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Welcome to The Expert’s Guitar and Bass EQ Cheatsheet
I wrote this cheatsheet to help people improve their understanding and knowledge of EQ when it applies to mixing Guitars and Bass. I realized that the way I think about Guitar and Bass EQ really comes down to what kind of tone I’m going for, and what I’m trying to accomplish in the mix. This cheatsheet will help you figure out how to apply EQ as a tool more quickly to get closer to the results you’re after in a short amount of time.
Every EQ has 3 basic parameters. Frequency, Gain and Q. Frequency is the point within the frequency spectrum you are boosting or cutting. Gain is how much of the Frequency you are boosting or cutting. Q is the width of your boost or cut, effectively deciding how wide or narrow your boost or cut is surrounding the Frequency you select.
There’s basically three ways to use EQ, and that’s to Boost, Cut, and Filter.
Boosting is when you increase the gain of a specific frequency and it’s surrounding frequencies (based on the Q). Kinda like adding presence to a vocal track. This is also commonly referred to as Additive EQ. Boosting can be great at making up for a lack of something not already there, or enhancing the “audio flavor” of something.
Cutting is when you decrease the gain of a specific frequency and surrounding frequences (based on the Q). Kind like when you remove some mud from a bass or kick. This is also commonly referred to as Subtractive EQ. Cutting is gate for removing annoying or harsh sounds, correcting ringing frequencies, and making room for other things in your mix.
Filtering is when you completely eliminate frequencies all together. For example, a high-pass filter can be used to remove low-end frequencies, allowing only high frequencies to pass through the signal. A low-pass filter can be used to remove high-end frequencies, allowing only low frequencies to pass through the signal.
This is basically the foundation of EQ and all that you need to know about it at first.
Now let’s dive in!
Joey Sturgis
GOT QUESTIONS?We’ve got an entire community of people who can help you at the Joey Sturgis Tones Forum, or you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and you can always email us
Looking forward to seeing the awesome music you will create with this knowledge! Keep rockin’!
-Joey
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