| Shelf vs. Peak EQ |
On many consoles you have
a choice of using peak equalization or shelf equalization when boosting higher or lower
frequencies. Even on less-capable consoles where the high-frequency and
bass-frequency controls are shelf, the midrange control is peak and can extend into
the high-frequency and bass ranges. |
For a quick review of
shelf and peak response of equalizers, refer to the drawing below. A peak equalizer
("A") boosts (or cuts) one center frequency and a band of frequencies around it
by a similar amount. A high-frequency shelf equalizer ("B") boosts a
certain frequency and all frequencies higher than it by a similar amount. A
low-frequency shelf EQ would boost all frequencies below the set frequency. |
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| Peak or Shelf? |
Many times we are trying
to increase the attack of things in the mix. You may want to increase the snap of
the snare. You would probably reach for your peak equalizer and increase the level
of a frequency between 3 kHz to 7 kHz, letting your ear be the judge of what the best
frequency would be to use in the mix. But should you have grabbed the shelf
control? The answer is that it depends on an important equalization rule: |
EQUALIZATION RULE #3 |
When you equalize a
microphone you change the tone of both the intended pickup and all of the leakage
of other instrument sounds into that microphone. |
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Lets take the snare as an
example. If you didn't have a lot of leakage of the high hat into the microphone,
boosting 3 kHz can give the snare drum more attack. 3 kHz, however, is not a good
frequency to boost on the high hat - it makes this instrument sound "clanky."
So if you had a lot of high hat leakage into the snare drum microphone, you could
get a better result using a boost with a 5 kHz high-frequency shelf equalizer. |
