Program EQ, and the boost-and-cut trick
Broad, musical curves instead of surgical cuts — and the one move, boosting and attenuating the same low band, that fixes more muddy mixes than anything else.
A valve-and-iron program EQ — broad, musical curves rather than surgical cuts. Its low band boosts and attenuates through different frequencies, so turning both up leaves weight underneath and a scoop just above it. That one move fixes more muddy mixes than any other control in this rack.
The controls
Every range and starting value below is the one the processor actually uses — this page is generated from it.
- Low freq
- Where the low band works. 20 and 30 are sub weight, 60 is where a kick lives, 100 is the bottom of a bass guitar.
- Low boost
- Adds weight below the selected frequency. Two or three on the dial is usually plenty on a whole mix.
- Low atten
- Takes out the low mids just above the boost. Turn this up together with Low boost — that pair is the famous trick, and it's how you get a bigger bottom that is also tidier.
- High freq
- Where the top boost is centred. 3–5k is presence and attack, 10–16k is air and sheen.
- High boost
- Opens the top up. Broad and gentle beats narrow and loud on a master.
- Bandwidth
- How wide the top boost is. Broad sounds like a better recording; sharp sounds like an EQ.
- High atten
- Pulls harshness out. Because it sits on its own frequency, you can take the edge off at 5k while the boost keeps the air at 12k.
- Atten freq
- Where the high cut starts. 5k for harsh, 10k for sibilant, 20k for a hint of tape.
- Valve
- The makeup amp's own colour — a little second harmonic that rounds transients off. It's the reason people leave one of these in the chain set flat.
- Trim
- Output level. Match this against bypass so you're judging the EQ and not just a volume change — louder always sounds better for about ten seconds.
Sonic Station's mix finisher runs this entirely in your browser — the audio is never uploaded anywhere.
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