Audio Engineering & Music Production
Course 13: Music Equalization

This course will teach you more about equalization, which you learned a little bit about in the previous course. This is the process that engineers use to alter the frequency response of an audio signal. Frequencies become more pronounced (if boosting) or less pronounced (if cutting), depending on what the engineer is trying to accomplish.

Equalization (or EQ) is a crucial tool used in all phases of music production. Whether to enhance or minimize some aspect of the frequency spectrum, EQ is an important part of the workflow for the recording professional. You’ll learn about the beginnings of equalization and take a detailed look at the practical applications of EQ in your workflow in this course.

You’ll learn about the makeup of an equalizer, including its components (inductors, resistors, and capacitors) and configurations. EQ parameters, such as bandwidth, center frequency, boost and cut, and a series of filters all make an equalizer a powerful piece of gear to have in your studio.

You’ll also learn how to use the variety of equalizers found in Pro Tools in certain situations as well as the frequency ranges of certain instruments. This will give you a good starting point when it comes to equalizing your music. Your assignment for this course (along with the other standards) will be to add EQ to the mix you’ve been working on from the previous course.

Objectives

• History of EQ
• A Look at EQ
• EQ in Pro Tools
• Mix Assignment Continued
• Chapter Quiz
• Blog Entry