Using an Equalizer
Right now I'm trying to sort out how to set up the software equalizer in Garage Band. I "think" the range of a harp is in the 150 hz - 3.5 khz range but obviously (???) this will vary depending on the key of the harp I'm using. Is this the right range??
So for now the question is - Is there a rule of thumb for adjusting the frequencies or is it strictly trial and error?? Like move the slide as you are listening and stop where you like the sound??
And am I correct in understanding that all an equalizer does is increase or decrease the volume of a particular frequency range? Do 'hardware' equalizers work the same way??
Hank, using an equalizer on both ends of the sound chain in general accomplish the same thing, but with different approaches. In the studio, the equalizer is used to compensate during recording for the studio room's sound reflection and containment - or lack of it. So the settings of the equalizer are modified to bring out sound waves that are lost in the room's acoustics (perhaps over-deadened), or modified to lower sound waves that are accentuated in an undesirable way. Sometimes equalization can also reduce feedback. Generally, you're looking for a flat frequency response, but room acoustics don't allow that - therefore you compensate.
During playback, the same idea applies. You are compensating for the "new" room's acoustics, which are always much different from the room the sound was originally recorded in. So essentially, you're modifying the overall sound response to fit the room you're in at the time - whether recording or playing back.
All of this is very subjective, however, and it takes a keen ear (or a spectrum analyzer) to be able to shape sound on both ends so they are similar. In practice, just shape the curve how you like it, which is all that really matters in the end.
EQ isn't just about the room. It's also about how you want an instrument to sound - bright, dark or dull, narrowed and nasal, etc. It's also about the mix. If one instrument occupies a part of the sound spectrum, it may cover up (or be covered by) another instrument in the same part of the spectrum. By changing the EQ profile of one of the instruments, you can make it easier for the ear to distinguish between them.
For instance, typical harmonica range can easily be covered by the midrange and treble cranked out by a guitar, especially an electric guitar energetically strumming a thick blanket of six-strong chords. One way for a harmonica player to deal with this is to reduce the midrange and treble in the harmonica sound and go for the lower end of the spectrum. Hence the bassy, muffled, yet distorted amplified sound cultivated by some blues harmonica players, like a buzzsaw in a nearby padded room.
Thanks guys - I'll get at it and play around on Garage Band and see/hear how I make out. I'm learning to do "trial and error" really well know - especially the error part ;-)
Winslow is right (as usual). I lumped all of that into the category of "acoustics" in my response, but the correct interpretation of EQ management on the recording side would be to compensate for acoustical loss or emphasis regardless of the cause: room, instrument range, instrument projection, etc., and to have the final mix sound appropriate for the piece. In my opinion, room acoustics and shaping the sound wave to mimic the original recording are the largest factors on the playback side.
Mix is a bit more subjective. I've found that every musician in the band wants more prominence (it gets a bit ridiculous at times and is generally proportionate to the size of the musician's ego). Since you are a one-man band, Hank, you can mix it to your own ear's preference. When you get into a regular band, you'll have the joy of experiencing that never-ending debate (or argument).
You got... it's trial and error. Both digital and analog have the same goal in mind, though digital versions tend to have more options.