How to: 5-band graphic equalizer

Tom · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 1

We just bought a new car with an audio system that has a 5-band equalizer. There are no instructions as to adjusting it, and I have no knowledge whatsoever. Can anyone please give me some basic instructions to set it up for general music listening, or direct me to a website for instructions? Thanks. T

Brien · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 3:17 am Post subject:

Mostly it's whatever is your personal taste. Placing all sliders @-0- is the place to start. It is almost always better to cut a freq. then it is too boost.

Equalization: Selectively boosting or cutting bands of frequencies to improve the performance of a sound reinforcement system:

http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/us_pro_ea_basics

the audiophile · Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 9:34 am Post subject:

Graphic equalisers are one of the most vital components in a recording
studio's equipment yet are probably the most abused function when it
comes to domestic use.
They have three basic uses:
1: In the recording process they are used to adjust the individual and overall tonal properties of the voices and instruments.
2: They play a vital and indispensible role when compensating for the
room acoustics where the music wil be recorded or played.
3: Domestically probably mostly used to adjust for personnal preference
or to compensate for a less than optimum sound system.

A recording studio is purpose built to be soundproof and acoustically 'dead' but compensation is still needed to produce a 'flat' response
from the monitors i.e. all frequencies have the same volume level.
To do this 'pink' noise is is fed through the monitors then via a microphone
through a spectrum analyser and graphic equaliser.
In a perfect world the spectrum analyser (looks like a bar graph) would
show a straight line across zero dB but if the room is soaking up too
much of the frequencies around eg 12 kilohertz the graph would show a
dip in that area. The graphic EQ is then used to compensate by boosting
12 K back to the zero or flat level.
This procedure is used to produce as flat a response as possible across
the whole of the frequency range.
The audio engineer is now able to produce a proper balance for all the
instruments and voices to be recorded.
If the studio is not 'tuned' and say soaks up an excessive amount of let's
say bass or bottom end then the engineer would boost that area so it
sounds balanced in the studio but when you play it at home it would
rattle your windows with excess bass.

The second important thing to consider when using a graphic EQ for
adjusting sound is the way ours ears respond to different frequencies at
different volume levels. The graphs for this are known as Fletcher Munsen
curves or equal loudness contours.
In a studio the sound is mixed at a level as close as possible to a straight
line to give the flattest possible result.
As volume level is decreased our ears response to the upper and lower
frequencies also decrease so at very low levels we perceive it as a very
thin sound with no brightness or bottom end.
The EQ can now be used to boost the bottom and top end to make the
sound acceptible at low listening levels. I don't know if they are still
installed in current sound systems but older one's used to have what was
called a 'loudness' control for this purpose - it gave a pre-set boost to the top and bottom end for low level volume listening.
I am fully aware that we all have our own personal preferences in the
way we like our music to sound but consider this - the artists and studio
personell can spend months and megadillions of dollars to produce an
album that is absolutely perfect yet it can be played with such drastic
adjustement of an EQ that it might just as well have been recorded in a
garage with a kids plastic karaoke machine. Why spoil something you've
spent hard earned money on ?
My best advice when using a graphic EQ is use it as little as possible and
then only for minor tweaking to correct an obvious deficiency.
In a very dead room with lots of furniture, drapes and carpet etc which
soak up the top end perhaps give the top end a boost or cut the bottom
end a little to restore the balance. In a 'live' room do the opposite - cut
the top or boost the bottom. In either case be careful not to over do it.

Here's one for the musos.
As a musician from the early 60's and an audio engineer from'87 on when
I go to a show I just gotta have a look at the band's setup and apart from
a fully professional show I have not seen even one local band that knows
how to use an EQ properly!
I said earlier that our ears are less sensitive to high and low frequencies
at low volume levels yet boosting these frequencies on a voice can make
it sound fuller and less harsh and this is a setting vocalists tend to use
when setting up for a gig. Problem is the sound check is usually done in
an empty venue and I'll bet not too many bands have someone go to
the other end of the room to check from there so it sounds good from the
stage.
The effect of the top/bottom boost on voice is again to do with the way
our ears perceive sound. Boosting the top/bottom effectively cuts the
range of frequencies we use to understand speach. The end result at a gig
is that the instruments sound fine from the other end of the room but
the vocals are that muffled you can't understand a word.
So if you're in a band and your EQ is set in a V shape - flatten it, perhaps
give it around about a 3dB cut at 1K to help reduce feedback and do
your mic adjustments on the individual channels.

I sat down to give a few tips and finished up giving a lecture so you're
stuck with it now. Never the less someone might get something out
of it. Cheers.

Brien · Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:35 am Post subject:

Quote:

We just bought a new car with an audio system that has a 5-band equalizer.

Seems a tad much for the guy that asked the original question:)

the audiophile · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 1:51 am Post subject:

I know, that's why I almost didn't post it, but as this is
a discussion forum and a way for people to find the
answers to their questions I thought - why not ?
At least one other person read it and that was the idea.
Why have some knowledge and not share it?
(' Laughing

')

Brien · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:16 am Post subject:

I agree... I'm just saying thats all;) Exchanging ideas...that sorta thing.

Keeping it alive...

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