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the question is - what were those golden peices of production advice you've heard over the years that really effected/changed your approach/sound?
For me, one of those light bulb moments was getting a grip on how the musical keyboard's octaves aligned with audio frequencies which in turn aligned with the sound range we hear.
1 octave up = double the frequency.
1 octave down = halve the frequency.
So, with Middle A = 440 Hz...
Working down:
220Hz = A -1 octave
110Hz = A -2 octaves
55Hz = A -3 octaves
22.5Hz = A -4 octaves
And working up:
880Hz = A +1 octave
1760Hz = A +2 octaves
3520Hz = A +3 octaves
7040Hz = A +4 octaves
14080Hz = A +5 octaves
Suddenly I understood how our hearing range (20Hz to 20,000Hz on a good day) fit into the musical realm.
And then EQ, especially parametric EQ with its infinitely tweakable frequency range and shape, became less stab-in-the-dark and I could then target my adjustments with both a greater vision and precision.
Frequencies in the lower registers are so far more important than frequencies in the upper registers. Consider that the 8-notes that span one of the lower bass octaves (such as 55Hz through 110Hz) is considerably narrow, and where one must be very specific when chiseling at the frequencies with an EQ. Just a few Hertz either side and one's targeting a completely different musical note.
Whereas at the upper end of the scale (such as 3520Hz through 7040Hz), the same 8-note span is now spread across literally thousands of hertz increments meaning a more general, wider sweep of the EQ brush is all that's required (unless there's some sort of ringing-like tone one's attempting to eliminate/highlight).
My next major lightbulb moment came when I got a grip on how an everyday sound is typically constructed. It begins with a lower frequency (fundamental) that provides it with its body. This foundation is then layered with a series of progressive higher (harmonic) frequencies that give it its character or timbre.
So while a concert piano might have it's Middle A tuned to a perfect 440Hz, it's full of harmonics way above 440Hz that give a piano its distinctive sound, yet there's virtually nothing below 440Hz for this note. Take away those upper harmonics and the piano becomes dull, muffled and characterless, sounding less like a piano (and approaching a pure sine wave). Take away the 440Hz, and the still-recognisable piano becomes thinner and more brittle without the fundamental to give it a firm foundation.
Simple, huh?!
And a great thread idea! :cans:
And I know there's a similar topic already running on here, so I might see if I can merge them somehow...
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