
Note the ability to make pinpoint-precise fixes in both Ozone's Izotope Dynamic EQ (Fig. 1— top) and Fab Filter's Q3 (Fig. 2 — bottom).
Want to surgically fix that "ice pick in the forehead tone?" Check into dynamic EQ.
Greetings everyone, and welcome to another Dojo installment. For my next two columns, we're going to be examining the differences between using a dynamic EQ or a multiband compressor. This month, I'm going to discuss the benefits of using a dynamic EQ in your recordings.
First, let me define what a dynamic EQ is, since it's often confused with a multiband compressor. Essentially, a dynamic EQ is an EQ (with all of the normal attributes: HPF, LPF, notch, and band-pass filters) that also has the added ability to compress a frequency band much like a standard multiband compressor.
On the surface, you might think there's not much different between the two, but I'm going to advocate for you to not be fooled by this generality. If you're not sure what a compressor is or need a refresher, I invite you to review my previous Dojo articles, in the June and July 2020 issues, discussing that very subject. You can also visit my website, bryanclarkmusic.com, for more info. With that said, the Dojo is now open, so let's begin.
"Wouldn't it be nice to have something that would only go to work when those ice-pick frequencies are happening and leave everything else alone?"
I love using dynamic EQs to tame intermittent problem frequencies and pesky gremlin-like spikes on individual tracks within a session (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, vocals, snare, synths, etc.), and I have found they can do this with much more transparency than using a multiband compressor. Izotope's Dynamic EQ (in Ozone) and Fab Filter's Q3 are excellent examples of dynamic EQs (Fig.1 and Fig. 2).
Let's say, for example, your latest and greatest guitar solo has significant parts that sound abrasive, it's making your ears get fatigued, and has that kind of "ice pick in the forehead" tone (to quote Frank Zappa). Usually you're going to want to examine the 2.5 kHz to 3.5 kHz part of the frequency spectrum and start subtracting some of that harshness. However, if you do that using a standard EQ, you're also subtracting those frequencies from the entire solo—even the parts that don't have those annoying artifacts—and thus you could be changing the overall tone of your guitar solo. Wouldn't it be nice to have something that would only go to work when those ice-pick frequencies are happening and leave everything else alone?
Unlike most multiband compressors, Waves C4 offers expansion, but it also limits the audio spectrum to just four bands.
Here's why I prefer using a dynamic EQ in this scenario: It's more surgical and more transparent. Most multiband compressors generally divide the audio spectrum into three or four bands (Fig.3). You simply set the crossover points to bookend the frequency area(s) of sonic annoyance, and then, by using ratio (4:1, etc.), reduce the aural offenses when they cross over the threshold of the compressor. Dynamic EQs, on the other hand, also do this, but with much more flexibility by increasing the standard three or four bands (or points) to eight or 10, and you can insert the point directly on the offending frequency(s) rather than having to bookend like a multiband compressor. This can be handy if your track has multiple low-end, midrange, and high-end peaks that you need to wrangle. Pro tip: If you have a plethora of frequencies that you're trying to "fix," it's a good sign that you might not have recorded it as best as possible.
Generally, traditional multiband compressors only reduce audio signal once they start working and don't offer the ability to expand or boost the frequencies if you ever have the need. Although, to be fair, a few—like Waves C4 and C6—do offer expansion capabilities. Dynamic EQs, however, are just as capable of boosting the frequencies as reducing them, thus giving you more options to bring out little details that might normally get buried in a traditional multiband compressor.
Finally, and most importantly for me, dynamic EQs use the actual level (or gain) of the frequencies in question rather than using ratios (4:1, 8:1, 12:1, etc.) like compressors do. Because of this design, dynamic EQs are much more transparent and can either reduce or expand frequencies with much less coloration, to get the closest to an ideal recording of your track.
Until next time, be well, be curious, and have fun.
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John Petrucci, St. Vincent, James Valentine, Steve Lukather, Tosin Abasi, Cory Wong, Jason Richardson, Fluff, and more are donating instruments for contributors, and contributions are being accepted via this LINK.
The L.A. wildfires have been absolutely devastating, consuming more than 16,200 structures, and tens of thousands of people–including many members of the LA music community–have been displaced, as well as 29 persons killed. Historic gear company Ernie Ball has stepped up with a large-scale fundraiser, for MusicCares and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, to assist those impacted by the fire and responders on the front line. The company kicked off the initiative with a $50,000 donation.
“We are absolutely crushed by the devastation Los Angeles has endured over the past few weeks,” CEO Brian Ball said in a statement. “As a California-based company with origins as a small retailer in LA County, seeing the impact of these fires in our community is heartbreaking.
Message from Tim Henson
Tim Henson is donating one of his own Ibanez TOD10N guitars for the cause.
“That’s why we’re partnering with our family of artists to give back in a unique way. In addition to our donation, Ernie Ball artists are stepping up to donate personal guitars and gear—truly one-of-a-kind pieces that money can’t buy. Here’s how you can help: Donate any amount and we will randomly give these items away. Every dollar goes directly toward helping those affected by these devastating fires. If you can’t donate, sharing this message can still make a huge impact,” Ball declared.
The fundraiser will continue until February 14.
Message from Steve Vai
The author found this one-of-a-kind tremolo/vibrato/sound-altering modulation box at Quattro Music Company in Thomas, West Virginia.
Producer and roots-guitar veteran Michael Dinallo pens his unabashed love letter to tremolo, with fond recollections of vintage Fender and Gibson amps, Dunlop’s TS-1, and a one-of-a-kind mystery modulator.
Tremolo is my favorite effect to modulate a guitar’s sound (and I love vibrato, too). I love it so much that it’s part of the moniker of the production team I had with the late Ducky Carlisle—the Tremolo Twins—as well as our Trem-Tone Records label. You might recognize Ducky from his many engineering credits, including Buddy Guy, or our work together on albums like Stax veteran Eddie Floyd’s heralded Eddie Loves You So, from 2008.
For me, the golden period of tremolo was the early 1960s. The brown-panel Fender amps of that period have astounding harmonic tremolo, as do the Gibson amps from that period. I have a 1963 Gibson GA-5T Skylark that has a tremendous tremolo circuit. I used that amp for all the guitar parts I cut on my new album, The Night’s Last Dance,as well as all the records I’ve worked on over the last four years, either as producer or player. My favorite, though, is the 1963 2x10 Fender Super—also a brown-panel amp. It can be so soupy that, if multi-tracked, it can almost induce seasickness.
But there are so many choices and classic sounds. The Magnatone and Lonnie Mack jump to mind, or the use of a Leslie cabinet for guitar, which is another sound I love as both player and producer. Two of the most distinct and famous uses of tremolo, to my ears, are Link Wray’s “Rumble” and Reggie Young’s arpeggiating opening chord on “The Dark End of the Street” by James Carr. There is a shimmery quality to big chords drenched in a slow tremolo, especially if the part is doubled. From a production standpoint, it adds depth to a track, even if it’s mixed way in the back.
Let’s talk about doubling a tremolo part. Once in a while you can get lucky and have the amp cycle the wave at just the right time as you hit the record button. But most often not. Usually this is not a big deal and adds to the depth of the bed part being recorded. Sometimes, though, it has to be a tight double. That’s when I’ve spent much time guessing at the cycling and trying to hit it just right. It’s a blast when you do.
One of my favorite experiments with tremolo was setting up two amps—a brown-panel Fender Vibroverb and a brown-panel Fender Concert—in a V-shape. The amps were set to the same volume and approximately the same tone settings. Using a stereo mic in the middle of the V, we recorded it to one track. We had to keep tweaking the individual tremolo settings in an effort to not have them cancel each other out. But what a huge, lush sound!
“There is a shimmery quality to big chords drenched in slow tremolo, especially if the part is doubled.”
There are many tremolo pedals and recording plugins these days, and they’re all good, but nothing quite captures the sound of an internal tremolo circuit. You can avoid chasing their cycles, too, if a pedal has a tap-tempo function. But what fun is that?
The one tremolo pedal, for me, that comes the closest to an in-amp circuit is the now-vintage Dunlop TS-1. Thirty years ago, I needed a tremolo pedal for my road amp—at the time, a 1994 Fender tweed Blues DeVille. I found Dunlop’s big, honking purple metal box with “tremolo” written across the front in wavy yellow letters. You can get wide, sweeping tremolo or set it to a hard, choppy setting where the volume completely disappears. I’ve used both applications effectively. The hard trem is great for the last chord of a song, especially live, hitting like a boxer sparring with a weighted, hanging bag—especially if you’re diving into a psychedelic ending. And, of course, mixing in other modulation effects, such as flanging or phasing, adds another twist.
I found the most unique tremolo/vibrato/sound-altering modulation box I have at Quattro Music Company in Thomas, West Virginia. It’s not a pedal per se; it’s circuitry housed in a cigar box with so many knobs and switches and variations that I still have not exhausted all the possibilities. It’s a one-off. I was told it was the only tremolo box the inventor made. Combining it with a front-end boost and diming an amp produces otherworldly sounds. I’ve used it on a couple of recordings: “Never, No More (A Reckoning)” by Keith Sykes and me, and “Time Machine” by the Dinallos (where we were joined by Nashville’s famed singing siblings, the McCrary Sisters). With the latter, it’s most obvious as a tremolo device, and on the former it’s as a sound-altering gizmo that enhances the guitar leads.
Of all the toys in the arsenal that guitarists have, I’ve gotta say, long live tremolo!
In our second installment with Santa Cruz Guitar Company founder Richard Hoover, the master luthier takes PG's John Bohlinger through the detailed (and scientific) process of analyzing, shifting and "tuning" the guitar's top before repeating the process when the back and sides are joined, and once again when introducing the neck to the instrument build while focusing on keeping everything harmoniously synergized and "tuned."
Axis, Cutlass, Sting Rays, oh my! There were all those and more new stylings at the Sterling by Music Man & Ernie Ball both this year as we got a tour of all their affordable options that are out or will be coming out in 2025. We saw new stylings on signature sweets for James Valentine, Steve Lukather, Ryan "Fluff" Bruce, Pete Wentz, Tosin Abasi, Jason Richardson and more!
Sterling By Music Man StingRay Plus Electric Guitar - Black
The StingRay Plus takes the classic StingRay guitar to new heights with a roasted maple neck, versatile P90 pickups, and a built-in volume boost. A matching headstock and sleek block inlays complete the polished, old-school look. Experience the next level of tone and performance with the StingRay Plus.