Effects
EQ and Filters
Effects that change the balance between low, middle and high frequencies.
Equalisers and filters lift or cut parts of the frequency range and leave the rest alone. Reach for them to take rumble out of a voice recording, to tame a harsh or boomy resonance, or to shape a whole mix so it sits comfortably.
Where to find it
The EQ and filters submenu of the Effect menu, with audio selected.
Choosing between them
The group spans two kinds of tool. The simple filters do one job each with two or three settings: pass everything above or below a frequency, notch out a single frequency, tilt one end of the spectrum. The equalisers give you the whole curve at once — either as a row of fixed bands or as a curve you draw — and are what you want when the correction is more than one move.
Notes
Cutting is usually a better first instinct than boosting: removing what is in the way costs no headroom, while boosting adds level that may then need reining in.
- Graphic EQ Shape the frequency response with a bank of fixed one-third-octave faders.
- Bass and Treble Boost or cut the low and high ends with two shelf filters.
- Filter Curve EQ Shape the frequency response by drawing a curve on a frequency-against-gain graph.
- High-pass Filter Attenuate frequencies below a chosen cutoff and leave the ones above it.
- Low-pass Filter Attenuate frequencies above a chosen cutoff and leave the ones below it.
- Notch Filter Remove a narrow band of frequencies centred on one value, leaving the rest alone.
- Shelf Filter Boost or cut everything below or above a chosen frequency by a set amount.
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