# EQ settings in your template



## Damon (Nov 2, 2013)

Curious to know if you guys use EQ settings for your template. I notice once I added ValhallaVintageVerb to my template, some of the brass, pizzicato, woods, etc start to lose a little brightness and sparkle. Also, do you guys use an overall EQ setting for your entire template also? Would love to know what some of your settings are. I'm using Cinewinds, Cinebrass, Cinematic Strings 2, and True Strike 1 if that helps.
This is all kind of new for me since I used to use Gigastudio and capture to wave, then add EQ on wave file tracks in Cool Edit Pro. I'm really just wanting to get my template really good sounding so I don't have a lot to do to the wave file once the song is mixed down. Cheers!


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## BenG (Nov 2, 2013)

I'm actually add very little EQ in my template, but I do have some for certain things.

I have everything running through a low-cut to get rid of some of the muddiness in the bass frequencies, although this is done via my reverb busses. 

Also, I do some minor things to Cinebrass to make it a little bit rounder, and less biting. Not much though. And that's about it!


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## Stiltzkin (Nov 2, 2013)

I have a good amount of EQ on my orchestral template, each instrument is usually EQ'd seperately though, and each string sample library has its own different EQ to help try and keep them as close as possible.

The only drastic EQ I have is on LASS which has -6 at 2k and then a high cut - since I only really use LASS for the spiccs, this gives it a nice feel and helps blend it nicely.

Everything runs through MIR in my template and I do have a rather crazy EQ on my room eq that actually adds a lot of brightness back in - this might be something to look in to on your reverb? Get a nice sparkle out of the room 

Really it's a very personal taste for each person, I'd say experimenting is definitely the best way to go about EQ...


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## Neifion (Nov 2, 2013)

My orchestral style tends to be a bit bass-heavy, so I always throw in a healthy high-pass at 100 Hz on the main bus. To further add some clarity, I may also put a +2 or +3 at 9000 Hz. For CS2, I've realized that some of the viola notes sort of ring at the lower-mid frequencies, so I'll dip a little at 392 Hz. 

In short, other than clearing up the mix and eliminating some resonating frequencies on individual channels, I don't touch EQ much for orchestral pieces. For more intimate songs, such as when I use a solo violin (Embertone Friedlander), I may EQ up the low-mid frequencies to beef it up and prevent it from sounding too thin.


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## RiffWraith (Nov 2, 2013)

Stiltzkin @ Sun Nov 03 said:


> I have a good amount of EQ on my orchestral template, each instrument is usually EQ'd seperately though, and each string sample library has its own different EQ to help try and keep them as close as possible.



I follow this basic approach, plus there is EQ on my master bus as well.

I do not use filters - I feel that (and I am not alone in this) filters are the wrong way to go (with an occasional exception), because they simply cut too much and are too broad. If you have a filter which allows you to narrow the freq., then different story, but most HPFs and LPFs do not allow for this.

It's difficult to just spit out out EQ settings, because each template - and each track - are different. So *Stiltzkin*'s approach to LASS of _-6 at 2k and then a high cut _ is by no means wrong - especially if it works for him. But it may not work for you, depending on what else you have going on, and how everything else is EQd. Keep in mind - it's all relative, and what works in one track may not work so well in another.

Cheers.


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## ghostnote (Nov 3, 2013)

I think there're two approaches to equalization. One might solve problems with boomy- and muddyness or getting instruments fit better in the mix, the other can be just a matter of taste. 

I tend to hi-pass a few of my instruments to get rid of too much low end energy (LASS celli or cinebrass stuff for example, at around 50-80Hz, horns sometimes at 150Hz), but the majority of sample developers are mixing their samples very well so I don't have to do this often. I also use a hi-pass filter at 20Hz at mastering stage.

The other thing that I might consider more important than hi-pass filtering is finding the frequencies who are responsible for the mudd. I always have cuts at about 170-300Hz on my instrument busses (normally not more than -3db). Especially brass can get very muddy in this area, Symphobia strings sound boomy at around 200Hz (IMO). Clearing up the mix this way will make cuts at mastering stage almost obsolete, at least for me.


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## milesito (Nov 3, 2013)

This is all great feedback guys. The only thing is that I tried a high pass filter on the mastering bus in logic at 20hertz and it felt like the sparkle in all the tracks disappeared. It is so subtle but I feel I can hear it. Is it better to roll it off on an eq on the master bud or do the high pass filter? I was trying to follow Mike Seniors advice from the famous Mixing Secrets book which is truly amazing in my opinion.


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## ghostnote (Nov 3, 2013)

milesito @ Sun Nov 03 said:


> This is all great feedback guys. The only thing is that I tried a high pass filter on the mastering bus in logic at 20hertz and it felt like the sparkle in all the tracks disappeared. It is so subtle but I feel I can hear it. Is it better to roll it off on an eq on the master bud or do the high pass filter? I was trying to follow Mike Seniors advice from the famous Mixing Secrets book which is truly amazing in my opinion.



sparkle sits at 10k-20kHz (= 20000Hz), not at 20Hz (the bottom low end). that's a lo-pass filter what you're describing. rolling off the highs is common in (pop/)rockmusic, but absolutely not in an orchestral context.


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## Damon (Nov 3, 2013)

Great feedback guys, thanks! Is there a way I can actually add some highs to ValhallaVintageVerb through EQ? The reverb doesn't have an EQ on it, but I'd love to brighten it up some. Can I do this somehow through an EQ vst and put it into Valhalla somehow?


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Nov 3, 2013)

Damon @ Sun Nov 03 said:


> Great feedback guys, thanks! Is there a way I can actually add some highs to ValhallaVintageVerb through EQ? The reverb doesn't have an EQ on it, but I'd love to brighten it up some. Can I do this somehow through an EQ vst and put it into Valhalla somehow?



Simple. Set up your reverbs as sends instead of inserts, this way they are fully independent from the source signal. Then insert an EQ in the send channel plugin chain, after the reverb.


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## KingIdiot (Nov 3, 2013)

If oyu work with sends you can also work pre-fader and adjust the dry signal EQ (and volume), independantly from the reverb send EQ, if you put an EQ inserted in the chain before the reverb. As well you can EQ the reverb return. Thoroughly shaping your reverb.

You can go much further than this in sending to duplicate verbs one with a longer decay and one shorter, and EQing one for high frequency response an one for low. If your reverb doesn't allow for something like this from the get go. You need to watch out for phasing artifacts in some impulses or static algorithmic decays, but it really give opportunity to shape your sound.

This isn't meant to be an option for recreating a realistic space BTW, but more so for options to create depth/space/smear and having options that provide different levels of clarity, and mix shaping.

you can go cezy here by also putting transient shapers in line or compressors/multibanders.

build a mix, have fun.


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## Damon (Nov 3, 2013)

Cool, thanks. I'll have to figure out how to do that on Sonar X2. I have no clue though how lol


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Nov 3, 2013)

Damon @ Sun Nov 03 said:


> Cool, thanks. I'll have to figure out how to do that on Sonar X2. I have no clue though how lol



I'm sure you will find lots of detailed tutorials for setting up sends etc. in Sonar on Youtube. And there's always the user manual 

Good luck!


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