# Spectrum EQ slope



## philstar (Oct 21, 2015)

hi,

Im trying very hard to become better at mastering.

I use EQs to separate frequencies, compressors and limiters to keep levels good.

Im currently making electronic music but I have a background in orchestral. I thought it might be interesting to branch out.

I do not own monitor speakers or headphones. I mix using 2 large Mission Floor standers. I then check the mix in my car (has a small sub) as well as on the TV through a usb stick. I do this to check for flaws in my mastering.

My mixes sound fine in all of the above conditions (not pro, but ok for me).

Im concerned because I recently started using the spectrum analyser. The picture above is from the master channel. The mix sounds fine across numerous speakers but the picture suggests that if you put it through a large PA system it would sound horrendous.

so 2 questions:
1. should that picture show a flat line through all frequencies (or close to it)?

2. Ive tried levelling the frequency line (filters/eq) and when I do things like bass drums, floor toms, sub bass become almost inaudible and the overall sound of the composition is compromised. Can I get a flatter frequency graph and still hear my low end instruments?

thanks in advance for any help, just trying to get better!

Phil


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## Hannes_F (Oct 21, 2015)

philstar said:


> 1. should that picture show a flat line through all frequencies (or close to it)?



No. Most definetely not.

If there is any "icon curve" for orchestral music then it is halfway flat (or slightly declined) until about 2 k and declines stronger then towards higher frequencies.



> 2. Ive tried levelling the frequency line (filters/eq) and when I do things like bass drums, floor toms, sub bass become almost inaudible and the overall sound of the composition is compromised. Can I get a flatter frequency graph and still hear my low end instruments?



They say "mix with your ears and not with the eyes" for a reason. Meters are good for zooming in problems (as you probably have done here since you know now that you can't properly hear your bass) but not necessarily for fixing them. The problem fix would be to get decent headphones at least. Note that speakers in an untreated room are usually off by +/- 30 dB across the audible spectrum.


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## rayinstirling (Oct 21, 2015)

Without an example of your work it's pretty well impossible to have a fruitful conversation on where you are and where you need to go.


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## KEnK (Oct 21, 2015)

I have Ozone.
The EQ has a "pink noise" guide on the graph.
This line is very close to what most pro masters read at.
I run reference tracks through it all the time to get a sense of what I'm aiming for.
It's not so different than what you have in your pic-
but w/o an audio example there isn't much to say.


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## kwuk (Nov 2, 2015)

Most EQs come with a tilt setting. This should normally be set to around 4.5 dB/octave to most accurately reflect how human hearing perceives higher sounds to be louder (by roughly 4.5 dB per octave). Using the right tilt setting will result in your "slope" being flatter i.e. it will more closely resemble what you'd expect  so check your tilt is not set to zero. It's fine to EQ with the tilt at zero or anything else. 4.5 will usually give the flattest slope for a balanced mix. Also note, the spectrum analyzer measures power and is not a perfect tool i.e. zoom in and notice that the levels drop. This is because the power is been spread over a more finely grained frequency distribution so how the analyzer measures power will influence the slope as well (and each plugin is slightly different - there is no one agreed way to display a frequency power spectrum).

The key thing is to always use the same analyzer and analyzer settings, learn what sounds good, remember what the spectrum looks like, then the visuals will help, otherwise they might just be confusing. If you've never used a spectrum analyzer before it's likely not going to help you balance the whole frequency spectrum, you'll still need to use your ears and some good reference tracks. Individual peaks in the analyzer can still be helpful for narrowing in on problem frequencies, but so can sweeping with a notch or a peak with a high Q and just listening to what happens.

It's also worth noting that as volume increases our perception of the relative volumes of frequencies changes so you're never going to get a perfect visual of what's going on (4.5 dB/octave is only approximate). You can look up equal loudness contours on Wikipedia to learn more about all this


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## Beat Kaufmann (Nov 4, 2015)

philstar said:


> ... 1. should that picture show a flat line through all frequencies (or close to it)?
> Phil


Hi Phil
In addition to the upper threads: Search and have a look for some good electronic music - mastered by professionals of course. 
Compare those tracks with yours - if you want within/with an analyser as well. 
Make sure that your mix and the reference run with the same average level...

I still use references totay even if have got a lot of exeperiences over the years. 
Reference tracks also could help either to confirm a mix or to go on with further improvements.


Good luck
Beat


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