Dsus2 - Posted - 03/14/2011:  07:16:17

So i listen to ALOT of bluegrass, and though one should in retrospective to banjo madness, associate the unity of the band... BUT! how can i adjust the EQ to bring the most out of the banjo.... (Yes i know it depends, what kind of world would this be if nothing depended.).... at least let me on sum specificities as to the manipulated variables....that should get meh goin THANKS!!! <3

bournio - Posted - 03/14/2011:  07:37:01

Here's a technique for everything.

forum.recordingreview.com/f122...ue-27765/

A couple of hints, that low d string is around 147Hz, and the high d is double that (294) and the 12th fret above that is 587 hz, so a boost somewhere around those frequencies will raise those fundamentals. You could try a boost at 300Hz and adjust the bandwidth.

Remember that all instruments have harmonics though, which is why they all sound different, this is where that sweep technique comes in handy.

The KIDD - Posted - 03/14/2011:  10:10:25

Yeah every mix will have ITS characteristical make up of the "sonic space" it posesses so isolating the banjo in a mix will depend of how much of IT is being enhanced or dampened by the other instruments. Being an old analog guy, I had to learn by UN learning that feq boost/cut does NOT work the same in the digital realm ( Digital LIES...) cause your not controlling real sound pressure made from Capacitors, Resistance, Voltage ,Current. (my observation and reasoning).
From personal exp in my studio,I can control the banjo from 1.6 KHZ -3.2KHZ with 2 KHZ being the main overall all controlling feq. Most software has feq/ phase analyisis where you can watch the banjo peak its excitable feq's.
thus isolating where to boost. Check it out!
KIDD

Edited by - The KIDD on 03/14/2011 10:11:30

seanray - Posted - 03/15/2011:  06:14:25

If you're trying to isolate the banjo on a record then like John mentioned a good starting point is in this ballpark.

Dsus2 - Posted - 03/22/2011:  11:06:29

much obliged, thank you!

pearcemusic - Posted - 03/22/2011:  21:12:15

yeah ... like the Kidd said ....

I find that the "gain" frequencies (1K therabouts) are all about whether the banjo sounds "in your face" or not.

you can get a nice "hollow" sound by finding a "peaky" freq in the ballpark and cutting it ... or an "edgy" sound by boosting it ....

I tend to find the freq by creating a narrow band of eq and pushing it by .. oh say 18db ... then finding the spot where it hits me in the face ... then cut that freq until the banjo sounds "pleasant"

The KIDD - Posted - 03/22/2011:  21:27:38

Yeah Doub , thats a pretty wide Q Factor Sean has going there with pretty big spike to boot..I played back a mix with that para setting and the JO bout took my farligan head OFF....Ill use 100 to 500 (pretty narrow) Q factor for spiking or cutting the canny wolf tones. Ive noticed with digital that IT (who's IT..?) tries to "guess" what other feqs will be enhanced/diminished as a result of parametric settings of a stereo mix. Sometimes when I "think" Im doing the right thing by cutting 2184KHZ (BIG OFFENDER HERE in the dungeon), Ill start gettin a 3.2 KHZ ring that wasnt there before. Bill G , you LIE.... Analog allows for deeper cuts at lower Q factors.
KIDD

Edited by - The KIDD on 03/22/2011 21:29:49