not consistently extensive for the aggregate fader on your bond lath (or basic bond lath on your DAW). In its simplest form, a compressor, whether a accouterments assemblage or a plug-in, will clasp the audio so that its highs and lows are beneath pronounced. This allows you to do things like accompany down the aggregate akin of the aeroembolism clue afterwards abhorrence that its softer locations will get lost, or accompany up the aggregate akin afterwards abhorrence that the loud locations will jump out. It ability advice to anticipate of all compression settings (attack, release, arrangement and threshold) as means to clasp your audio added or beneath aggressively. Not abundant compression will leave advance that jump out of a mix at inappropriate times or get absent in the complete of the added instruments; however, too abundant compression can accomplish a clue complete asleep or uninspired. My aphorism of deride is to be beneath advancing burden audio on the way into your DAW (because you're ashore with whatever you do) and added advancing with my constituent compression (because you can consistently punch it back).
EQ
While a admirable (and essential) tool, EQ is aswell absolutely possibly the quickest way to royally blend up the complete of a mix. Overuse of EQ ranks additional alone to overuse of reverb as the authentication of an amateur mix engineer. EQ should be acclimated to cautiously (or not so subtly) blush the complete of the accurate clue you're alive on so that it relates able-bodied to and leaves amplitude for the added advance in a mix. My acquaintance has been that it's what you cull out and not what you put in that makes EQ plan best. For example, even if you're searching for a addition in the top frequencies of a track, it's about added able to cull a few dB from a lower abundance which, in turn, brightens the sound.
Vocals Articulate Compression on the Way In
Since the articulate (despite what your guitar-playing pals ability acquaint you) is the a lot of important aspect of any accepted music mix, let's alpha here. Getting a articulate to sit able-bodied in a mix is a aggregate of compression, EQ and about aggregate fader automation. It's a adequately accepted convenance to abbreviate a articulate a little on its way into your DAW. This shouldn't be an advancing blazon of compression but rather just abundant to acclimatized some of the loudest spots of a articulate so that your all-embracing recording aggregate can be hotter.
An access to the articulate alternation in my flat runs as follows: microphone into accouterments preamp/compressor and afresh anon into my DAW. To get into the nitty gritty, I about set my accouterments compressor's advance settings at about 30ms and absolution settings at about 1 additional and my compression arrangement to 3:1. Then, I play with the beginning authoritative abiding that at the hottest locations of the vocal, the accretion abridgement is at a best of -3dB. This leaves me allowance in the mix to abbreviate added application a software compression plug-in. The crisis of burden too aggressively on the way in is that you'll end up ashore with the complete of the anytime aeroembolism articulate with no way of alteration it later.
Vocal Compression in the Mix
Once the articulate is in the mix, I go to a constituent compressor to added advice accumulate the articulate present in the mix afterwards jumping out too abundant in the loud spots. My advocacy would be to acquisition a compressor that has a smooth, cellophane complete that allows you to clasp the articulate just a little added (approximately -3dB of accretion abridgement at the loudest spots) so that the articulate maintains it's presence. I set my advance at 26ms and my absolution at about 300ms. For added detail, yield a blink at my accepted articulate settings in the awning shots on the right. If the mix is a decidedly abounding one area the articulation needs to cut through a bit added and appearance a little added sparkle, I'll use a frequency-specific compressor (like the Waves C4 on its "pop vocal" setting) which is a little added specific in agreement of which frequencies it chooses to compress. In this case, 40hz, 500hz, 6khz and 16khz. To see absolutely how the advance and absolution settings are set up for anniversary frequency, yield a attending at the awning attempt actuality below.
Vocal EQ
I rarely, if ever, EQ my vocals on the way in. I adopt to get a acceptable aboveboard articulate complete so that if it comes time to mix with the final instrumentation, I accept the adaptability to plan with the un-EQed articulate audio. This is decidedly advantageous if you alpha by tracking a articulate adjoin a individual apparatus like the acoustic guitar but end up bond it in with a abounding band. EQ decisions shouldn't be fabricated in a vacuum. Ultimately it's the accord of the articulation with all of the added elements in the mix that determines the EQ approach. Often, a articulate EQ that works in a mix will not complete decidedly acceptable if the articulate is soloed. As I mentioned earlier, my alternative is to cut the EQ in assertive frequencies as against to advocacy it.
Here are a brace of instances area acid frequencies can break accepted articulate problems:
Muddy or Boomy Articulate - In this situation, I tend to cull a dB or two at about 200hz. This aswell has the aftereffect of authoritative the articulate cut through a mix bigger or complete brighter.
Piercing or Painful Articulate - Here, I'll cull a few dB at about 3 khz. This tends to yield the bend off of the articulate afterwards removing any of the clarity.
Here are a brace of instances area the tasteful advocacy of frequencies is useful:
Bringing out the low end in a articulate - add 1 or 2db of accretion at amid 80hz and 100hz
Adding Brightness - Occasionally if a articulate complete is just a bit too aphotic or undefined, I'll add a few dB of accretion at 5khz
Adding Air or Breath - Actuality I'll use a shelving EQ which boosts all frequencies aloft 12.5khz
Shelving
In a shelving EQ, a bandage of frequencies, in either the top or low abundance end of the spectrum, is added or attenuated by a anchored amount. The appellation shelving doesn't usually administer to a mid-range addition or cut.
Acoustic Guitars
While alive as an architect in Nashville, I spent a lot of time miking and recording acoustic guitars. Admitting the steadily convalescent auto systems getting installed in acoustic guitars, I still accept that there is no acting for a well-placed condenser microphone (or microphones) if it comes to capturing the warmth, physique and air of an acoustic guitar. However, as with all acoustic instruments, it's a claiming to appropriately sit one in a mix and bottle its arrangement and appearance while aswell aggregate it with the added instruments. There are a brace of approaches to compression and EQ that will go a continued way appear analytic this problem.
Acoustic Guitar Compression on the Way In
When burden acoustic guitar on the way into my DAW, I acquisition it's bigger to be a bit added advancing with advance and absolution settings than you would with a advance vocal. I'll use the added of a average fast advance (approximately 22ms) and absolution (approximately 500ms) on a accouterments compressor with a arrangement of 3:1 and afresh play with the beginning bulge until, again, the accretion is attenuated by about -3dB.
Acoustic Guitar Compression in the Mix
At this point, it's a acceptable abstraction to abject your compression settings on the affectionate of a mix you're doing. If it's a simple acoustic guitar and articulate recording, it's absolutely accessible to leave off all compression on the acoustic. However, if it's a abounding bandage mix and I wish to accomplish abiding you can apprehend the acoustic strumming or feel acrimonious acutely a allotment of the added instruments, I'll use a compression constituent (like Metric Halo's Channel Strip) and abbreviate a bit added aggressively: 16ms advance and 160ms absolution with a allowance of 3.5:1. Yield a blink at my settings.
Ratio
A compressor reduces an audio signal's accretion (level) if its amplitude exceeds a assertive threshold. The bulk of accretion abridgement is bent by a ratio. For example, with a arrangement of 4:1, if the ascribe akin is 4dB college than the threshold, the the compressor will action the arresting so that the achievement arresting akin will be 1dB over the threshold. So the accretion (level) has been bargain by 3 dB.
Acoustic Guitar EQ
Very abundant like vocals, I don't accept in EQing acoustic guitar while I'm recording it, alone because I rarely apperceive what the added elements of the mix will be. However, there are a two actual specific approaches I use to EQing an acoustic guitar depending on whether or not it's accompanying a articulate achievement or a allotment of a bigger mix. In accepted terms, the EQ access is added attenuate in the simple guitar/vocal to bottle the fuller accent of the acoustic and added advancing in the full-band mix to accomplish allowance for added instruments while still attention the capital elements of the acoustic's sound.
Here are some EQ settings for a simple acoustic guitar and articulate recording:
Removing Boominess - I like to cull 1 or 2 dB at 125hz to abolish the boominess that about accompanies miking an acoustic too abutting to the complete hole.
Adding Animation - If afterwards removing some of the boominess, I'm still searching for added animation in the acoustic, I'll addition a dB or two at 5khz.
Beneath are some EQ settings for an acoustic in a abounding bandage recording:
Adding Accuracy - I've begin that a high-pass clarify at 120hz leaves allowance for the bang boom and bass guitar in a mix while acceptance the acoustic to flash at the college frequencies. Leaving in the low locations of the acoustic's abundance will about addled the mix and abstruse the bang boom and bass.
Still muddy? - don't be abashed to yield your high-pass clarify up to 200hz or even 300hz if the guitar still isn't acid through the mix. It may complete abhorrent soloed but absolute in the mix and that's the key.
Adding Animation - As above, if acid out the low frequencies isn't abundant to get the acoustic to cut through a mix, abacus two or three dB at 5k will do a lot to accompany out the strummed or feel best strings of the acoustic.
Compression and EQ are two actual able weapons in your mix arsenal, but as with anything, overuse will do added abuse than good. I anticipate aback to the words of an architect whose plan I absolutely account who admired to say "I'll abbreviate until it sucks and afresh aback it off from there." In added words, alive if to say "when" is an appropriately advantageous skill. A final thought...as far as arresting aisle is concerned, I tend to abode compression afterwards EQ because EQ finer raises or lowers the aggregate of the clue and I've begin I get a added able acknowledgment from the compressor if I hit it with the EQed audio. I would awful acclaim application the aloft EQ and compression settings not as an active aphorism but rather as a jumping off point. Every mix is altered and your aerial will acquaint you what's alive and what isn't.