:: useful tips :: EQ in mixing ::

[System.S]

by Miles B , professional DJ and one of the course tutors at the Vestax DJ Academy, part of the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford.

I can well remember the first time I used a mixer with EQ controls. Wow, this is great, I thought, I can really spice up a mix with these little babies. They made a huge difference to my mixing and what I could do. So it’s a shame that many people don’t seem to have a clue how to get the best out of the EQ: you don’t simply put them all on full to make the channel louder! Funny? Well, some people do just that and I’m sure many of you have heard them. Many years ago not many mixers had gain controls, let alone EQ controls. Today, though, the picture is very different. Even cheap mixers now have at least some sort of EQ control.

The first way to use EQ is like the way you change the settings on your stereo at home, to make it sound good. Most club systems will admittedly already have EQ’d sound systems, but it does still amaze me how many DJs don’t even touch the EQ, even when playing a badly cut record with no clarity, for example. Many records you play as a DJ do need touching up a little to make them sound better. So the main reason you would probably use EQ would be to make your mixes sound better.

Obviously, when two tracks are playing at the same time, that there will be quite a lot of bass, possibly too much. When in the mix I normally use EQ to knock out the bass of the track I am about to bring in. When I get to the middle point of the mix I bring the bass up on the first track and take out the bass on the second. If you followed the earlier parts of this series you will have phrased your mix correctly and everything should be happening at the right time, so it should be easier to pick the ‘middle’ point of the mix.

EQ can also be used to make parts of the mix stand out. Sometimes I take out nearly all the high end and bass, leaving just the midrange. This can give a great filtering effect, even better if you have a lot of adjustment on your EQ. I find this especially useful when mixing with percussive parts of tracks as you can make the bongos stand out, for example.

There are plenty of other ways you can use EQ to enhance your set. It’s very common to hear a DJ cutting hi-hats in and out. If you have not yet bought a mixer or are about to upgrade, it’s worth considering one which has the maximum amount of ‘cut’ on each of the high, mid and low controls. In simple terms, the more cut you have the more useable the EQ will become. Some mixers have a -6dB cut whereas others have -12dB, or for a full cut you’d be looking at -16dB or more. If you look at mixers on the market you will often find that the cut on the EQ is far more then the boost is. Don’t let this worry you as you are unlikely to ever need or even use a full 20dB of bass whilst DJing.

If you’re lucky enough to have them, kill switches or EQ cut switches can be great to enhance your set when you are DJing. Imagine for a moment that you are playing one track with a thumping bassline and kickdrum but not much else. You could add percussion from another track over the top of this without the level problem or ‘phasing’ (where two similar or identical sounds at the same time cancel each other out), just by cutting the bass on the percussion track. Also with kill switches you can quite often practically remove vocals from tracks, leaving a handy bassline to mess about with.

Just remember that EQ should enhance what you’re doing. Once you have started using EQ you must remember to check your settings all the time, just like you do with your gain settings. Until next month, happy playing – just watch your ears and your speakers!

[Dreamboy]

[Roland]