From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

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Compression first or EQ first?

Compression first or EQ first?

From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

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Compression first or EQ first?

One of the most common questions I get from my students is whether they should EQ their tracks before or after compression, and the answer I always give them is, that depends. I like to consider an addition- subtraction approach when deciding whether or not I want to EQ or compress first: what I'm going to get rid of and what do I want to play up or add? In the case of subtraction, I think about what part of the signal's frequency response I did not like or what I'm going to want to remove before it hits the mix bus. I generally like to get rid of any frequency material I don't want before I hit my compressors or limiters. That way the compressor's threshold won't be triggered by material I'm going to get rid of anyway. For example, if I have a loop with a ton of low end that I don't need, I might using EQ to filter out all the bass frequencies before hitting the compressor. Since those bass frequencies will likely make the most of that signal's amplitude, they would likely influence…

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