Help with eq and frequency analyzer

[skills4kills]

Hello everyone,
I was hoping to get some help as far as eqing. I am using ozone5 eq and voxengo span.

Lets say for example that I have a kick drum that I want to boost a few db at the 100hz region. Would I simply drag that number two on the vertical line at 100hz up by like 3db to make the drum sound more punchy there? If I am doing this right, why does the frequency look the exact same in span when I am analyzing it?

Thanks for the help!

[Genevieve]

Edit: oh god I only read half your post. Sorry.

Where is the freq analyzer located? Before or after the EQ? the chain goes from left to right and if the analyzer is before it, it won't read what the EQ is doing

And if there isn't much going on around the 100 hz mark, boosting won't do an awful lot.

The more important thing is.. do you hear a difference? If it sounds different to you, then that's all you need to know

[skills4kills]

Edit: oh god I only read half your post. Sorry.

Where is the freq analyzer located? Before or after the EQ? the chain goes from left to right and if the analyzer is before it, it won't read what the EQ is doing

And if there isn't much going on around the 100 hz mark, boosting won't do an awful lot.

The more important thing is.. do you hear a difference? If it sounds different to you, then that's all you need to know

Thanks for the response,

I have the frequency analyzer after the eq plugin. I believe I can hear a VERY subtle difference, I guess I was expecting it to have a much greater impact. Why wouldnt the spectrum of the frequency appear to be different considering I am boosting the frequency at 100hz? Shouldnt the kick drum now appear to have more to it at the 100hz region when I am viewing it in the frequency analyzer? Idk if this will help but I am using maschine in this particular situation. Thanks again mate for the help

[Genevieve]

Maybe there's some phase issues going on? No clue, I'm not smart on that stuff. Did you try narrowing the EQ down to a tiny band and boost? What happened?

[skills4kills]

Maybe there's some phase issues going on? No clue, I'm not smart on that stuff. Did you try narrowing the EQ down to a tiny band and boost? What happened?

Im not a wiz at eqing either I just got into it a few months ago so excuse me if I am thinking the wrong thing but I made some major boosts and cuts, which did make a noticeable change to the sound, however the frequency still did not change at all? I wonder if span is only analyzing the original sample and cant see the changes I am making? Is this normal or is something weird going on? I was hoping to be able to make eq changes to certain sounds and mixes and see the effects real time with a frequency analyzer.

[benjam]

Try a different EQ then you'll know if its a setting thats wrong in Ozone or SPAN. ( Or the sample has nothing at 100hz )

[mthrfnk]

If the frequency analyzer is after your EQ, then there should be noticeable changes unless you're boosting areas where you have no sound in the first place (you can't add frequencies). Try a really extreme boost or cut to test whether you can notice anything changing on your analyser. Also check the settings on your analyser to ensure you have sufficient resolution.

If the minor cuts/boosts don't show up on your analyser don't get hung up on it, it's much better to use your ears rather than a spectrum - if you can hear the sound changing then your EQ is working, go for what sounds good rather than thinking "oh I need the 100Hz to be 3dB higher on the meter".

[skills4kills]

If the frequency analyzer is after your EQ, then there should be noticeable changes unless you're boosting areas where you have no sound in the first place (you can't add frequencies). Try a really extreme boost or cut to test whether you can notice anything changing on your analyser. Also check the settings on your analyser to ensure you have sufficient resolution.

If the minor cuts/boosts don't show up on your analyser don't get hung up on it, it's much better to use your ears rather than a spectrum - if you can hear the sound changing then your EQ is working, go for what sounds good rather than thinking "oh I need the 100Hz to be 3dB higher on the meter".

Thanks mate that is solid advice

I always trust my ears, I just wanted some visual reinforcement if you will to see when i make this cut or this boost how it is actually impacting my sample or mix, I think that visual would greatly help my eq skills as I just started eqing a few months ago. Ill make some extreme edits and see if I can hear a difference, thanks for your input!

[rockonin]

Also why don't you try putting the analyzer on your master output bus. Then just solo whatever track/s you need to evaluate.

[therook]

@op

You want to put your spectrum analyzer on the master buss. That way you can see everything going on without having to add a new analyzer to each track. With the EQ part, isn't Ozone a mastering eq? Anyways, the best way to find out what frequencies you want to boost is by using a steep peak filter with a narrow band and then sweeping through the frequencies until you hit a particular resonance that you like. Most snare drums "thump" is around 200hz to 250hz.

See what works for you.

[Immerse]

wow this is the first time ive seen a helpful response to a simple question like this from this board in quite a while..