Experienced/Professional EQ'ers Please school me on the Studio Eq...

    Hello.


    Can anyone here please school me on better understanding the Studio EQ and methods used to "tighten" up the bass and "sweeping" the Q. I use the Graphic EQ mainly and cut boost freq that way and works great but want to understand the Studio EQ better. I've researched on the net and still come up a little confused. Some specific questions I have are below.


    1) I believe the Low Gain Parameter and High Gain Parameter are the low and high shelf correct? When people talk about doing a low cut say -6 are they talking about decreasing the low gain parameter or using the Low Cut parameter on page 4 (next to High Cut and Volume parameter) ?


    2) What are the common ways used with Studio EQ to "tighten" bass response or dial out fizzy/harsh high end? Are there general rules of thumb like if you decrease or increse the Low/High gain then you will probably boost or decrease the Low/High Freq parameter?


    3) Why are there two seperate Mid gains and Mid Frequencies? I'm guessing here that one of the mids handles the lower freq mids while the other handles the higher end mids but I'm assuming this.


    4) What is the Q factor and why is it not available on the low and high gains? I read that turning the Q to the left narrows the focus of the mids while turning right widens the mids but I hear people talking about sweeping the Q for the sweet spot and need some help on this for sure.


    5) Does anyone use the Low cut and High Cut parameter and page 4? If so how and why? Are these another option to the low and high gain freq parameters or are they intended to be used in conjunction with these parameters?


    6) And finally! Where do you set your volume on the EQ? I find I like using it as a boost in the "X" stomp and set it at +2 - +3. I tend to slap one in the X stomp and one pre EQ in stomp 4. I find using them this way really helps make the profile seem more full/3D'ish.


    Also any thoughts on mix level parameter settings (always at 100% or do you tend to decrease this) and if anyone uses the Ducking parameter too would love to hear your thoughts on how you approach and utilize these.


    Again I've been having great results using the graphic EQ because I'm used to using them. I had a MXR 10 band EQ for a long time and loved it but I'm really wanting to learn the Studio EQ. I've found when I'm tweaking a profile to my liking I heavily rely on Def, Clarity, Power Sag, Tube shape and bias and the graphic EQ's to really shape and thicken up the sound. I feel I should learn the studio EQ since I rely on using EQ so much.


    Thanks for your input! :thumbup:

    Edited 4 times, last by Mateo11 ().

    Quote from alwainwright

    This is a good studio eq write-up discussion Need help in understanding and using the Studio Equalizer as a post-EQ to tame some harsh frequencies in my FRFR.


    Thanks. Very good info there and will read up on it more. The Studio EQ just seems to get WAY more overcomplicated as it gets explained. ha. I guess its like the OP said on that link/post since there is so much differing terminology used for the same thing gets a little confusing.


    Maybe I should have just asked a more important and single question instead of my many questions. Why do people opt to use the Studio EQ over a graphic EQ? Is the studio EQ more like a surgeons tool able to dial in more accurately than a graphic EQ? I consider myself a fairly intelligent person and I feel like the Studio EQ people should offer a class at night at some Community College. I feel like it may require a notebook a chalboard and a professor like Doc from Back to the Future.

    The Studio EQ is a 'parametric EQ'. This means, each parameter (Gain,Frequency an Q - which is the bandwidth) can be set at will (within limits).
    The lower the Q-factor, the broader is the bandwidth. If the Q-factor is set to highest value, the filter amplifies or attenuates only the frequency of that filter.
    The advantage is, you need only a limited set of frequencies, to get what you want. Low and high filter don't need a Q setting, because their width is already limited.

    One more thing: the two Mids values you see are just ... two possibilities to act on the mids, just as if you had two individual PEQ in series. There could even be say 50 of those, where each of them would anyway be tweaked independently (or left flat). They interact, of course, so you can have a complex response if you combine two or more of them.


    As for the PEQ being complicated... it's not. Imagine you have your old good GEQ, but with the possibility to choose the frequency(es) by yourself rather than being stuck with what the manufacturer has decided :)
    Another thing you can usually set on a PEQ is how large the eq action is for each frequency: you are certainly familiar with the bell-shaped curve you get when you boost or cut with your slide on a GEQ: by setting the Q factor you decide how narrow or large the bell will be.
    A high value of the Q parameter is very useful for example when you want to kill a nasty (set of) frequency(es) in a complex sound: the higher the Q factor, the less the frequencies close to the one you want to operate on will be affected. OTOH, a low value of Q is useful when you want to operate on a range of frequencies larger that what a traditional GEQ allows to.
    Actually, the way the bell changes depends on the central frequency you set, and this is probably the less intuitive aspect of setting the Q-factor. But I think that for a use by ear the underlying theory is not necessary.


    :)