One Of The Most Common Home Studio EQ Mistakes

EQ is one of the most powerful tools in mixing.

But when we’re first learning to mix, it’s easy to get it wrong.

Something I often see people doing is making a lot of EQ boosts, probably because the change is most noticeable this way.

But too much boosting can start to add up.

Constantly boosting your tracks at the same frequencies can lead to mixes that are harsh, muddy, brittle, or woolly, depending on which frequencies are being boosted.

So it’s important to remember that there are often two ways to get to the same point.

For example, getting more presence on vocals might involve a boost on the vocal, or a cut at the same frequency on the guitars that are competing in that range.

Often, cutting a small amount of unnecessary frequency on a competing track works just as well as boosting on the track itself.

This small change in your approach to EQ can help massively in creating more balanced and natural sounding mixes.

Next time you reach for an EQ and go to boost, think about what you could potentially cut instead to get the same result.