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MIME Unit is a sound production cum recording studio based in the east of Singapore. It focuses on the niche market of budget recording for bands and musical artists who need quality sounding recordings without the substantially high budget that it takes to fund for such a project.
It does not pretend to be the best there is, neither does it humble itself by claiming to be the worst. It offers what it offers: using good yet affordable equipment, and a decade of sound experience to produce good quality sound recordings that bands and artists can be proud of, yet at a price that is almost as affordable as going to a few weeks of jamming sessions.
If you and/or your bands are students, in full-time national service, folks who earn enough to feed a family but not feed a passion, or just someone who is looking for a cheaper alternative in general, MIME Unit is for you.
- recording
- mixing
- producing
- web/print design
- music video production
- audio advice/training
Armen Rizal Rahman interest in music caught fire when he first dabbled with audio editing and sound producing during his studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The idea of being able to manipulate sound was fascinating to him, and soon begins the journey that took him further and deeper into the arts of audio. Armed with a minimally equipped personal desktop computer, and a karaoke microphone, he produced two demos in the space of two years (Orbital Nocturne and A Prologue to Genre), under a pseudo identity, Ubermensch... More
HTML Design MKdesign //
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You have a PC, you have a mic, you have a guitar, and you have Audacity. But try as you might, you can't seem to make your recording sound how you think it should sound. Sound familiar? Maybe a bit of sound education might do the trick. This page consists of tips and tutorial on how to make the best of your set up... by getting the basics right.
For further queries, please contact us at mime-unit@hotmail.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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| The Almost Ultimate Guide to EQ | | 9:07 PM |
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Any producer worth his salt would have encountered Equalisation or EQ on their sequencer programme or software. They are often known as "Filters" although by technicality, it is wrong to equate EQ to filters, because EQ are meant to be a corrective tool rather than a tone changing gimmick.
Whatever. If you are filter freak, like me, who cares what's accurate or not as long as it sounds good, right? I mean, some of these filter shit can give you some really off the wall effects eg the phone voice.
But let's take step away from the filters, and dive down to another common problem that quite a number of producers may encounter in their recording.
Ever wondered why your vocal recording sound like you've been recording in a box? Ever had problem with really muddy songs, that doesn't sound clear ie some parts of the song doesn't sound so clear, while others sound too loud? If you answer yes to the above, that means your problem is in the mix. Two possible sources of this problem: placement and eq. Placement is basically about placing the sound at different positions on the audio plane, giving the illusion of space eg vocals in the middle, guitar on the extreme right and left, bass off centre etc. But this is worth a totally different entry altogether so I shall now move on to EQ.
Sometimes, the muddiness can be attributed to clashes in frequencies ie too much of instruments fighting for the same frequency range. Most producers make the mistake of pushing the volume of that instrument louder to make it more prominent. This is wrong. It only makes things worse. By pushing volume up, you are basically pushing ALL the frequencies of that instrument up, EVEN the unnecessary frequencies, which tend to rob your mix's clarity.
Remember, all sounds has a certain frequency range that it adheres to. For example, bass delves in the lower frequencies while things like hi hats are high frequency instruments. So it makes no sense for you to push the high frequencies of the bass or the low frequencies of a high hat, cos these frequencies are in audible to the human ear.
Instead, take these frequencies out! By taking out unnecessary frequencies, you will not be crowding that frequency range as much, giving a clear, more defined mix.
So now you know the principles of things, but how do you know which frequency to play around with for each instrument?
I have written below a summarized list of instruments and the frequency that they fall under. The list is nowhere near perfect but it gives you an idea of what to pay attention to when it comes to eqing your mix:
Anything below 20Hz - Pointless. Completely eliminate this!
20Hz to 50Hz - If you making music for dogs, this is your sub-bass frequency. Otherwise, roll off (meaning have the frequency curve arch down steeply as it goes lower)
50Hz - Here's the fun part. The super low-end range that can make your internal organs dance in a club with a good sub bass. Damn shiok! Boost up to make meaty bass drum sounds. Anything else here, ESPECIALLY vocals? Exit door, stage right.
70Hz to 100Hz - Nice to add to bass drums and bass lines for that sub sound essential to dub music. Again, roll off for vocals. Be careful though. Many sources of sub bass end up canceling each other, as bass frequency is susceptible to phase problems. For example, if your drums disappear every now and again in the mix, means that something else is hitting exactly the same frequency. In other words, adding more bass can lead to bass loss in your mix.
200Hz to 400Hz - Use to remove or add woody effect from a snare, or to warm up or remove the muddiness of vocals. Boost here to fill out guitars, cut to thin percussion parts or cymbals.
400Hz to 800Hz - Use these frequencies to adjust clarity of bass tones or warm up that box sound from toms. Boost or cut to thicken or thin out guitars. Reducing some of these frequencies can help tighten up overall bass sound of your mix.
800Hz to 1kHz - You can use this for vocal thickening of a different nature. Boosting at 1kHz can add to the 'knocky' sound of bass drums - especially good with dance music.
1kHz to 3kHz - This part damn hard. Boosting 1.5-2.5k will add edge to guitar. Cut some of the upper 2-3k to smooth out vocals, especially vocals that have a very high pitched tone. Boost for vocals and piano for a slight edge.
3kHz-6kHz - Boost some of these frequencies for that plucky fingered bass sound. Cut at 3k for less hard sound on vocals. To soften sounds, cut off the upper range to dull of certain parts. Boosting at 6k can be good upper points to add clarity to vocals and effective on distorted guitar.
6kHz-10kHz - Boost here to sweeten vocals (as you go up the frequency, you add more air; getting that breathy sound), add crispness and sparkle to acoustic, to enhance the ring of snare and the top edge of a bass drum (yes, folks, a bass drum), and add edge to synth sounds and string.
10kHz to 16kHz - Boost here for even more of that breathy vocals. Add zing to that cymbal and percussion. Cut to reduce noise from sounds that are not bright. Boost to add more sparkle to pad sounds, but only if the frequencies are there to begin with - otherwise you'll be adding just noise.
Be aware that these are mere guidelines and in no way are they absolute. Producers are advised to use their own discretion as to what works for them.Labels: EQ
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Thanks a thousand for being patient with us, and sacrificing your time to help produced, mix and master our songs to perfection.
Looking forward to more songs with u man!
With Great Love,
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