Should You EQ Virtual Instruments? - RecordingRevolution.com
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
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Should I EQ my virtual drums and pianos? Or are they already processed and therefore don't require any additional EQ?
I get some variation of these questions on an almost weekly basis and I'd like to clear the air once and for all.
Whether you use something like EZ Drummer or a sampled piano here is a framework that will help you answer that question each and every time.
Short answer from video: doesn't matter if it's virtual or not, if it needs EQ (especially in the context of the a full mix), then you should EQ. Skip to 3:51. Also, everything from 6:50 onward is an ad for his EQ course.
You are a champion
The real question is: Do I EQ my click track?
Lol
Lol
Yes, and be sure to compress it afterward. Turn the threshold close to 0dB and turn the gain all the way up.
Add reverb to that sucka
You’ll need expensive analog gear for that. Make sure the click sounds creamy and run it through a mic pre to get it dripping in analog goupiness
Simple. Does it need EQ to fit in your mix? There ya go.
Short answer: Use you ears and adjust accordingly. End of.
In EZDrummer you can route each drum out to an individual instrument track and you can take off the eq, compression and reverb along with the room. There are good videos on routing EZDrummer out there. The resulting drum sounds seem to me to be somewhat dry and unprocessed. But the point remains... use your ears to decide :-). So then we’re all left with the challenge of trying to get years of ear experience knowing what is good and not and how change it. I’m on that same long road... no substitute for just trying at the same time watching tutorials. The best thing I’ve found is feedback communities with people at further levels of experience.
Sound advice as always Graham (pun intended). I have removed the words “always” and “never” from my music creation process and it has really improved my recordings and mixes.
Definitely bounce your individual drum tracks to your DAW and mix and process there. It will force you to treat them as if you received a full live kit and session from a client and you will get better at mixing drum kits. Also, you most likely have more processing options in your DAW than a drum sampler would have and you won't hinder your normal workflow in your DAW.
I follow this advice for sure. I usually end up using light EQ on most instruments (virtual or not). I have realized by now it's not worth the headache using tons of EQ to try and fix something that just needs to be redone.
Many of the virtually drum kits also have pretty good mixers in the VST as well for basic mixing.
Yes, you can do whatever you like!
Came to youtube with a question. got an answer and more right here. thank you! SUBSCRIBED!!
I approach it in different way. I do eq virtual instruments despite they are already eq-ed and i do it because i sometimes want it to sound different in the way that it can match better to my other tracks and sometimes i leave it as it is. It depends on music you are working on and your taste..
A thing to remember is that “heavily processed” is typically a sound you recognize rather than a thing that you do during mixing. If you’re not shooting for that type of sound, then it doesn’t matter how much you EQ as long as it doesn’t sound like it!
Thanks Graham, love the way you answered this question! Understandng EQ is so important.
Helpful video. I made a song a while ago and send it to another producer. He asked me if I used my acoustic guitar, told him I used a VST.
nice bonus tip on the 6 to 10K shelf lift on piano vsts thanks bruh
Yes...EQ only to make room in the mix. If it does not need it then do not EQ... got it..!!! Thanks Mr. G
This makes a lot of sense. I would like to capture separate tracks for each instrument in superior drummer 3. I’m a beginner with that massive program. I would really like to see a video showing somebody starting with a drum performance using most of the instruments, and showing each step required to place them into individual tracks in my DAW, which is studio one 5 professional. I think that would help me take SD3 to a new level.
And again...Honest talking about the things that some of us are thinking about, but are afraid to ask it...:D... Thanks for bringing these things up, Graham!
the one who disliked this video didn't want us to know this information. Merci beaucoup Graham
People also use dislikes to clean up their suggestions list. I mean If you dislike anything, RUclips won't suggest you this channel so often.
Asking the question as to whether something should be eq’d based on how it was created indicates that whoever is asking is either off track in a big way or really does not get what mixing is. How can you ask someone that question. It tells that you are applying effects randomly just to say you are doing so. If your drums need an effect, they need an effect. You don’t ask how they were recorded. You ONLY care about the sound or how they are in the mix, not the origin. You answered in a very polite caring way, but you may want to find out if the person asking is in the right business. I do not mean to be mean. Please don’t take it as an insult. But I really think that question says something important about the person asking.
Good explanation. The track mix is the yardstick.
Graham, thanks for sharing this. I think there is one more point to add to your cheatsheet. It is about avoiding eqing in solo mode. It is helpful to use solo when you're doing some sirgical-technical stuff, but you should avoid it when you are creating a tonal balance between the instruments. EQing within the context is a way more helpful in my opinion.Don't you think so?
Thanks for the PDF man, top guy!!. I'm struggling with EQ at the moment but need to finish producing my tracks first so it'll come in useful when needed.
Eq everything when you have to make it fit in the mix :) Great explanation Graham.
For me if you use plug-ins, try to fix everything in the PLUGIN. Nothing beats a good source sound
not always possible
I agree because you want the instruments to sit and groove well with each other all the same. Also, some samples, have unwanted lows that need to be removed, just like on r3al recorded instruments.
Agree. and a really solid video. i know Glenn Fricker has said on his metal mix reviews that people have ruined samples by eq'ing them when they didn't need it. i'm willing to bet, that's were a lot of these questions come from. it's really easy to ruin a sample drum sound by poor eqing. personally i've found it more difficult to eq sample drums that likely already have expensive eq's onthem, that i don't have access to, than to eq drum's i've tracked myself.
with samples i think 90% of the sound is in selecting the right sample. in the case of drums, the one that fills out your bass and guitar sound (because i do metal). not just the one that sounds the best on it's own. nor the one that you usually do. gotta use those ears when picking samples and ask ourselves: 'which one is best to compliment the tone of the other instruments in this mix?' not : "Which one sounds the prettiest to me?" if we do that, than it should need minimal eq in the mix.
Man. You really are the Santa Clause of music recording.
Drums, yes most samples benefit from EQ and compression. VST synths...depends. Logic's often sit in a mix really well on their own. Usually just have to reduce the volume as they default to hot levels. Really the answer is use your ears...if it doesn't need it, don't do it.
Drum Bus 2 from EzMix sounds pretty good on the standard EzDrummer kit. It makes it clearer and more open :)
I eq them all the time if I want to change the tone.
Graham your awesome, that was my question as well ,thanks
Cool advice Graham ..Thanks !!
You are the best teacher on earth.. :)
Excellent video. Really enjoy your videos.
Of course !!!! If you have logic the instruments will be eq'ed already you may still have to tweak somethings. Eq accordingly to the mix
I asked this in audio school, I knew but I brought up that “didn’t they get recorded in the stu to sample?” Lol yes. I always did but I just asked
Do the MIDI sections need to be printed into audio first, before EQing?
But if you had like a neve or something should you run it through
Great info! I'm wondering if I need the compressing process in this case as well.
Should i compress midi tracks?
@ 5:58, do you have a video which explains rendering out those stems to the daw?
Thanks man...really helpful..keep up the great work.
YES
Graham, could you do a step by step video on how to export individual drum tracks from EZDrummer like you referenced in this video, PLEASE Beginners like me need to know that kind of stuff. Thanks
Should I use general compression on virtual instruments , not using it for any kind of effect , just general compression , or do they have the compression already , would you use compression on virtual instruments ?
What about vst instruments in gain stage; i know about what to do when my vst instrument is loud. what about when the vst instrument input is low ; i have to set the input to kiss the 0 vu,.;
U r Always a Charm...
Many virtual instruments still have a lot of noise (especially the really real ones). I always EQ my virtual instruments.
Hm, I'm gonna try that trick for working on the drums individually
you should do weekly Q&A videos.
I don't think this is said enough, but thank you for all of the great videos and help :-)
Iearn so much from your vids as they are very "beginner friendly", rather than too much tech talk :-)
Heya Graham,
thanks for the great vid, very good advices here!
It seems you have to remove the "www." from the link to the EQ Checklist.
Or add www at hosting settings to catch the request.
Great work, thank you
You mention to separate drum tracks in EZ Drummer . How do you do that ? Is there a tutorial for that ? Thanks
it depends on what daw that you use actually, but you can multitrack them from the mixer tab
@@angelusfermi8336
Thank you. I use pro tools 12 and ableton live
@@violadrums I hope this video can help
ruclips.net/video/zritsYOElDo/видео.html
Thanks
A waveform is a waveform. EQ it to fit your mix.
Thank you
Great content as usual!
Yes u should I do it all the times because the instruments needs to be treated as well.so this is a yes.👈
Kevon Thomas nah man! Don’t do it all the time. I’ve heard too many upcoming mix engineers over process tracks and it does not work and loses dynamics!
@@Faithaven for the most part u still need to cave out spaces and eq will let you do so.they only eq the instruments cause of their room.now u have to eq it for it to sit well at least.else the boxiness will be ringing in your ears.if it sounds good then go it if it doesn't then leave it alone.99 % of the times you will need to treat the sound to your liking.
Kevon Thomas for example I use superior drummer 3 bob rock add on! During the Recording process they use hardware eqs and compression! However they also used digital plugins on the superior drum mixer plugin! So it already has compression and eqs plugins after they were recording! If you then use more eqs and compression, then you are adding 3x layers of eqs and compression which superior drummer tells you not to do since it will ruin the dynamics and sound!
@@Faithaven air expansion pack from air music is not like superior drums so that will need some eq and most of them virtual instrument will need some treatment. Its never perfect.
Error #1: you focus on rules and "what you should" instead of what you want. Use your ears and creativity
Hey everyone!
If you are watching these videos then you love music as much as I do, Graham has really helped me in getting a good sound from my recordings compared what i previously doing so thank you for all your help Graham!
So I thought I would like to share my music with you all, I write and record both alternative rock and electronic.
ruclips.net/user/sevendaysunset
I would like to know what you guys think and am open to any constructive criticism, and I am also interested in the work that you guys are doing. I think it's very cool that all types of music could be heard from anyone anywhere nowadays, it's a fascinating time to be alive. Thank you all for your time!
Progressive drums from Toontrack ....make a song with it and then tell me if they need processing or not. Yes! the answer is yes!
My friend Graham, I loved the idea of the EQ checklist and I tried to download it. I've entered my email, got your response about the daily emails, but I can't find anything about the EQ checklist. What did I do wrong?
This was great! How about compression? It's probably not necessary with Superior Drummer, correct? (Even though they have "Plugins" in their app)
Compression does more than just balance levels. It's a tone modifier just as much a dynamics modifier. So yes, compression can also be used - I say can because sometimes you may not want that sound
Hi, I use Addictive Drums 2. To mix you like raw "unprocess" preset or select the optimus preset for the song and make tweeks (more eq more comp etc)? Tnks
WORD!
only joking :)
You always look yellowish in your clips. Are we relatives? :-)
By the way, you're really good in what you do. Keep doing it!
Awesome videos, thanks for sharing. I am a noob and I didn't even know my "ears" could get tired. How do you battle fatigue when listening to a track looped over and over? (coffee aint helping) :)
Mr. Graham says to take short breaks every 15 minutes or so when working on your mix. It works! 😁
I find that piano VSTs are one of the most difficult sounds to work with. The problem I have is that these sounds always get that clipping sound on an iPhone speaker. I’m trying to compose for film and television so this is a huge problem. I’ve been trying to collect information on this and trying to process these sounds in countless ways for months but I still haven’t figured it out. Anyone else have this problem?
Convert the midi to audio and the trim the audio track before you EQ or Compress. Less db and no clipping at the end
Theo S I’ve tried that. I’ll definitely play with that method more though. I’m actually running out of things to try at this point. And I’m pretty happy with a lot of my mixes/masters. They just fall apart on a cell phone speaker. And I’m of the mind that if a mix doesn’t sound good everywhere it’s simply not a good mix. The only half-solution I’ve found is mastering things very quietly, which is obviously just not the answer. Thanks for the advice, I’ve been beating my head against the wall for months and I’m about ready to just give up on piano and string pizzicato samples
I’ll also add that I hear this same problem with pianos on many commercial releases. Like the first track on the Deru record 1979. Great composition but it sounds horrid on an iPhone speaker
Jeremy Lee Faulkner I’d recommend you use fabfilter plugins as you can see the wave in the frequency while mixing! You can try a multiband compressor or use an audio frequency spectrum plugin to pinpoint the frequencies that clip
Graham, I was wondering if you could help. I use the scarlet 2i2 mic and interface and my recording quality is ok but lacks a little clarity and airyness. I record on a 7 year old laptop is this maybe the problem. If i got a better PC would this fix the problwm of lack of clarity? Thank you
Man I'm mad. I was gonna watch the webinar on my beats from my phone at work. It has to be on a laptop tho 😠
Very good tutorial, well explained. Use your ears and make a decision. Love the I don't care what you use comment...made me laugh. Merry Christmas, cheers
Hey graham could you please do a drum mix tutorial for different genres... I use ezdrummer and sometimes it becomes confusing while mixing drums for different genres
Short answer: yes yes you do. Virtual instruments suck in quality until you tweak them
Gredran what virtual instrument are you talking about?
Waji Dabang any, but I guess I mean it as, if you just plop in any instrument, from a beautiful sounding Native Instruments, to just the default Operator synth in ableton, if you just throw in the instrument without tweaking it, it won’t fit nicely in your mix, it will just kinda sound like it’s own entity and probably conflict with instruments you use that share frequencies. Then again, EQ is necessary for everything I think, not just virtual instruments.
Gredran i get it. Just that when you said "they suck in quality" I was thinking "not really suck" it depends on a lot of factors.
This is honestly an extremely dumb question. Its like asking if you have to play your vstis in key. Like u gotta be so far out the loop to ask this.
What is a stupid question to you might be a useful question to someone else.
I found it pretty useful cause there are some vsts like maybe Slate that you don’t have to touch as much so I can see it being confusing for some ppl
I had no idea there were experts of your caliber watching this channel. Humbling!
Not stupid for newcomers.
@@joetowers4804 I think it's quite stupid of him to waste his time watching this video ánd commenting on it since he already knows all this
You never eq anything. You just let everything sound like a big blur and rumble and crack. You just let the listener adjust to your authentic sound🤪
anyone who doesnt EQ their virtual instrument tracks is just being lazy and wanting the computer to do their mix job for them
I assume you mix kinetically? 😂So; if a virtual instrument fits perfectly in the mix as is, I should EQ it anyway to avoid being lazy? Come on!
@@stubsound more like themematicaly the kinetic comes from the 3d anination side
hello I am the 100th comment
To The people asking this question. "Oh you a noob noob"
"Noob Noob" that sounds like the title of one of your shit songs. LOL
@@onesong2001 oh you "funny funny" lol
@@cholkymilkmirage4984 You can do a song about me now. You just can't stop producing those lyrics :)
@@onesong2001 who knows. Maybe one day it will be on your channel ;)
@@cholkymilkmirage4984 maybe I'll do yours and put it on my channel this week ;-)
First :)
No just leave it completely unmastered and let the garbage sound space do the talking.
Is this even a question? Really?
time to unsubscribe from this channel. there's never anything for advanced or even intermediate producers
See ya!
Bye!
Must be a LeBron fan
you look great, Graham!