For those having trouble hearing the difference: pay attention to the other instruments more. The bass gets washed out without the EQ. Remember, he's cutting not boosting, and he's only cutting the bad frequencies
@@russellalson3370 Frequencies that are either horrible sounds/whistling or not needed for the bulk of the instrument's tone. Strip away where you can without compromising your tone basically so other instruments can breathe in their required frequency range
It's encouraging to see that I've been EQ-ing by ear and have come up with very similar EQing techniques. Especially those notches in the high frequencies.
This is very helpful Straight to the point What you're doing and why explained Drastically improved my guitar tones And i don't even play metal Thank you!
Great vid! This is pretty much how it's done right here! Just a heads up to others watching this: this kind of EQ will only work when you've got your source as clean as it can be. If you're using an amp and your mic positions are creating a lot of garbage and resonances, fix the mic positions! If you're using a digital source and you have a bunch of metallic noise and interference, make sure you don't have a feedback/ground loop going on. If these things aren't fixed at the source, it doesn't matter how much EQ you do.
This guy is not even listening to what he's cutting, don't take this advice to the grave. EQ in comparison to the whole mix and not off the top of your head.
I can understand you think it sounds better without EQ (more bass and stuff), but if you want to go through to mastering your song etc, then EQ'ing muddiness and noises away is really beneficial to your final mix. Even though you think w/o EQ sounds better. I
What a great video. So many videos on here show EQ’ing guitars without actually explaining what each part of the EQ targets and why to cut certain parts. This video explains it all. Thanks
Good video and demonstration. . However, EQ OFF sounded more interesting. lost some sparkle & magic with too much cut around 6-8 Khz. I agree low pass around ~ 9.6Khz :
+James H Thanks James. I really appreciate your guys' comments. Being primarily self-taught myself I know how it feels trying to find solid audio resources. I'm trying to post things that I would have found useful starting out.
Good stuff, thanks for the video. Sometimes I like boost the lower midrange as it's a more prominent area for fundamental tones. Adding a little bit of that 300-400 Hz give a little of what is being "felt" in the mix but it's depending on what you're given. However, adding this midrange can add more punch at times or just add more unwanted mud at others so it's all about what sounds good!
just make sure you contrast your mixes to bands like tesseract or Twelve Foot Ninja. To date, they're the closest in clarity to dubstep which is the cleanest mixing you can find. th-cam.com/video/a7fi5JyHYbo/w-d-xo.html - here's a pretty metal example
remember to freeze your tracks if you're having instability issues. Maybe run your signal processing through an external source like a Focusrite or Behringer with ASIO!
Cool vid! The boost-sweep eq thing is exactly what you can do to make the BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone not suck. (providing you're not running it thru some shitty combo amp with a 6" speaker LOL) The mid-frequency knob on that pedal is THE KEY. Bass and treble down all the way, mid all the way up, sweep around to find that nasally awful sound, THEN cut it. Adjust level, gain, bass & treble to taste. Bingo!
Hey, Zack I do watch you videos. In fact I save them for future references. I forget; so, I have to come back from time to time to refresh my memory. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please! keep us up to date with how to. I love the new Country music with the R&B kit with a equal amount of rock. I am black. I am comfortable R&B but I don't how to get the ROCK STEADY IN YOUR FACE rock guitar sound that would get the attention of the listener when he/she hears a sound that has that combination of both. so thank you, again. ken
Great vid. Do you put a high pass and low pass first in the chain before it goes into the amp sim too? I’ve heard that some guys do that and not sure if it’s “correct”
well, I didnt understand a word of the explanation but I can hear a difference. With the EQ it sounds more clear and "direct". Without the EQ its a little bit like theres a pillow on the speaker, also you can hear those frequencies wich was cut off
This video would have been A++ if you had audio when you were showing your examples (scooping, exc)It was so detailed and complete. Just no audio to show what was changing as you moved the Q or slopes. I still appreciate your efforts though. Thank you.
I tried to apply this to my guitar sample library and realized that, in my case, 1.4kHz has muddiness and the pick range is between 2k and 4k. Cutting at that range takes intelligibility away. The top end is already very low. It's very importanto to adapt tips to one's own situation.
My guitars sound way more fizzy than that, and the problem areas are usually from 5-8 kHz. I can't seem to find a good balance no matter what I do with them. I use Fortin Nameless and STL Tones Emissary, which are great plugins, but I can't make them sound good at the moment.
Hey man, killer demonstration and right to the point. The Fabfilter EQ is super appealing. May I ask your advice, after mic’ing up high gain guitar parts (with basic SM57 & Senn e609), I’ve been shelving everything in the Logic x channel EQ from about 6.5 kHz. This is to avoid fizzy highs, and potentially abrasive tonality. This is done especially for open, fat chords- think Deftones, ‘Korea’ or Opeth, ‘The Drapery Falls’ intro for slightly random examples. So the results are ok, but wondering if I’m going the right way about it. Or perhaps it’s taking away too much in the high end? Layering has been key here too. Long message, sorry.. Thx & cheers!!
While it sounds better with the eq on....your sound was already decent before you eqed...what was your chain....mostly just curious if it was miced up or sim.
Hi Zach, this is really good -- thank you. Question: I downloaded the free MEqualizer and looked at it in Cubase and I don't see the first high pass filter you used in the video and the EQ dialog box looks different in general. Is it the freeware factor? I would like to get it exactly like in the tutorial so I can follow step by step. Thanks.
Any tips on EQ to sound like Black Sabbath Master of Reality? I've been trying on and off for the last 3 years to achieve such a tone ITB, unfortunately the closest I got was throwing a dirt box infront of my interface, but that also creates a set of EQ issues after the Cab sim.
Record in a basement, don't use EQ, record through a mic you can find at a garage sale, etc. Do things wrong on purpose if you wanna create something as iconic as that tone because copying them will be a waste of time. Do something that only you can do just as they did for that album.
Nice vid, informative! quick question at the end around 4:36 there is fast picking and it sounds very clear an smooth, love it. Cna you quickly explain how to achive it? Lots of appreciation!!
I don't have monitors indeed.. And my studio headphones broke down. Okay cools :) will check again when I get those fixed. I'm listening to music with more attention to the mix now, trying to train my ear for it. Hopefully I can come back to this vid and catch the difference asap. Thx :)
I am using Beyerdynamic DTX 910 - so really not the best monitoring headphones, and if I really try I can hear a very very slight difference, it sounds a slight bit tighter and cleaner.
Hey Zach! Thx for the great tip! Could you recommend some Frequency analysis tools (like VSTs) for any instrument tracks? It can be either free or paid. I know that ReaFIR and ReaEQ can be used this way but I want something a bit more comfortable
hey, look for R2R versions of your favorite or highly suggested plugins. Nobody can afford to make music unless they're already successful which digs everyone deeper in the whole. Take this help for now to find the EQ that's right for so you can support the devs that have helped you to grow later on.
Hey Zach. I've recently started recording stuff, your videos are very helpful. I have this weird whistling (once I hear it it cannot be unheard) that I can kill by reducing the frequency but it also weakens the guitar tone drastically. Any tips on how to kill the noise without sacrificing guitar tone?? thanks in advance...
I know what you mean, best bet is to try changing up the impulse response on the guitar tone, or trying an entirely different guitar tone. If the whistling is inherent to the guitar tone you can't really remove it without removing the guitar tone, if that makes sense.
This is 4 years too late, but if it's just a certain frequency u could kill it easily by a notch EQ, which shouldn't affect the sound at all vs using a broader cut.
Hey man! Nice vid, bud can you help me with one problem? When I add fabfilter on my track, the track starts cracking and the sound is very annoying. Idk what´s wrong, however I´m still learning, so maybe it´s because of wrong setting etc...
I have the same problem too tbh. It could be a latency issue with your daw and the cracking is like a disconnect. You can only find out if you export the track. The second issue could be your signal. I've noticed I only get cracking from DI, but if you have a practice amp, it's not too late to plug an SM57 beta into your interface and do your guitar like that. Just keep the guitar held up a few centimeters away from the grill and keep it near the mound of the speaker for that high gain sound and make it loud on your amp
QUESTION: How many tracks do you typically use per Guitar? I have gotten into the habit of using 4, 2 mono tracks panned Left and 2 right for rhythm. I would like to use only 2, but then it starts to sound too thin. Any tips? thanks!
I used to use 4 for rhythms but now I find 2 works well enough and is cleaner. You might need to bump up the gain on the gtrs or put a little more distortion on your bass guitar track!
I still can`t get rid of 4-guitars approach. It gives much more massive sound. Increasing gain and distorting bass don`t replace 2 additional guitars. 2 guitars might be cleaner but if you record every guitar properly or edit\quantize them, it will be clean as well. It doubles the time of track producing but it`s worth it in most cases
yeah you do big time bro especially when you're a mixer and mastering engineer for audio. studio monitors are extremely important to have, and for those late nights to not disturb anyone get a decent pair of studio headphones. (:
You don't kill resonances like this, but rather soften them. These are industry techniques that have been around for decades. Trust me, you're hurting your mixes by believing in this mindset, especially when it comes to your drum and bass.
Yeah i thought wtf when saw all that mid range getting cut like that. Get a good recording and then scoop out your problem frequencys with very fine cuts. Then when uve added your fx I've heard and works well I feel putting a eq on the end of processing chain with slight boosts where necessary
I love how brief this is. So many of these vids drag on for 10-20 mins.
Instablaster.
For those having trouble hearing the difference: pay attention to the other instruments more. The bass gets washed out without the EQ. Remember, he's cutting not boosting, and he's only cutting the bad frequencies
That high shelf is boosting..
@@russellalson3370 Frequencies that are either horrible sounds/whistling or not needed for the bulk of the instrument's tone. Strip away where you can without compromising your tone basically so other instruments can breathe in their required frequency range
It's encouraging to see that I've been EQ-ing by ear and have come up with very similar EQing techniques. Especially those notches in the high frequencies.
This is very helpful
Straight to the point
What you're doing and why explained
Drastically improved my guitar tones
And i don't even play metal
Thank you!
You are the voice of the JST Plugin Manuals, holt shitt
Holy CARP I just noticed that!
chewbark h
Great vid! This is pretty much how it's done right here!
Just a heads up to others watching this: this kind of EQ will only work when you've got your source as clean as it can be. If you're using an amp and your mic positions are creating a lot of garbage and resonances, fix the mic positions! If you're using a digital source and you have a bunch of metallic noise and interference, make sure you don't have a feedback/ground loop going on. If these things aren't fixed at the source, it doesn't matter how much EQ you do.
Agreed, thanks for adding in!
CHERNOBYL STUDIOS з
Hey. What do you mean by ‘feedback/ground loop’?
The thinking is spot on but everyone needs to listen, listen, listen and internalize this great knowledge. A great starter video this is, no doubt.
My ears must suck I thought it sounded better with the eq off lol
TE Groghan same here :/
This guy is not even listening to what he's cutting, don't take this advice to the grave. EQ in comparison to the whole mix and not off the top of your head.
I can understand you think it sounds better without EQ (more bass and stuff), but if you want to go through to mastering your song etc, then EQ'ing muddiness and noises away is really beneficial to your final mix. Even though you think w/o EQ sounds better. I
He didn't gain match so it sounds louder when the EQ is off, tricking you into thinking it sounds better. Altho, that's his bad.
Perhaps you listened to too much Dismember or At The Gates? lol
What a great video. So many videos on here show EQ’ing guitars without actually explaining what each part of the EQ targets and why to cut certain parts. This video explains it all. Thanks
Interesting fine eq ! I am not very good at it and usually use only 4 parameters to EQ my guitar, will definitely try your technique, thanks !
Thanks! Very useful videos in comparison with tons of other recording tutorials. I greatly improved my skills
Very helpful and concise information. You're the best!
this may sound not working on some tracks. but this will help u shape the sound u want. great tips starting point. thankyou
Been following you forever. Another great video.
În your example, i didn't notice any difference, though
Yeah, that's the point. Listen through (good) car speakers and the A/B will be far more intense
Dude... those free vst's though. You are the best!
excellent! this was a really good explanation. will you do one for bass as well? thatd be swell c:
+Luxorcist Cheers, I'll aim to do one within the next few weeks. Or at least start covering material other than guitars.
+Zachary Spence awesome, looking forward to it all. Cheers m8!
I love it
Short
Quick
And to the point
Nice job man.
You just made me want to subscribe
Good video and demonstration. . However, EQ OFF sounded more interesting. lost some sparkle & magic with too much cut around 6-8 Khz. I agree low pass around ~ 9.6Khz :
I really appreciate this and all the other videos you've done. Your explanations are coherent, accurate and unambiguous. Thank you.
+James H Thanks James. I really appreciate your guys' comments. Being primarily self-taught myself I know how it feels trying to find solid audio resources. I'm trying to post things that I would have found useful starting out.
Good stuff, thanks for the video. Sometimes I like boost the lower midrange as it's a more prominent area for fundamental tones. Adding a little bit of that 300-400 Hz give a little of what is being "felt" in the mix but it's depending on what you're given. However, adding this midrange can add more punch at times or just add more unwanted mud at others so it's all about what sounds good!
just make sure you contrast your mixes to bands like tesseract or Twelve Foot Ninja. To date, they're the closest in clarity to dubstep which is the cleanest mixing you can find. th-cam.com/video/a7fi5JyHYbo/w-d-xo.html - here's a pretty metal example
Thank you man! Just keep coming with the good videos WE Love It!
NICE MIX BRO
What cleaner! Would making the cutts dynamic another step?
off topic but at the end of the intro there is a killer fill .loved it .
Your guitar sounds awesome.Thanks for the tips, I am finally starting to get the tone I have spent years looking for!
Excelent job! This video explains more in 4 minutes than other do in 30! Keep up the good work.
Fantastic video! Thank you so much!!!
Great job. Very helpful information.
awesome thanks
hey zach, thanks for that download! finally some free stable VSTs!
remember to freeze your tracks if you're having instability issues. Maybe run your signal processing through an external source like a Focusrite or Behringer with ASIO!
Thanks for the video. Long time player finally getting the courage to record by myself haha
Could you make a tutorial while you are doing this live on a mix, so we could hear exactly what is going on?
great tutorial great quality tysm x
Great vid bro! Thanks so much for this!
Cool vid! The boost-sweep eq thing is exactly what you can do to make the BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone not suck. (providing you're not running it thru some shitty combo amp with a 6" speaker LOL) The mid-frequency knob on that pedal is THE KEY. Bass and treble down all the way, mid all the way up, sweep around to find that nasally awful sound, THEN cut it. Adjust level, gain, bass & treble to taste. Bingo!
Hey, Zack I do watch you videos. In fact I save them for future references. I forget; so, I have to come back from time to time to refresh my memory.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please! keep us up to date with how to. I love the new Country music with the R&B kit with a equal amount of rock. I am black. I am comfortable R&B but I don't how to get the ROCK STEADY IN YOUR FACE rock guitar sound that would get the attention of the listener when he/she hears a sound that has that combination of both.
so thank you, again.
ken
What's the highest frequency that's ideal for metal guitar
great vid, working on improving my recordings sound
all dependent upon source and arrangement. good for beginners
Great vid. Do you put a high pass and low pass first in the chain before it goes into the amp sim too? I’ve heard that some guys do that and not sure if it’s “correct”
thaaanks
Dude, my brain is being sucked out of my ear holes!
Sounds like just another good Saturday night date to me !! Lol 😝
Lmao
great video. spot on
gracias!
I finally got it... nice video👌
great guitar tone man!
well, I didnt understand a word of the explanation but I can hear a difference. With the EQ it sounds more clear and "direct". Without the EQ its a little bit like theres a pillow on the speaker, also you can hear those frequencies wich was cut off
Loving your new videos, really helpful
Great video!
Absolutely fantastisc thx
pretty good guide
This video would have been A++ if you had audio when you were showing your examples (scooping, exc)It was so detailed and complete. Just no audio to show what was changing as you moved the Q or slopes. I still appreciate your efforts though. Thank you.
I tried to apply this to my guitar sample library and realized that, in my case, 1.4kHz has muddiness and the pick range is between 2k and 4k. Cutting at that range takes intelligibility away. The top end is already very low. It's very importanto to adapt tips to one's own situation.
My guitars sound way more fizzy than that, and the problem areas are usually from 5-8 kHz. I can't seem to find a good balance no matter what I do with them. I use Fortin Nameless and STL Tones Emissary, which are great plugins, but I can't make them sound good at the moment.
Fucking amazing. Why didn't I get this before?
Thank you again :)
What amp/cab combo simulator do you use for this? The tone is amazing, so just thick, dark and precise
thanks mane!
Listening through studio headphones you can definitely tell how less boomy and boxy the guitars now sound with the EQ
hey thankyou, this is usefull
Hey man, killer demonstration and right to the point. The Fabfilter EQ is super appealing. May I ask your advice, after mic’ing up high gain guitar parts (with basic SM57 & Senn e609), I’ve been shelving everything in the Logic x channel EQ from about 6.5 kHz. This is to avoid fizzy highs, and potentially abrasive tonality. This is done especially for open, fat chords- think Deftones, ‘Korea’ or Opeth, ‘The Drapery Falls’ intro for slightly random examples. So the results are ok, but wondering if I’m going the right way about it. Or perhaps it’s taking away too much in the high end? Layering has been key here too. Long message, sorry.. Thx & cheers!!
Cool video, still looking for a lead guitar EQ tutorial.
similar strategy with leads, usually more attention on the mids and upper mids where most of the body and presence lies
Would you do eq tutorials also for: bass, drums and vocals please?
Thanks! For the great video
While it sounds better with the eq on....your sound was already decent before you eqed...what was your chain....mostly just curious if it was miced up or sim.
Amp sim - amplitube 3 and custom IR, pretty much exact same setup as the tone I use in my Amplitube Djent Preset video
Hi Zach, this is really good -- thank you. Question: I downloaded the free MEqualizer and looked at it in Cubase and I don't see the first high pass filter you used in the video and the EQ dialog box looks different in general. Is it the freeware factor? I would like to get it exactly like in the tutorial so I can follow step by step. Thanks.
What audio interface do you use for recording guitar bro?
Any tips on EQ to sound like Black Sabbath Master of Reality? I've been trying on and off for the last 3 years to achieve such a tone ITB, unfortunately the closest I got was throwing a dirt box infront of my interface, but that also creates a set of EQ issues after the Cab sim.
Record in a basement, don't use EQ, record through a mic you can find at a garage sale, etc. Do things wrong on purpose if you wanna create something as iconic as that tone because copying them will be a waste of time. Do something that only you can do just as they did for that album.
I want to know how you got the beginning of the track, the really scooped part, is there any tutorials on that?
well explained process and fair reasoning but honestly in such a heavy tune like this these 1-2db cuts/boosts make literally 0 difference
Nice vid, informative! quick question at the end around 4:36 there is fast picking and it sounds very clear an smooth, love it. Cna you quickly explain how to achive it? Lots of appreciation!!
that is actually half-speed lol. So record your guitar riff at half the normal speed, then time compress it x2
gives you more time to focus on note and picking articulation
I hope this will help me fix my lead guitar sound.
I know it's probably just for the purpose of this video but I'm lolling at that guitar riff
Am I fucked? Or dumb? I don't hear the difference :s :s help
same here
I use monitor speakers and I realy hear a big diffrence, do you also have monitors?
96manji i dont, so that's a problem
I don't have monitors indeed.. And my studio headphones broke down. Okay cools :) will check again when I get those fixed. I'm listening to music with more attention to the mix now, trying to train my ear for it. Hopefully I can come back to this vid and catch the difference asap. Thx :)
I am using Beyerdynamic DTX 910 - so really not the best monitoring headphones, and if I really try I can hear a very very slight difference, it sounds a slight bit tighter and cleaner.
Can you do one on bass?
what about the eq settings on the amp?
Do you think the Schecter Omen 6 Extreme is a good guitar to get a tone like that?
yes, the track heard in this demo was recorded on a Schecter Hellraiser C7
Where does my Boss Metal Zone come into this????????
Do these plugins work on protools?
Hey Zach! Thx for the great tip! Could you recommend some Frequency analysis tools (like VSTs) for any instrument tracks? It can be either free or paid. I know that ReaFIR and ReaEQ can be used this way but I want something a bit more comfortable
hey, look for R2R versions of your favorite or highly suggested plugins. Nobody can afford to make music unless they're already successful which digs everyone deeper in the whole. Take this help for now to find the EQ that's right for so you can support the devs that have helped you to grow later on.
Is the eq plugin you linked compatible with ANY daw?
whast your amp/ amp simulato (vst) did you use in this video?
Trendy Gent tone?
Hey Zach. I've recently started recording stuff, your videos are very helpful. I have this weird whistling (once I hear it it cannot be unheard) that I can kill by reducing the frequency but it also weakens the guitar tone drastically. Any tips on how to kill the noise without sacrificing guitar tone?? thanks in advance...
I know what you mean, best bet is to try changing up the impulse response on the guitar tone, or trying an entirely different guitar tone. If the whistling is inherent to the guitar tone you can't really remove it without removing the guitar tone, if that makes sense.
This is 4 years too late, but if it's just a certain frequency u could kill it easily by a notch EQ, which shouldn't affect the sound at all vs using a broader cut.
Hey man! Nice vid, bud can you help me with one problem? When I add fabfilter on my track, the track starts cracking and the sound is very annoying. Idk what´s wrong, however I´m still learning, so maybe it´s because of wrong setting etc...
I have the same problem too tbh. It could be a latency issue with your daw and the cracking is like a disconnect. You can only find out if you export the track. The second issue could be your signal. I've noticed I only get cracking from DI, but if you have a practice amp, it's not too late to plug an SM57 beta into your interface and do your guitar like that. Just keep the guitar held up a few centimeters away from the grill and keep it near the mound of the speaker for that high gain sound and make it loud on your amp
How do I get the 0:43 view??
What is that audio technique swell you did at the start of the song? And how is it done?
automation. Right click your volume in the mixer and just draw the volume upwards from around -24 or -36db to taste.
This is great, thank you! Subbed. :)
I have ibanez 370 with stock pickups, Focusrite solo and bias fx.. cant get tones good like this.. any tips?
Debarghya Choudhury
Get a set of Seymour Duncans
QUESTION: How many tracks do you typically use per Guitar? I have gotten into the habit of using 4, 2 mono tracks panned Left and 2 right for rhythm. I would like to use only 2, but then it starts to sound too thin. Any tips? thanks!
I used to use 4 for rhythms but now I find 2 works well enough and is cleaner. You might need to bump up the gain on the gtrs or put a little more distortion on your bass guitar track!
I still can`t get rid of 4-guitars approach. It gives much more massive sound. Increasing gain and distorting bass don`t replace 2 additional guitars. 2 guitars might be cleaner but if you record every guitar properly or edit\quantize them, it will be clean as well. It doubles the time of track producing but it`s worth it in most cases
Don't duplicate your takes. That's how you make it thin. Record each of those 4 time seperately and to a metronome or drum track
ok ok cool. In my case I think I'll have my cat stomp on the eq settings and wish for luck =D
This is mastering?
Great tutorial, but for me personally djent tones in general suck.
Hey man how do you get that guitar tone man. Like what amps or sims
Why would you want that tone. Ugh.
@@mtpstv94 because a year ago i did not have neural dsp
Nice (y) :D
What the hell are frequencies?!? Sorry I'm new to all of this.
I think I need to invest in some monitor speakers, my headphones aren't cutting it for this.
yeah you do big time bro especially when you're a mixer and mastering engineer for audio. studio monitors are extremely important to have, and for those late nights to not disturb anyone get a decent pair of studio headphones. (:
Thats very good explained but I can hear almost no difference. Seems like your recording settings are nearly perfect.
I agree.
looking back the original tone works pretty well, some techniques to be applied to a subpar recording perhaps. Thanks man.
Bruh this guy does JST Plugin Manuals
Better take some time to dial your amp and find right mic position instead of killing resonanses.
+Anton Vorozhtsov agreed, I'm publishing a follow up video to this one tomorrow that briefly talks about not over-EQ'ing your guitars...
I'm sure he's using direct line guitars
You don't kill resonances like this, but rather soften them. These are industry techniques that have been around for decades. Trust me, you're hurting your mixes by believing in this mindset, especially when it comes to your drum and bass.
Yeah i thought wtf when saw all that mid range getting cut like that. Get a good recording and then scoop out your problem frequencys with very fine cuts.
Then when uve added your fx I've heard and works well I feel putting a eq on the end of processing chain with slight boosts where necessary