Recording - October 2013 - 22

At the mix stage, each element of the mix can have
its own tone controls, and since that track blends with
the others, you have to listen carefully for just how
those elements all work together. You are going for a
cohesive blend against the other tracks, so you
should eq tracks while the mix is playing. No one will
ever hear any of the tracks solo’d!

Spectral Balancing,
Or How To Use An EQ
By Sean Shannon

Get a second opinion
I recommend using a spectrum analyzer when mixing. There are many spectrum analyzers available
today, and some are even free, so using one should be
mandatory. Strap it across your mix bus at the end of
the chain to get a visual display of the frequency content of your entire mix or anything that passes through
the master fader.
When you mix or solo a track or group, the analyzer will show the frequency content of that element, so
it is a handy reference at any time during the mixing
process. It will also reveal rumbles, hiss, and identify
spikes for you if you miss them or your speaker/room

Fig 1. A well-balanced track’s spectrum analysis will look something like this, with the idealized distribution
shown as a red line in this picture.
Mixing is a balancing act. Like an acrobat walking the tightrope, the mix
engineer must strive for balance. A push in one direction can mean a pull in
the other, and it’s easy to lean the wrong way if you’re not careful.
Balance starts with the trusty eq. Faders, pan pots, compressors, and
effects are all powerful mixing tools, but they can’t easily fix bad tone.
Hidden energy can rob your mix of punch and sparkle, and make it difficult for featured tracks to sit well in the mix. Good tone maximizes impact,
size, and emotion.
Get the frequency balance sorted out, and your mix will have more
detail and depth. Compressors will have less work to do, and fader moves
will be smoother because balancing the frequencies can minimize jumps
in level. Let’s look at some ways we can use eq to get a spectrally balanced mix.
What is Spectral Balancing?
Spectral balancing is a fancy term for dialing in, or carving out, a frequency space for each element of a mix so everything blends together in a pleasing, balanced way, without too much energy in any one area of the spectrum.
The first introduction to spectral balancing for most people is the set of tone
controls on their stereo system, for bass, treble, and possibly also midrange.
Those two or three knobs cover the entire spectrum. A spectrally balanced mix
would not have excessive energy in any one of those general areas, and you
wouldn’t feel the urge to boost or cut any of those bands to make it sound better overall.
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RECORDING October 2013

combination isn’t revealing them. Between what your
ears tell you and what the analyzer is showing you,
you should be able to remove problem frequencies
and enhance tone quickly.
A pre-mastered, spectrally balanced mix should
have a general frequency curve as shown in Figure
1, with a slight tilt downward from low to high. If it
were a flat curve, it would be very harsh and bright.
Carving out a sound
Today’s large track counts and close-miking techniques require weeding out competing frequencies
for a clear mix. You might find a buildup of low frequencies, and some tracks may need energy
removed from bands that have little effect on the
tone, or a boost in the tonal area where the body of
the instrument resides.
Two of the biggest eq problems are boominess and
harshness. Going through the tracks and sorting out
the low mids and high mids can really clear up a
track without losing any of the size or the sizzle.
Here are some techniques for spectrally balancing
your mix with individual track eq. To protect your
speakers and your hearing, you may want to turn

Recording - October 2013

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