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A Quick Look at the Filter Curve or EQ Effect

Hi there and welcome to this video where we're going to be looking at EQ or equalization. So we have two different types of EQ in all Audacity graphic EQ and filter curve graphic EQ allows us to adjust fixed frequency bands and filter curve allows us to have more control over adjusting frequencies. So for this example, we're going to choose filter curve. Let's apply this to our track. Let's make sure we have our track selected and then go to effect and then go down to filter curve. So this filter curve is essentially a parametric EQ but they call it a filter curve in audacity. OK. So EQ or equalization essentially allows us to adjust the volume of different frequencies. So we can use this EQ to change the sound or adjust the frequency balance of the voice if we wish. OK. So on this EQ vertically, we have volume and this is in decibels or DB. So we can increase the volume with positive values or decrease the volume with negative values. And zero DB is the level of the audio. Before we'v...

e applied the EQ horizontally, we have frequencies. So we have the lower frequencies on the left and the higher frequencies on the right. So this goes from 20 Hertz to 20,000 Hertz. The human range of the voice is generally around 100 to 8000 Hertz. But again, it depends on the voice and the human range of hearing is anywhere from 20 to 20,000 Hertz, which is why this EQ goes from 20 to 20,000 Hertz. We also have these grid lines which can be useful if you want to find exact frequencies. However, you can uncheck show grid lines down here if you want to turn them off. But I find it useful to have them on. OK. So we can actually draw it in different breakpoints on this EQ by just clicking and then these nodes will appear which we can click and drag. So for example, here I've made a boost around 1000 Hertz. You can always go back to default by pressing flatten. So this will reset all the changes you've made on the EQ. So the line will be horizontal at zero DB. So if you just click above like this and you have this horizontal line, it's just going to make all of the frequencies louder. So you will have to click to add more break points if you want to just boost or cut certain frequencies. So let's add a few more break points around this. So for example, here we're boosting around 1400 Hertz or we can click and drag down to cut or attenuate around 1400 Hertz. We also have this invert button here and this will flip the shape that was created on a EQ. To be honest though, I wouldn't really use this invert feature as it isn't really that useful, but it's there just in case. OK. So let's just play the audio back now and then I'll make some extreme changes so you can clearly hear the difference. So let's go back to flatter and then preview this audio back. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. OK? Now let's click to add some break points here and I'm going to make an extreme boost in the higher frequencies and let's play this back by a pressing preview. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. Obviously that is too extreme, but you could hear the higher frequencies were a lot louder. Now, let's do the same with the lower frequencies. So click to add break points and click to drag this up. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum that is a bit more subtle as the voice isn't as low. So let's try adding this shelf here. But for more low mid frequencies, I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. OK. That's a lot more obvious. Let's attenuate this. Now, I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum and let's press flatten again. And another extreme example here, let's attenuate the higher frequencies by adding this shelf here. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. OK. Let's go back to flatten and now let's make some changes that may be more useful. So I'm actually going to filter out some low frequencies as this goes to 20 Hertz here. But the voice will not be speaking this low. So the only audio we'll be getting at this lower frequency is here will be low rumble noise. So we can filter or remove this. So I'm going to click to add some break points here and then I'm going to start my filter around 30 Hertz. I'm going to preview this back now, but the changes may be quite subtle. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. So you could hear there, we weren't actually filtering the voice. We were just filtering any audio that was lower than the voice. Let's do the same. But for the higher frequencies. So the higher frequencies here won't actually be the voice either. This may just be some high end noise. So let's filter out the higher frequencies again. So let's click to add a breakpoint. Then we're going to filter around 16,000 Hertz. I could probably move this filter even lower to say around 12,000 Hertz. But just to keep it safe, I'm going to leave it here where the filter starts around 17,000 Hertz again. I'm going to play this back. But the changes will be very subtle. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. I'm also going to add a slight boost in the low end. So around 80 Hertz, I'm going to add a boost. So I'm going to click to add three nodes and then the middle node here, I'm going to boost again. This may be quite subtle, but you may be able to hear a slight boost in the low end. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. It can be useful to make more extreme changes. So you can hear that exact frequency and then put it down to taste. But let's hear this back. But there's more extreme change. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. Let's put this down to around five DB and play this back. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. OK. I'm going to make another boost now. But this time in these high frequencies, I feel like the voice could be a little bit brighter. Let's have this band a bit wider. So around 3 to Hertz and then add them node in the middle and increase this maybe even wider. Let's preview this back. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. OK. That sounds nice. I might make this even wider. And just for this example, I'm going to boost it even more. So you can clearly hear the difference. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. OK? And let's drag this down to around about three DB. And let's hear this back. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum, we can make this even wider if you wish. But I think it sounded pretty good. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum. So I'm going to have this boost start around 2.5 Hertz. Ok. So that's some realistic changes I may add to this audio. So if you want to clearly hear the changes back, I recommend starting with extreme values and then moving them up or down to something more realistic. So this audio was recorded quite well. So I'm just making some slight improvements here, but you can also eq if you have any problems. So if there's a certain frequency that's causing you issues, you can try and find the frequency in the spectrum here and try and attenuate it or reduce it. But really you want your audio to be recorded well and to sound as good as possible before you add any effects as adding effects to poorly recording audio isn't always going to fix it. I also recommend not E Qing just for the sake of it. If your audio already sounds fine and the frequencies are already balanced, then you don't need to make any changes. However, for this example, I think these few changes did improve it slightly. OK. Another thing I want to mention is these sliders here. So these allow you to zoom in positive values or negative values. So this can be useful if you want to have a closer look. We also have this check box down here that says linear frequency scale. I recommend leaving this unchecked as it allows you to add a bit more detail in the lower end. So notice here the frequencies are at equal distances. But if you uncheck this, they're not at equal distances, but this allows you to add a bit more detail in the low end. So I do recommend having this unchecked. Remember, you can always go back to the default by pressing flatten. But if you are happy with your changes, I recommend actually saving a preset, we can save a preset by going to manage and then go down to save preset. So I'm just going to call this example. Now if I just flatten this, I can load that preset. So let's go to manage and then go down to user presets. And here we have example, if I go back to manage, we actually have a number of different factory presets as well. So if I go back to manage and then go to factory presets, you can see here. Audacity has provided some presets. So for example, let's choose this one here AM radio. You can see that it's filtering out a lot of the lows and the heights. But they do recommend adjusting the settings manually rather than using some of these presets that audacity has provided. So let's go back to the preset that we made by going to manage user presets and then selecting it from here. So, creating your own user preset can be useful if you're recording with the same equipment and in the same room as next time, you can just load this up instead of making it every time. Ok. So now let's actually apply this to our audio by hitting. OK. Now, if I solo this track and play it back, we have those EQ settings that we made applied to this audio velocity of the bass drum on every beat. I also want to increase the velocity of the bass drum throughout this two bar loop. So I'm gonna select all the bass drums by clicking if I click and drag one of them. OK. So that is the EQ effect in the next video. We're going to be looking at the compressor. Thanks for watching and I'll see you there.