Do it on the X32 · Step 7
EQ & the RTA
EQ is turning specific frequencies up or down. It's how you fix muddy, boxy, harsh, or dull — and it's where most people do the most damage. The full explanation → Guide, Step 7
The short version
- SELECT the channel · HOME → EQ tab
- Cut before you boost — nearly always
- Sweep to find the problem, then turn it down
- Keep moves small: 3–6 dB does a lot
- Compare against EQ off. Better, or just louder?
The one rule
Cut before you boost.
If something sounds wrong, your instinct is to boost what's missing. Resist it. Almost every time, the better fix is finding what's offensive and turning it down.
Two reasons. Boosting adds energy, and thirty channels of boosts pile into a loud, harsh mix that's exhausting to sit through. And boosting makes a channel louder, which fools you into thinking it sounds better when it's just winning.
Cuts are quieter, cleaner, and almost always more natural.
The sweep technique
This is the one move worth learning properly. It finds problem frequencies reliably, without guessing.
- Pick a band and boost it hard — 10 dB or so. This is temporary.
- Narrow the Q so it's surgical.
- Sweep the frequency slowly across the range while the source plays.
- Listen for the spot where it jumps out and sounds awful — honky, boxy, ringing, harsh. That's your problem frequency.
- Now pull that band down a few dB instead of up.
Problem solved, and you added nothing. Takes about twenty seconds once you've done it a few times.
Step by step
-
Select the channel and open the EQ tab.
Press SELECT, then HOME, then the EQ tab. (The EQUALIZER section in the channel strip does the same job with physical knobs, and its VIEW button jumps the screen here.)
-
Switch EQ on.
-
Pick a band.
Input channels have four bands. Each has three controls:
Control What it does Frequency Where it acts Gain How much boost or cut, ±15 dB Q How wide — low Q is broad and gentle, high Q is narrow and surgical The outer two bands can also become shelves — lifting or dropping everything above or below a point, rather than a bump. A gentle high shelf is the nicest way to add air to a vocal.
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Make your move.
Use the sweep technique to find problems, then cut. Use the frequency cheat sheet if you want a starting guess.
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Check yourself.
Toggle the EQ off and on. Is it actually better — or just louder? If you've boosted, pull the channel down slightly so you're comparing at the same volume. This one habit will improve your mixing more than any other.
Using the RTA
The X32 can overlay a real-time analyzer on the EQ curve — a live display of what frequencies the signal actually contains.
It's genuinely useful for finding things: a resonant ring that keeps showing up, a feedback frequency, or confirming that yes, there really is a pile of energy at 300 Hz on that acoustic guitar.
The RTA shows you what's there, not what's wrong. Music has peaks and dips — that's what makes it music. Flattening the display makes things sound worse, not better. Use the RTA to locate, use your ears to decide.
Where things live
| Problem | Try cutting |
|---|---|
| Muddy, thick | 200–400 Hz |
| Boxy, cardboard | 300–600 Hz |
| Honky, nasal | 500 Hz–1 kHz |
| Harsh, fatiguing | 2–4 kHz |
| Sibilant, spitty "ess" | 5–8 kHz, narrow |
| Want | Try boosting gently |
|---|---|
| Presence, clarity | 3–6 kHz |
| Air, openness | 10 kHz+, high shelf |
| Weight (kick/bass only) | 60–100 Hz |
What good looks like
| Check | Should be |
|---|---|
| Most moves | cuts, not boosts |
| Move size | mostly 3–6 dB |
| Bands used | two or three, not all four |
| A/B test | better at matched volume, not just louder |
| Boosts | few, gentle, deliberate |
If a channel needs enormous EQ to sound right, the problem is usually upstream — mic choice, mic position, or the sound coming off the stage. Moving a mic six inches beats any amount of EQ.
If it goes wrong
- The mix is muddy and everything has low-mid cuts already.
- Too many channels carrying the same range. Rather than cutting further everywhere, pick which channel owns the low-mids and cut the others harder. Not everything can have weight.
- A vocal is harsh no matter what I do.
- Try a narrow cut around 2–4 kHz. If it's specifically the "s" sounds, that's sibilance — narrow cut around 5–8 kHz.
- It sounded great soloed and bad in the mix.
- Normal, and an important lesson: EQ in context, not soloed. A channel's job is to fit, not to sound impressive alone.
- Feedback started after I boosted.
- Boosts are the fastest route to feedback. Pull it back. Feedback →
- Every channel needs the same cut.
- That's the room, not the channels. Deal with it once on the main output rather than thirty times.