What does equalizer do

Our range is around , Hz, and the closer we approach or exceed these boundaries, the softer things sound. Compounded by the fact that our cars, rooms, and speakers are in various shapes, sizes, and configurations, the same note from the same instrument can sound completely different, let alone a whole song! Not all venues look like this. Photo by Wikimedia Commons. For example, some venues will respond better to bass frequencies, so the EQ can be turned down on that end to prevent feedback and turned slightly up on the higher end to even things out.

In general, you equalize for the physical space, to account for the particular combination of the room and equipment. While still used in this way for live shows and the like, everyday listeners can use EQs to not only adjust for deficiencies in their acoustics, but for more aesthetic reasons. Nicer sound systems may have three, five, or even up to twelve bands. Professional music equipment uses twenty to thirty bands. The more bands you have, the more divisions you have in the wide range of human hearing.

Because of this, each band controls a small range of frequencies, thus allowing more control over the sound. Photo by aussiegall , also in banner. Audio filters are used to isolate bands, usually in a bell shape around a central band. You can adjust knobs visually very easily to get what sounds you like.

Software EQs, like those in your audio player of choice, essentially imitate this setup. All of the sliders are centered on a certain frequency, in Hz. The bottommost one is 70 Hz, and the topmost one is 16, Winamp also has a ridiculous band EQ plugin. It even lets you set different EQ curves for your left and right channel. Often, software EQs come with presets for many different genres of music.

A lot of music — especially pop music — can get to be sort of homogenous. If you have speakers that muddle this into sounding flat, then a techno EQ will help by boosting the low and high bands. You can see that the two have similar shapes, but note that the dip into the Hz and Hz bands is lower in the Rock preset, and the boost in the 3 KHz band is higher.

With the vast ranges of frequencies in any particular song, this can make a noticeable difference, or it may not. You have to tailor the preset for the music you listen to. Classical music has rich mids and the high end can sometimes over power, while vocal tracks focus usually on mids and highs and less on the low end.

Creating some custom settings and presets and being able to switch through them is ideal, so you can match them to songs, artists, or albums.

The best thing to do is to close your eyes and listen. As always, do what sounds better to your ears. Knowing how they work will allow you to make your own curves and can change the way you hear you music completely. Browse All iPhone Articles EQ is essentially a special application of a filter. The qualities of the filter that your EQ uses for its cuts or boost determines a lot about its sound—and the best way to use it.

The filter type determines the general shape of the EQ band. High-pass HPF and low-pass LPF filters: These filters are named for the frequencies they leave unaffected, rather than the range they cut. A low cut is known as a high-pass filter and a high cut is known as low-pass filter.

Reach for these filter types when you need to clean up issues at the extreme ends of the spectrum. The steep drop-off around the corner frequency can easily tame boomy low-end or piercing ultra-high resonance. Bell : Bell filters are your standard tools boosting and cutting. Their shape can be manipulated using the Q parameter. This is your go-to choice for sculpting and tone-shaping.

Boost or cut at specific points and decide how broadly to affect neighboring frequencies with the Q control. Shelf : Shelf or shelving filters boost or cut all frequencies above or below the corner frequency. This EQ type is effective for making broad tonal changes. Think of low and high shelves like the treble and bass controls on your stereo system. You can use these to eliminate offending room resonances that can arise from recording in untreated acoustic environments—but be careful, using many steep notches can create a comb-filtered, phase-shifted sound.

The slope of a filter refers to how aggressively the sound beyond its corner frequency is attenuated. The higher the number, the steeper the drop off around the corner frequency of the filter. Q values of less than 1 will give you broader EQ curves, while values greater than 1 will give you tighter, more selective boosts or cuts.

Gain determines the amount of boost or cut you apply with your EQ. Positive gain values indicate a boost, while negative ones make it a cut. Hot tip : When you make adjustments with EQ, you also affect the overall gain of your signal. That means extreme EQ settings can change your levels a lot. The majority of the time, a stalwart hip-hop groove will start at or around 60Hz. The foundational, big-hitting lower register that spouts forth from your subwoofer rests in this domain, including the heavy punch of the kick drum, and even lower tom drums and bass guitar.

Moving up toward the Hz line begins to affect the very lowest boom of acoustic guitars, piano, vocals, lower brass, and strings. If the music is too darn heavy, or not heavy enough down low, a bit of an adjustment here will help. Rising above Hz starts to deal with the lighter side of the low end. This region is where the meatier body of an instrument hangs out.

Adding EQ volume around the middle of this spectrum can add a bit of oomph to richer tones, including the lower end of vocals, deeper notes from synthesizers, low brass and piano, and some of the golden tones from the bottom of an acoustic guitar.

Lowering the level a bit here can clear up some space, and open up the sound. This area is a touchy one that can change the sound quickly.

Putting on the brakes in this region can take away the brittle sound of instruments. Adding some juice, especially toward the top end, can give things a metallic touch, and can wear down your ears quickly if pushed. As mentioned above, this register is where your ears aim a lot of their focus.

Adding or subtracting here can raise or lower the snap of higher instrumentation quickly. Sounds like the pop of snare, and the brash blare of a trumpet can all be affected here. Adding a little push here can give more clarity to vocal consonances, as well as acoustic and electric guitar and piano. This is commonly referred to as the presence zone and includes the highest range of pitches produced by most natural instruments. Boosting the lower end of this scale can make the music sound more forward, as if pushed a little closer to your ears.

Backing it off can open the sound and push instruments away for more depth. If sharp consonants are popping out at you like the bite of a snake, cutting a few dB from around 5kHz to 7kHz can solve the issue, and save you some pain and suffering.

Raising or decreasing the level at the lower end of this register can help bring some vibrancy and clarity, adding a tighter attack and a more pure sound. If things are a little too sharp or causing some pain after listening for too long, lowering the bottom end of this register can help out quite a bit.

Toward the top is where things start to space out into less tangible definition, moving away from what you can hear and more toward what you can feel. That shimmering resonance at the tip of a cymbal crash floats around in the regions of this space.

Once you get up here, things become more subjective. The bottom registers continue to affect the higher overtones of instrumentation, and synth effects from electronic music can pop around in that region as well. Moving further up, it becomes more about creating a spacier, more open sound. If you want to boost a bit of space in the belfries of the music, you can add some level here. Too much, however, will make things start to sound synthetic. Galaxy Buds 2 Best Movies on Netflix.

What does an equalizer do? Frequencies All sounds — everything you hear — are essentially vibrations that we can visualize as waves moving up and down at different speeds, or frequencies. Decibels dB The decibel dB is the unit of measurement used to express volume level or loudness. Playing with your EQ Finally, the fun part!

What about EQ presets? Parametric EQ Parametric EQs are tricky, involved, and not for the faint of heart or inexperienced user.