One of the things I struggle with, while trying to match CDLC tones to a particular track, is EQ.

 

Sometimes, I hear how the guitar in the recording sounds, and I can get close, but I know that if I could EQ it just right, I could get it to sound perfect. The problem is, I know jack shit about EQ.

 

I know that you can boost and cut frequencies to achieve a certain sound, or accentuate a particular instrument (for example, when trying to simulate an acoustic guitar tone) but I don't have the music production or audiophile knowledge/experience to know what technique best suits each situation.

 

To me, it seems that the most "powerful" (corny word) tool in your effects arsenal is the Parametric EQ (followed closely by Compression). 9 times out of 10, chances are if you borrow a tone from an official Rocksmith track, you're going to find a Parametric EQ on there.

 

Back then, in such a case, I'd been afraid to tweak the PEQ (cos I'm tired of typing it) for fear of ruining whatever "magic" the RS devs bestowed upon the tone. Also, when making my own tones, I never used the PEQ, because I didn't know what settings to choose, and didn't want to do more harm than good.

 

I've become more willing to experiment, but I haven't done much proper research on the topic, until now.

 

I just wanted to share a few of the articles I've come across on the topic, and if I find more (or better) ones, I'll post them.

 

Articles:

 

Soundbridge - Parametric Equalizer

 

Sound on Sound - "What's The Frequency?: A Guide To Effective EQ

 

miniDSP - PEQ vs Graphic EQ

 

 

If anybody has any thoughts, suggestions, or articles to share, feel free to chime in! :D

Note that the PEQ or even some compression are something that i would add last just to go the extra mile in the tone but it shouldn't come before the actual amp/cab and pedal which will make the bulk of the work, playing with the amp EQ will already change incredibly how a tone sounds.

 

As for the PEQ in itself, i like the SOS article as it explain what feels right and what is dangerous to do with a PEQ while the other article tackle the technical aspect of what is and makes a PEQ which is probably a little less usefull.

 

A chart like this image though can be incredibly practical to adjust an EQ :

http://s3.amazonaws.com/pbblogassets/uploads/2014/02/frequencyspectrum.jpg

Note that the PEQ or even some compression are something that i would add last just to go the extra mile in the tone but it shouldn't come before the actual amp/cab and pedal which will make the bulk of the work, playing with the amp EQ will already change incredibly how a tone sounds.

 

As for the PEQ in itself, i like the SOS article as it explain what feels right and what is dangerous to do with a PEQ while the other article tackle the technical aspect of what is and makes a PEQ which is probably a little less usefull.

 

A chart like this image though can be incredibly practical to adjust an EQ :

http://s3.amazonaws.com/pbblogassets/uploads/2014/02/frequencyspectrum.jpg

 

 

For sure, it all starts with a great tone, that's exactly what I meant. The final effects are just to put the cherry on top and make a good tone perfect.

 

This is a great reference graphic, thanks! :)

 

 

I've done a bit of home recording (I know a tiny bit from that), so this graphic will come in handy!

 

Here's a goofy short joke song I recorded (30 seconds, more of a loop than a song, lol) 3 guitars, the final one with Ebow, and slap bass. I played the drums too, but on an e-kit, so I cleaned up my mistakes in the MIDI piano roll, lol:

 

 

 

Basically no EQ, ironically, other than what was on whatever Guitar Rig presets I was using (the envelope filter/wah sound was an actual pedal). :D