Empirical Labs EL-Rx - Manual (Page 7)

Example Settings 4
Percussion
Drums and percussion are sources that often need liberal amounts of processing. We will touch
briefly on a few tricks for common percussion issues.
Kick Drum EQ – Woofy kick drums can often be fixed with lots of 220 – 400Hz pulled out. It is not
uncommon to get a great sound just pulling 6 – 12 dB of 300 – 400 Hz out. Set the LF parametric
EQ for –9dB at 400Hz to start. The level will drop dramatically with this EQ since there’s usually
tons of power in this frequency range, but usually, the overall tone will be much better. To add
attack, add 5Khz – 8Khz with one of the upper two PEQ (parametric EQ) bands. Check your kick
drum on several speakers!
Snare – Snares often need some top and bottom. This again hints at possibly pulling a generous
amount of a mid frequency to bring the low and high frequencies out. Try pulling frequencies
between 350 – 1.5KHz. This often sounds very natural but again, always EQ drums in the mix with
the other drum mics on. Soloing while EQing is dangerous, especially on drums where many mics
can interact with each other. If you still need some snap and sizzle in the high frequencies, try +5 @
8KHz. Watch out for high hat and cymbal bleed since this is a common problem. Adding thud and
body to the snare is usually done in the 100 – 200Hz range. Try +2dB @ 150Hz (100 – 200) and
tune from there. High passing the snare at 70 or 100Hz can often clean up the low end and help the
kick drum due to phase problems. Analog tape was always a big help in getting a fat, punchy,
natural snare. If the snare has a plastic edge and needs sustain, experiment with the
compressor/saturator. In mixdown, the DocDerr compressor can bring smack and sustain.
However, we urge you to record the drums without compression, or at least keep a copy of the
uncompressed track on tape (DAW). Compressing while tracking will increase bleed and possibly
make it tricky to gate or trigger samples later on. Room or ambient mics are a possible exception.
Percussion such as tambourines, congos, etc can often be treated with some compression while
recording without much risk.
Mixes & Buss EQing
- For those who aren't used to the jargon... A “BUSS” is usually a pair of
channels (2) that have pre mixed instruments or stereo music on them. The Left & Right outputs of
your CD (music) player could be considered a 2 channel buss. In the recording studio, it is more
often applied to the final left and right channel mix, or to something such as all the drums mixed
down to 2 tracks (a "submix"). Now, instead of riding or processing 12 channels at once to move the
drums up and down, you only have to work with two.
A common problem with mixes or submixes is overall “dullness” or lack of high end clarity. Use
the high band centered at 10 – 15KHz. Alternately, cutting some lows or low mids can clarify a mix.
The 250 – 600Hz range is a common target. Pulling out frequencies between 250 – 600Hz can often
clear up a whole mix, making the low end and high end come out in a pleasing way. If there are
vocals present, watch out for losing their pleasant warmth and body. Often mid frequencies will pile
up between 1 – 5Khz. Our ears are most sensitive to this range and one can often pull 1 – 3 dB with
a parametric band (-1.5@4K) after high frequencies have been boosted. Mastering mixes is almost
always an art of compromise.
The compressor can be extremely useful for adding excitement to mixes or busses. Because
the compressor is so fast, you will either use the DocDerr compressor as a peak limiter (1-3dB), or
use the mix control to add in a little compressed signal to the dry signal, bringing up details and
sustain, helping fit the mix together and sound more finished. When using the MIX, you can
sometimes apply 6 – 10dB (or more) of compression blended under the dry signal. Don’t forget you
can disable the compressor and just use the tape-like saturation, which helps integrate frequencies,
filling in cracks and increasing the apparent volume.
LIVE SOUND REINFORCEMENT
– The DocDerr is expected to find prolific use in
sound reinforcement systems for many reasons. The unit is built like military gear, extremely strong
with many connections doubled up, making it extremely road worthy. The lettering is quite large
compared to many mixer eqs, making it easy to read in dim light, and the knobs are carefully
calibrated for repeatable settings. And of course, the extreme versatility and multitude of tonal
processors contained within it, should allow the sound engineers to handle most any problem he
encounters in his day to day life on the road.
Direct box – The high performance preamp in the DocDerr was meant to be used as a stage
preamp. Since its performance exceeds most instruments output signal to noise, guitar, bass,
synths, and drum machines will all come out clean and fat, with the DocDerr adding little noise.
9
Example Settings 3
Sometimes the guitar just needs a touch of fatness without losing attack, don’t forget that
cutting a high mid (1- 4KHz) can sometimes take out a nasty honk and let the body in the lower
frequencies pop out. Crunchy guitars, which are full of harmonics, are notoriously sensitive to tonal
changes. You can often notice a 1 dB boost or cut on an electric guitar much easier than you could
on a vocal, drum or other instrument. Analog tape was always a big help with vocals and electric
guitars because it clipped all the pointy peaks and saturated when the high frequencies piled up.
One can try just the saturator in the DocDerr by disabling the compressor (press LF and HF).
Bass
– Bass is a difficult instrument to get “right in the mix”. The DocDerr has many ways to help
round out and make it cut through in a mix. First, if a low bass tone is too pure and sine-wave-like, it
will "fall off" on small speakers. By this we mean it will not be audible because most of the bass
frequencies are below the range of the speakers.
Try bringing out 700 to 2KHz with a mid PEQ Band. These will accentuate the upper harmonics
that will reproduce on small speakers. Sometimes pulling out frequencies around 300Hz will bring
out the low end and high end on a bass and give that frequency range more room in a mix for the
guitars vocals, etc. But pulling out too much 200 – 400Hz can give you a hollow sound that has no
warmth on small speakers. Also, the DocDerr compressor can add “tubey” harmonics to cut on
small speakers. The more compression the more harmonics. Use the Mix control to tame the
compressor. The compressor will tame the clacky attacks and lengthen the sustain.
It is not uncommon in this digital age to have too many sub frequencies on a bass track. Try
the 70Hz High pass, you will be able to raise the bass level in a mix, giving it clarity and leaving the
sub freqs to the bass drum. Boosting low freqs on an EQ before a compressor lets the compressor
grab the eq points and control them. Often accentuating around 100Hz will give the bass plenty of
bottom. Conversely, if you are boosting EQ after the compressor, those new frequencies will be
there to stay. An EQ following the DocDerr’s EQ and Compression will give any engineer enough
tools to get a great sound no matter what he started with.
Sometimes there aren’t a lot of important frequencies on the bass above 4KHz, Try pulling out
a wide band at 4 KHz or above to cut clack, hiss, excessive pick noise etc. I have seen engineers
“band limit” the top and bottom end of the bass to approximately 60Hz through 4 KHz, letting the rest
of the tracks fill in above and below this band.
Vocals
– It’s most important to pick the right mic, the right distance and the right angle for the
singer. The most expensive mic isn’t always the best mic for a person’s voice. Also, sometimes the
mic that needs the least EQ isn’t the best mic either. And moving a person a couple inches in and
out from the mic can make all the difference in the world.
EQing - Don’t overly brighten! Of course, a certain amount of high boost is frequently required.
But, often harsh sibilant frequencies suddenly pop out making a perfectly good vocal become this
scratchy, hissy annoying squawk. Try setting up the compressor first, while adjusting the EQ, as it
keeps level changes from fooling you. Pulling some woofy or pointy lower mids can bring out the
body and high frequencies without exaggerating the spit, S’es, and high frequency resonances in a
voice. There is a danger in removing the body in the 150 – 300 range so keep your ears alert when
working these frequencies. A dB or two may be enough. Try pulling freqs from 2K to 4kHz out to
smooth and bring out the low and top end, and get rid of harsh “honk”.
The DocDerr compressor is magic on vocals, and brings a great modern sound to them. It
brings the body up but will also bring out the honk, breaths and sibilants (sibilants are the annoying
S’es, T’s K’s that have a high frequency transient nature). Try our DerrEsser to tame these artifacts.
Keyboards
– Obviously in this sampled age, this covers a lot of sounds, and Acoustic Pianos
are a whole subject unto themselves. We can give some quick generalizations here. First, don’t
forget to properly set the Instrument In jumper. If the level of the keyboard is low, set to instrument
in. However, modern synths can usually work fine at LINE In levels. Either way, the DocDerr makes
a great DI box. Treatment depends on the final setting, I.E. Solo keyboards, or as part of a larger
ensemble. Getting a big full sound is usually the goal of solo keyboards pieces, unlike ensemble
playing. In ensemble playing, high passing is often useful, especially if there are potential conflicts in
the low end between the synth and bass parts. In the latter case, the DocDerr high pass will prove
invaluable for removing the mud that can occur from a left hand/bass conflict. Try 100Hz High Pass
setting here. Synths often have “plucky” top ends. One can band limit the top end up there, or try the
Compressor/Saturator to control the peaks. Sometimes string sounds have a midrange grit to them
and using a PEQ (Parametric Equalizer), one can pull out 800 – 4KHz (start at 2KHz) and get a
silkier sound that sits in the back and lets the guitars and vocals have that upper midrange area.
Rolling off top end can help get rid of the buzz of a synth part. Cutting freqs on one track, gives room
for them elsewhere. 6
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