lol guyz how do i remix? (EQ question)

[Grayburg]

with eq: link

without eq: link

I've been working on my sound quality, and I'm pretty sure I did this 'correctly' so far. To me, though, they just sound like two different versions, not one that's better than the other.

I don't mind how some of the instruments sound in the 'without eq' version. Like.. the gated synth's bubbly sound mixed with the bass is nice. I probably should've left the string ensemble with the higher ranges, since I like how the non eq one sounds better. The attack of the clap in its full range sounds good, too. Do I have bad taste or what?

Oh, also.. Some of the instruments, if I did try to cut room for it even more, it'd change the sound even farther from what I like. Such as.. the kick and bass still share a ton of the 0-200hz space together, because cutting out the very bottom of the bass/kick makes it sound so.. awkward. Same with the 100-200ish range.

Hats shouldn't be at super high frequencies, right? Because that sound could be so painful to listen to. I'm not too sure where snares/claps are supposed to sit. It's mostly like.. high midish right now, but still really broadly spread.

The lead instruments shouldn't be having very much low-mid, but without that area, it sounds so nasily. Pianos sound pretty odd when they're boosted at high frequencies, too.

I'm still doing something wrong with the eq'd version, too. It doesn't sound as good as other people's. Anything general I'm just not getting?

[Harmony]

I won't give you the "there's no correct EQ" speech but I'll say that I like the non-eq version better. It sounds fuller and more balanced. There is a little low end (80~100Hz) rumble-jumble that could be toned down a decibel or two though. The EQ'd version lacks mids and highs to my ears. More quantitatively, the high end in the eq'd version starts to roll off pretty quickly above 10kHz which I think is too early. From the spectrum, it also looks like you've reduced the 3000Hz range, which may account for what I perceive as a lack of mids.

That said, go with your ears, there's no correct EQ

[Moseph]

I like the version without EQ, too. The snare/claps and piano on the EQ'd version sound weak, and I think in general just too much of the midrange has been cut out of everything.

Overall, I think the only real problem with the non-EQ version is that it's a bit bass-heavy, like Harmony said.

EDIT: One other thing -- everything sounds very centered in the stereo image. If you pan things a bit more, you may be able to separate the individual instruments without having to do it with EQ.

EDIT 2: It's really easy to overcompensate when you EQ things. Just as an experiment, you might try halving (or thirding) all the values of the boosts/cuts that you have on the EQ version and see what it sounds like.

[Yoozer]

Such as.. the kick and bass still share a ton of the 0-200hz space together, because cutting out the very bottom of the bass/kick makes it sound so.. awkward. Same with the 100-200ish range.

Welcome to sidechain compression, where you can use the kick to push away the bass, or compression, where both signals are cut down in volume so they fit in.

[rig1015]

I've been working on my sound quality, and ... (EQ'ing) ... I'm just not getting?

EQing is one of those things that separate the $100 an hour engineers, from the $20 an hour ones. When I was taught about EQ-ing I was given guide-lines for various types of instruments but in the end was told that it comes down to enhancement.

Does the EQ-ing that you are doing enhance the mix or hurt it? One thing you can try is turning the monitor volume way down (like the song is a whisper in the background) and try hearing what sticks out. You know like EQ-ing is making the wrong instruments stand out at this low dB. The mix engineer who I learned form also pushed the ideas of an even spread when you do this, as the volume (dB) drops everything should fall away evenly.

I do like the non-EQ'd version over the EQ'd though.