In a previous blogpost, I said that compression was one of the most ubiquitous music production tools.

And while this is true, there is a clear winner in this particular popularity contest.

And the winner is: Equalization , normally referred to as EQ .

You’ll find EQ everywhere in music production.

Some DAWs, like Logic Pro, have EQ built into every channel, whether you want it or not, ready to grab at a moment's notice.

The truth is you normally will want to use it.

Seasoned producers will often have several go-to EQs; I for one love to grab Ableton Live’s EQ Three for crude tone shaping, and EQ Eight for fine tuning.

But if I want some character, I’ll go for a Pultec, API or SSL emulation to give my tracks more bite.

What does EQ actually do?

An EQ adjusts the sonic profile of your sounds, by boosting or cutting specific frequencies or ranges of frequencies.

Most EQ are parametric, meaning they have several bands , and each band can have a different filter curve , such as high-pass, low-pass, shelving or notch.

On each band of a parametric EQ, you’ll be able to adjust the gain , frequency , and bandwidth (Q) to dial in the characteristics you want.

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