In electronic music, the sounds we create in-the-box already tend to have the tonal qualities we want exactly, but then we want something to be louder, or softer, so we tend to reach for an EQ to balance out the sound...
At least 50% of the time when EQ is used, especially for boosting frequencies, there is something that can be done instead that many producers overlook, that can often avoid ruining a good mix.
That something, is simply, the volume. When we want part of a sound to be louder or softer in a mix, usually it is resolved by simply changing the volume. It seems too good to be true, but an amazing mix is 75% volume balance, EQ, Compression and the fancy stuff only account for the last 25%. Next time the highs are too soft, try bringing up the volume of the channel a little, you may find it gives you the result you want straight away. Now don't get me wrong, EQ still has its place, and you still may want to use it after adjusting the volume if it doesn't do it for you, but it's better to cut than boost! Taking problem frequencies out when you can hear all the necessary frequencies allows for a more natural mix, and gives you more precision with what you don't want in the sound.
I like to think of the analogy like this. If you have a burger, the chef makes it to perfection and can be consumed as is. But if you're hungry, you may want to get the same burger in a bigger size. Then, your favourite part may be the cheese, if so, isn't it less expensive to take off what masks the taste of the cheese, rather than adding extra cheese? Because if you add extra cheese, you might realise you can't taste the lettuce anymore, so you add more lettuce, and then there isn't enough sauce to go with the burger etc. Then, your burger has 5 buns, 4 patties, 3 slices of cheese and drowned in lettuce - almost inedible. At first, adding the cheese seems the most logical, but taking off other ingredients first may be a more rewarding approach because it avoids ongoing adding. Basically, adding has no end, subtracting does, so it's easier to know when to stop.
Hopefully, that makes sense, feel free to comment if you need clarification! ~
Submitted January 31, 2017 at 10:33AM by iamartsea https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/5r87gb/why_eq_is_overused_and_not_used_properly/?utm_source=ifttt