Most readers of this post with a windows PC have Windows Media Player which has a built in octave band graphic EQ. You can train your ears to be an octave band analyzer in less than an hour with some quality time with a graphic EQ, lower number of bands better to start. Even if you don’t use Quiztones or regularly train your ear, if you know the ranges and learn to sweep to find the right spot, you’ll be doing great! ![]() Then check out Quiztones and train your ear to recognize those frequency areas. Start by learning the key frequency areas for instruments and vocals. I encourage you to focus on the last three points. The next time you’re mixing that vocalist and they sound nasally, you have a good idea of the frequency area you should give that initial cut before sweeping a bit to make sure you’ve dialed it in. +6 dB is used because it’s easier to listen for extremes and adjust once you’ve found the point. Once you find the right point, cut the frequency area to the amount you need. You might find it at 800 Hz or 1,011 Hz or 1, 100 Hz. Using the mid-range sweep knob, slowly sweep your frequency center point up until the nasally characteristic jumps out in the mix. You have now applied a 6 dB boost at 400 Hz. Next, set the mid-range cut/boost knob at +6 dB. Go to your mid-range sweep EQ knob and move it to 400 Hz. Let’s go with an issue where your vocal is a bit on the nasally side (some vocalists are like that, you work with what you’ve got). The best you can do is come close on your first attempt and from there, “dial it in.” Let’s look at how you’d do this.įirst of all, it doesn’t matter if you are on an analog or digital board as the concept is the same. Looking at the previous three points, you’ll notice I didn’t mention how one learns to “pinpoint” a frequency such as in the 1257 Hz in the above story. My guide, Audio Essentials for Church Sound, covers all of these frequency areas for the different instruments and vocals. Knowing these frequency ranges, you know the frequency area you should first investigate when you have a problem with your audio channel…or you don’t have a problem but you want to improve the sound, such as add presence to a vocal or an acoustic guitar. 400 Hz – 1,100 Hz : Honky / Nasal (Good for cutting).100 Hz – 300 Hz : Clarity / Thin (Good for cutting).For example, here are two key vocal frequency ranges and their use: I learned the common frequency areas.Įach instrument and vocal has a set of audio frequencies that are known to affect the sound in a certain way. Some people have golden ears and it’s easy for them to identify the frequency area they need to change, but for most people, it takes training your ears. When it comes to this, there have been a number of products which help with this training. It is possible to get a jump on mastering frequency area identification if you train your ears. They would be able to be very very very close in finding the frequency area for their first modification. ![]() Even with that type of near-every day experience, could they pinpoint a specific frequency? No. Professional audio engineers are putting in a lot of more time and thus they have trained their ears to identify frequency areas in relationship to vocals, guitars, drums, etc. ![]() Working weekends and maybe a mid-week practice, it would take 24 years of working 8 hours on live mixing each weekend, every weekend. Let’s look at the four and you’ll see what I mean. There are four ways that techs learn to pinpoint frequencies…but “pinpoint” isn’t the best description. This story seems outrageous but in the mind of some audio techs, it reflects a question I occasionally get via email “how do techs pinpoint a frequency so easily?” Suddenly, confident of my next move, I applied a 6 dB cut to that frequency…and the congregation went wild! I moved the mid-range sweep knob to 1257 Hz. “You’ve trained for this very type of scenario.” My hand reached for the channel EQ. Two instruments were vying for the same dominant frequencies and I could hear an elder yell, “MAKE THIS NIGHTMARE END!” Sweat was pouring down my face. So there I was, hunkered down in the sound booth with the congregation rioting around me.
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