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Equalisation

Equalisation changes the balance of frequencies in a sound.

Level relevance: introduced at Nat 3; tagged for every later level where the same concept remains useful.

Explanation

Equalisation, often shortened to EQ, is used to boost or cut specific frequency areas. Corrective EQ can reduce muddiness, harshness, or rumble, while creative EQ can shape tone and help parts stand out. Good EQ decisions are based on listening in context rather than boosting everything. In Music Technology, learners often need to explain why an EQ choice improves the result.

Topics

MixingProcessingFrequency

Curriculum statussupporting vocabulary

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Related terms

Frequency

Frequency refers to how fast a sound wave vibrates and is heard as pitch.

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Compression

Compression reduces the dynamic range of a signal by controlling louder parts.

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Balance

Balance is the relationship between the levels of different sounds in a mix.

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Mixdown

Mixdown is the process of combining all project tracks into a finished stereo or mono output file.

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