Overdoing it When Processing Audio

Here’s an amateur mistake when using an EQ, for example:

You open the EQ and boost the low end A LOT because it sounds huge, and then you boost the high end A LOT because it adds lots of clarity.

Sometimes this method will work.

In reality, the amount we boost in the moment usually ends up being too much when we evaluate the sound later. Meaning, usually we boost frequencies that sound good but we boost them TOO much.

Here’s a method that helps solve that problem:

(Again we will use EQ as the example but this method applies to all different signal processing)

1. First, do what the amateur does – find what frequencies sound good and boost them (or find which frequencies sound bad and subtract them).
2. Then, back off on the AMOUNT that you added or subtracted. Meaning, if you boosted some low end 6 dB, back it off so you’re only boosting about 4 dB.
3. Then, stick with that sound for a short time, maybe 2-5 minutes, while you’re working on other tracks or editing, etc.
4. After hearing for a bit how your +4 dB of low end EQ sounds in the mix, you will more accurately be able to decide whether that still sounds good, or whether you should add more low end (maybe your initial amount of 6 dB WAS correct), or whether you should back it down to adding only 1 or 2 dB.
5. Obviously you can iterate this process many times within a 10 or 20 minute timeframe and achieve great results with processing your audio just the right amount.

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