Maybe a more complete answer to whether EQ or compression should come first would be this.

If you have to remove resonant frequencies or unwanted/not needed frequency ranges best do it before the compression, because then you don't have to worry about them affecting the compression in the first place.

Shaping the overall sound is easier to be done after compression as the compressor will change the frequency balance, and you might end up having to use another EQ or at least change the EQ curve again afterward anyway.

 

You can be a dick, or you can set a novice on the right path, like Jason Purdy.

 

Be a Dick, or be patient and gracious like Jason Purdy

 

A wideband compressor does not change the frequency balance at any given moment of time. It only changes what you see on the spectrum analyzer if you freeze it, and only if you're overcompressing a very dynamic sound, like a voice that goes from whispering to screaming.

 

Last edited: Mar 30, 2025

This dude you're citing is wrong tho. EQ goes before a compressor as a rule of thumb, for many reasons (mostly cause it can undo the compression if you "toneshape" with it after). Refer to the playlists me and Sinus Well posted earlier, they'll get you covered.

 

I am an arranger and have started an intensive production and mixing journey 2 years ago. In all honesty, @Smeghead's advice makes much more sense. It's also funny, lighten up!

 

OP is asking on a forum what takes people years to learn. Just won't work that easily, you can't learn mixing from some text.

My advice? Do your reps. Yes, your mix sucks. Next one is going to suck too. When you think you figured it out you'll have some more stinkers that make you think you actually got worse. That's okay, everyone goes through that. "Can I do this?", yes, you can. "Should I do that?", I don't know, but you could try, it's not like limiting a track can start a fire in your house. Many many reasons, but you gotta do your reps. We live in an age where good advice is free on YouTube, with examples. Listen to some, try it yourself. Emphasizing the second half. Do that enough times and some day you gonna wake up and say: "oh yeah, I can mix". Other than that, it's all noise. My opinion included.

 

Without proper arrangement and suitable sounds, no mixing technique will help.
Additionally, as long as the sounds aren't heard/played solo, it doesn't matter how they sound soloed.

 

As soon as you step outside of the stereo field you are listening in mono, the left, right and center all coming from one direction (not the boy band) as well as those reflections from whatever space that you are in. Checking for mono compatibility is a good idea and can be of great benefit.

 

compression before eq is debatable by alot of people.

 

It's frequently used both before and after. Most people use the EQ on their DAW channel strip, as well as a more full featured third-party plugin further in the chain somewhere. That DAW channel strip EQ is typically pre-insert in the signal flow of the channel.

 

thanks for the tip. i was told this was bad but im somewhat of a beginner in producing. been making music a long time but.... this is another world. i recorded on an old tascam and that was it in the 90s

 

Usually the first EQ before compression is a subtractive EQ. This can be to cut unwanted frequencies from hitting processors later in the chain. Then further on, people will use an Additive EQ instance to bring back some of what they have cut. You used to hear people sometimes refer to it as a sweetener EQ. That's why you often see people stick an emulated analog EQ in that position.

 

awesome. ill take it.

 

Which people? In a nutshell, two words...Sidechain Compression which I use all the time with both hardware and software compressors (within a comp plugin). Perhaps you are referring to multiband compression? I know people who describe that as "fucking it all up".

 

When it comes to acoustic music, the environment (the room) in which you record and the consequent mic positioning, is what will make the sound. Furthermore, all the analog path between the performer and the audio interface must necessarily be good stuff, I'm talking about any mic, de-esser, comp, eq and even cables. The quality of the recording is equivalent to the weakest link in the chain, that's why using low profile gear is not advisable. Basically, in a recording, tracking is the key: if you do your best before entering the audio interface, the hardest part of the job is already done.The concept is reversed during mixing: you need a neutral room, without emphasis or holes in the frequencies, and excellent quality monitors, placed in a proper way: if you have this you will be ready to win any sonic battle.
About the actual work of mixing on the computer: the only advice I can give is "fake it til you make it": use reference recordings and copy them, try to make your product sound like them, then, with experience you will eventually be able to have your own sound.
No sound engineer can confidently say they are good at mixing, not even the really good ones, there is always a new procedure to learn to do a good job, everything is always a work in progress. Mixing is a crossover between art, science and magic and getting a master that sounds just right is always a challenge.

 

It is not uncommon to see subtle upward compression with an audio file where the softer parts need to be a little more pronounced, prior to the EQ.

 

Learn about true loudness vs perceived loudness and use a good Clipper plugin, that's about the most practical advice I can think of

 

Softube Clipper: Two-stage clipper --> www.pluginboutique.com/product/3-Studio-Tools/71-Dynamic-Processor/11942-Clipper?a_aid=5d08a894507cb&data1=gnde
Kazrog KClip 3: Multiband editing and eight clipping modes --> https://kazrog.com/products/kclip-3
SIR Audio Tools StandardCLIP: Clipper with up to 256x oversampling --> www.siraudiotools.com/StandardCLIP.php
Newfangled Audio Saturate: Spectral Clipper with psychoacoustic overdrive --> www.thomann.de/de/eventide_elevate_bundle.htm?offid=1&affid=84

 

Last edited: Apr 7, 2025