Highhats, strings/pads, perhaps a stabby synth just slightly touching the barrier of audibility. And you could add some higher-freq reverb too (taking out the lows & mids of the reverb)
I read somewhere that you should avoid the 6000hz area, as it provides painful listening after a while (a slight notch around there was recommended)
Besides all that, you don't need to fill out the spectrum in every part of your song; you need to find a balance. I think there's quite some producers of electronic music that suppress the mids (muddiness), yet I know a really awesome piano-tune producer who tends to boost the mids (according to him, the piano has beautiful mids that give it its real distinct character)
Before messing with your own project, perhaps check out the spectrum of professional productions that you like and the different parts?
As I noticed here, the obvious problem for composers/engineers is the lack of the equalization knowledge. For further help, please ask strict question, so I may give a particular answer to that.
In relation to this, Knogslag placed a good reference chart for particular definitions or instruments. The thing here is not to boost or cut certain frequencies here or there only for the matter that it must be, ear training is the most important thing indeed. "Listen and recognize" is the most applying rule. "Domino effect" of overlistening and loud listening applies here too and you should be aware of that, because you may get neurosis in listening that is temporary (not to afraid of) and mangle your perception and judgement in consequence. I guess that is your problem why you have too much low frequencies presented in the mix. Everyone likes his/her music to rock or just to offer a good emotion, so in count you must take the carefull manner in the technical aspect. Study the spectrometering (which applies the best for you, but usually the best way to analyzing sounds is through a FFT).
On this question, I may try to help you by telling you to analyze the sound and see where the gap(hole) is showing. Solo each instrument, analyze it separately, write down the range of the frequencies (dominant frequencies) that each instrument is manifesting, cut the unneeded range for one instrument and to that place boost for the other that is very near to that frequency field. At the end, add the missing specter of the instruments, unless the track is totaly without hihats or such for example.
dawm_rule; you've just stated the very obvious, yet it is very helpful :-)
Bad EQ'ing and too much muddiness is a comment I get on my tracks too, from certain people. So it's certainly something I will have to start focusing more on. Mixing unfortunately seems to be one of the aspects of producing I like the least
Actually Crispy Liquids, mixing must be the first focus you have to consider after producing the track unless you give your piece of work to proffesional engineers to cope with those problems. EQing is very subtle as compression and many other aspects in the field of dynimics and mixing process as well in the mastering. So, we cannot discuss, for example, where or how to do that in a general manner, but in a certain problem of the process. For example, when I started to do mixing, I never knew before I met one of the very valuable aspects of the mixing process in one of the magazines I read very long time ago (read everything you will find on internet, buy magazines, books if you have financial allowance for that off course), and that is where to start mixing from, how to mix also (an example, bass has to be mixed in -10dbFS according to the full percussion which is starting as a reference point for the bass; cut/dip the frequency that is very dominating/absent in certain field by adding a very narrow resonance (Q factor) to that problematic part). I guess you already know that, but this is just an example of how you have to think - mostly psychological and logicaly trace the problems. I am glad that this helps.
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by dawm_rule: 14-04-2010 09:41.
