ABSTRACT
The equalizers used in mixing today are not employed to make one sound equal to another, but to manipulate the frequency content of various mix elements. The frequency virtue of each individual instrument, and how the latter appears in the overall frequency spectrum of the mix, is a paramount aspect of mixing. Operating an equalizer is easy; but distinguishing frequencies and mastering their manipulation is perhaps the greatest challenge mixing has to offer. This is worth repeating:
Equalization and filtering is one area where digital designs overpower their analog counterparts. Many unwanted artifacts in analog designs are easily rectified in the digital domain. Digital equalizers provide more variable controls and greater flexibility. For example, it is very common for a digital equalizer to offer variable slopes – a rare feature of analog designs. Digital filters can also have steeper or narrower responses. Theory has it that whatever can be done in the analog domain can be done in the digital one, and vice-versa. However, to have the same features as some digital equalizers, analog designs would end up being very costly and prohibitively noisy. This by no means implies that digital equalizers sound better than analog ones, but equalization is one area in mixing that has experienced a radical upgrade with the introduction of digital equalizers, and, more specifically, software plugins.
