Oct 21, 2011 A short tutorial covering EQ basics in Logic Pro. These are geared toward mastering classical music recordings, and serve as a general guideline. Equalisation can be an essential tool in mixing and is paramount in shaping the tone of your tracks, giving you control over frequency amplitude from 20Hz to 20kHz. This means you can boost or reduce the bass, treble or mids with detailed precision, and Logic Pro’ s built-in Channel EQ gives you this power. Channel EQ is one of the most-used Logic Pro plug-ins. It’s a powerful sound-shaping tool with simple controls and it’s easy on the CPU. How to Add Channel EQ to Your Tracks The channel strip is where you adjust the volume and sound of a track.

1. Logic Pro Eq Tutorial For Beginners
2. Logic Pro Eq Tutorial Software
3. Logic Pro X Vintage Eq
4. Logic Pro X Eq Tutorial

In this article, Eli Krantzberg shows some general “best practices” that he continually finds useful when using Logic Pro X’s Channel EQ in various situations.

Logic Pro Channel EQ - Best Practices

Suggesting to readers what frequencies to boost or cut and by how much for specific instruments is akin to writing an article on what colour to paint your room. In both cases the decisions are completely context and taste-dependent.

To try and suggest specific EQ settings is to negate the unique qualities of each mix and each song. So, let me tell you right up front, this article will not be another article on which frequencies to adjust for your kick or snare, or how to add sparkle to your vocals. Instead, I will list some general “best practices” that I continually find useful when using Logic Pro X’s Channel EQ in various situations.

These same tips for using Channel EQ can apply to other EQs as well; provided of course that the various functions are available.

Volume Offset

This first tip is a simple one. I find that many of Logic Pro X’s instrument patches and channel strip settings are programmed to play sounds LOUD. This is not inherently a bad thing of course; it makes them sound big and impressive, particularly when played on their own.

But in the context of a mix, I often find myself needing to pull various Alchemy, ES 2, and Vintage B3 Organ sounds down to the bottom range of the channel strip fader. The resolution at the bottom of the range is much coarser than the top, even with the Mixer display scale preference set to exponential.

Logic Pro Eq Tutorial For Beginners

For this reason, I prefer having my Channel Strip faders in the upper range of their virtual “throw” when mixing. There are several ways to attenuate the level before it reaches the channel strip fader. Altering the instrument’s preset is usually simple enough, as is inserting a Gain plug-in. But I most often simply double click the EQ thumbnail to bring up a Channel EQ, and adjust the output level there. If I use that EQ for nothing else, that’s fine.

But chances are, I will likely need to use it at some point during the mix. Doing this consolidates two functions into one plug-in and helps declutter my insert slots. And of course the same function can be used in reverse, to boost a quietly recorded audio file, without using a separate plug-in.

Full Mix Filtering

You may or may not be an advocate of applying EQ to the master bus, but I find it very useful. Not just for corrective or sweetening purposes, but also as a general practice when optimizing a mix for playback on iOS devices. By removing the extraneous frequencies, you are optimizing the available headroom. Removing the extreme low and high end leaves more “energy” in the audible frequency range. Why “waste” precious ones and zeros on frequencies that won’t make it through on iPad speakers, cheap earbuds, or reduced quality Youtube playback?

The Channel EQ’s Hi-Pass and Low-Pass filters are perfect for this task. What you actually set the values to is a matter of taste. I find that relatively steep roll-offs work well when accompanied by a subtle resonant peak boost. By emphasizing the areas where the roll-off begins, you are maximizing the level of the low and hi-end where it counts while removing what is below or above.

Faking a Band Pass Filter

One omission form Logic Pro’s very versatile Channel EQ is the absence of a band pass filter. These are used to allow a specific range of frequencies through, while attenuating all others. They are useful not only for special effects, but also for practical purposes helping instruments fit together in a mix.

Recently I was working on a mix that had a funky busy rhythm guitar part, as well as a Rhodes with a wah-wah sound playing chordal rhythms. The two parts worked well together musically, but occupied the same musical “space” in the arrangement. Panning them helped a bit, but it wasn’t enough. Due to the wah-wah effect on the Rhodes, it wasn’t occupying as full a frequency range as an unprocessed Rhodes normally would.

So I set up the Hi-Pass and Low-Pass bands to isolate the most important part of its range that gave it its character, and attenuated everything above and below. With no resonant peaks dialled in, this effectively acted as a band pass filter. On its own, it sounded thin. But combined with the guitar, which I isolated similarly, but in a different range; it was a great blend! Plus, by rolling off the low-end on both, more sonic headroom was left of the bass and kick drum.

A bandpass style EQ setting used here to isolate the important area of a Rhodes part processed with a wah wah effect:

The Rhodes and guitar together, each with unique band pass filter style settings, in overlapping ranges:

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Logic Pro Eq Tutorial Software

The same Rhodes and Guitar parts heard with bass and drums added:

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Magic

Okay, I lied.

I can’t resist offering one humble specific EQ setting suggestion.

This has worked so consistently for me across so many mixes and styles of music, that I dial it in as a starting point automatically and don’t even think about it anymore. I usually record drums with five or six mics, and sub group them out to an Aux Track. I won’t get into specific EQ settings for the individual kit pieces, but bringing down 500 hz on the drum buss is like magic. It removes all the mud and dull part of the mid range, and makes the hi and low-end sound crisper and feel tighter. If I only had a single band of EQ available to me for an entire multi-tracked drum kit; this is where and how I would use it.

A simple broad cut at 500 hz reduces the dull part of the mid range and lets the hi and low end cut through:

A multi-tracked drum kit with no EQ applied:

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A multi-tracked drum kit with only a single 500 hz cut on the drum bus:

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A new type of EQ that can be enjoyed by any level of producer

In this article, we will be taking a look at Soundtheory‘s [Gullfoss] plugin.

This product uses the new [Intelligent Automatic EQ], and even analyzes how the human ear perceives sound to make edits to frequencies within your track.

You can control a mix/track’s clarity, detail, spacing, and balance with as little of 5 parameters with this unique plugin.
The frequencies are analyzed 100 times a sec, with very detailed edits applied to sound without ruining the original structure of its frequency spectrum.

On Soundtheory‘s website, a Before/After demo of the plugin’s application can be heard as well.

At this point and time, it is only Mac compatible, but they are planning a Windows release this year.
Once this is announced, we will update it on our company Twitter account as well.
Let’s first start by taking a quick glance over Gullfoss.

Soundtheory [Gullfoss] 1. Overview/Application

How to use Gullfoss to the fullest extent

Gullfoss can be used in various situations, from single tracks, busses, and master tracks.
We feel the most useful application of Gullfoss is on the master track.
It helps give a natural final touch to a song, without over-coloring the overall sound.

It analyzes the sound being played, and instantaneously applies real-time EQ curves to optimize the sound for the best listening experience.
This effect works similar to dynamic EQ, but on another level in terms of detail and flexibility.

Gullfoss placement

Gullfoss does not have a specific place in the audio signal flow, but we recommend placing it right before your limiter.
After applying an EQ and compression, use Gullfoss as the last filter to polish your sound before completion.

CPU use

Gullfoss analyzes and applies equalization in real time.
Because of this, the CPU usage is much higher in comparison to a generic EQ.

We tried opening 9 instances of Gullfoss and played our track, and the CPU usage went over 80% even on a MacPro.
Because of this, we recommend placing it on a bus/master track rather than on multiple tracks at once.

Leaving some available head room

Some of Gullfoss’s parameters may send your audio over 0db and cause it to clip.
Keep this in mind, and allow for some headroom before applying Gullfoss.

In our next article, we will take a look at the parameters found within Gullfoss, and how to use it to shape your sound.

Related link: Soundtheory

Logic Pro X Vintage Eq

Logic Pro X Eq Tutorial