CHURCH TECH
INCREASING YOUR LIVE SOUND EQ IQ:
AN EQUALIZATION PRIMER, PART 1 | Jeff Hawley
“Can you cut 3dB right around 250Hz on
THE BASICS.
adding in a ‘d’ definition that goes something
that guitar?” “Go ahead and kick in an 18dB
like, “to adjust various frequencies in an audio
Butterworth HPF at 180Hz or so.” “Check your If we consult our dusty Webster’s dictionary, we
PAFL on the 61-band RTA to see where the find the following entry for ‘equalize’:
low end is building up.” “I prefer the up-front
mix to provide an optimal sonic outcome.”
In some cases, this optimal sonic outcome
midrange musicality of a British EQ.” For many equalize may include very carefully cutting a specific
guitarists and keyboardists who are making 1: to make equal frequency to avoid feedback. In other cases,
their way over to the recording or live audio 2a: to compensate for the goal may be boosting certain frequencies
side of things, discussion about equalization 2b: to make uniform, to distribute evenly or within a single track and/or an entire mix to
(or equalisation or EQ) can sound like an
entirely different language. Even for some
uniformly
c:
to
adjust
impart a particular sonic characteristic like
or
correct
the
frequency ‘warmth’ or ‘smoothness’. In all cases, the
more experienced audio engineers, there are characteristics of (an electronic signal) important thing to consider is how to balance
specialized subsets of EQ land that may be by restoring to their original level high cuts and boosts of certain frequencies on each
unfamiliar or downright confusing. I also tend to frequencies that have been attenuated element of the mix to produce the best overall
see lots of conflicting and perhaps misleading
sound to the audience in the room, those
information out there around EQ for some I’m not sure that any of those possible enjoying the live show remotely on their laptop,
reason. We’ll continue our series of ‘Audio with definitions really gets at the totality of what and folks listening on-demand to a recorded
Jeff Hawley’ articles with a bit of a conceptual equalization is and how it is generally applied version on a set of hi-fi speakers. Let’s start to
overview of EQ and touch on the key elements in a church sound scenario. I think that the ‘c’ unpack a few of these concepts, especially the
live worship engineers may want to ponder a bit definition could actually get us all in some major idea of creating the ‘best overall sound’ — a
before diving in and going to town with a flurry audio trouble if we solely focused on restoring lofty goal, indeed!
of knob twists and fader bumps. attenuated high frequencies. I would propose
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May 2020
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