Shelf EQ - Two Great Reasons to Use a Shelf EQ - Creating Tracks

This quick tip shares a couple of really good reasons to use a shelf EQ rather than a pass/cut when processing your sounds for modern music production.
Processing sounds is one area of interest that we consistently get questions about, and with good reason. Every sound is different and therefore deserves and requires unique and individual treatment. That said, there are some basic theories that we can apply to all sorts and types of sounds. One of those theories is that although we want to create as much space for every sound in our mix, we also need to do our best to protect the original integrity and overall sonic quality of the sounds we are processing. And this all starts with the EQ. Our focus for this tutorial is specifically the shelf EQ.
In most (full) EQ plugins, you will find two pass/cut tools, two shelf tools and some peak/bell tools. We will refer to each of these as EQs from here on out, i.e. shelf EQ.
Many people have come to understand that attenuating some low end frequencies in certain sounds will allow more of another sound to fill that space in the mix. And quite often, we see people quickly turning to the high pass EQ (also called low cut) every time. They proceed to cut away a good-sized chunk of the bottom frequencies to help keep their mix clean. Sometimes this works out beautifully. Other times...not so much. This is a great time to reach for a Shelf EQ!
Using a Shelf EQ will allow for more of the frequencies to remain intact, but still attenuated to a more acceptable level. This helps you preserve the original sound, and the overall body or the sound, that much more. This translates into less 'throttled' sounds, while still addressing the concerns of frequency conflicts. Using a shelf EQ also makes it easier to provide support, and even accent, a small frequency range inside of the attenuation curve you've just applied. In other words, you can use a peak EQ (also called a bell) to bump up the volume of a small bubble of the shelf EQ curve. And this helps to keep the emphasis on the area of the sound that generates the power and punch you want to retain. One may argue that this is possible when using pass EQs, too. But a shelf EQ allows you to do it without affecting as many surrounding frequencies, in comparison.