How To EQ Electric Guitars (A beginners hearing guide)

Do you have a frequency you particularly dislike on electric guitars? Share it below 👍

Man there's so much string bleed on those guitar tracks. That inexplicable combo of recording at low volume while standing or sitting right next to the microphone always boggles my mind.

If I don’t have speakers what are good headphones to do this kind of work with?

I’m asking because I’m honesty using this information to mix live inside of a church. I strongly believe that every instrument should sound good no matter what and that later you can do things to your pa and do some sound treatment to help make the room sound better. Because every time I come here and I try something it works.

I understand other people are learning and they’ll change things and that’s okay for me because I’d rather someone learn than stay stagnant not trying to see what things sound like. But at least when I mix I can give my best thanks to you and many others

I watched a few of your videos and loved your demure demeanor and lilty voice, and Sage wisdom, of course. I did not know that you would be able to help me with a hard rock song that I was working on, but you were! Thanks!

This and the other EQ tutorials are exactly what I have been looking for! Thanks!

Hey Sara. I know you're talking here in post-production; but as a guitarist, can I uses the same principles you teach with the 10-band EQ on my pedalboard, to achieve the same result and free up frequencies for the bass and vocals live? I hope you understand my question 😕and thanks for the great lesson.

Great video. I like the careful, considered approach you use to eq and the confidence in your own ears. Lots to absorb there.

Can you do one on acoustic guitar and overheads

awesome video, I learnt a ton, thank you! first time seeing your channel, I love how you teach :)

Yes, do a video on EQing acoustic guitars

Would love to see a video on acoustic guitars please Sara!!

Great informative video, Plugin Alliance lindell 80 ( Neve style channel strip) followed by 12.5k LP filter by any digital eq is my go to for electric guitars.

Acoustic guitar would be a great follow up as you suggested. Would be very keen to see that one.

Hi, to one one of my fave online instructors! Question here: I just started working with dynamic EQ with guitars and vocals and sidechained them since Pro Q3 also offers external sidechaining now. Is there a an advantage to that over simply doing the subtractive technique?

this mix sounds so good. you are a true pro

I’ve been watching along with this series and it has really helped me clarify an intention-driven method for EQing. I really like your simple, methodical teaching style. Looking forward to continuing to watch what’s next!

Thank you very much for your work Sara. Great channel 👍👍

Dear Sara, this how to eq series is gold and desirve so many views. I like the way you teach. With you, there is always a reason to do things in your demonstrations. This is not about this "3 tricks to do this" I see everywhere. This is let us do this, this is how, this is what it does, and this is why we do this. You put so much time into the why and I love it. You the most interesting and insightful sound engineer on YT, and I am aware of a lot of them (I am a PLAP member).

This is it! Less is more....! I love to keep the original sound of the waveform as much as possible ( if the quality is okay) .Your vids are great Sara. Thank you very much 👍🏼

Thank ypu ❤❤❤

I was lost EQ'ing my guitar. Not anymore! Thanks for all the great info.

Thanks Sara yeah WE like that vidéo on acoustic guitar😊😊

This was so enjoyable to watch🍿, I really dig your method and your style of explanation—helpful indeed! I love that you busted out the Kramer and ohhhh that Trident, I used to have it—you’ve might’ve made me decide to get it again, I LOOOOVE it’s 10 and 12k boost🤩!!

I do have a question if you get the time at all: Is there anything you’d do differently in the case of having one clean fingerpicked electric with a soft airy female vocal? I get into sticky situations in the slightest attempts to compensate for no bass guitar being around, and even when I leave that much alone, I can’t quite achieve the desired clarity. Saturation does good things…but still…. Perhaps it’s the flat wound strings, or the P-90 pick-ups, although they’re a sweet brighter kind….Maybe that Trident’s got the love it needs😏, haha. But if you have ANY hunches off the top of your head, they’d be greatly appreciated. 🧡🎛️✨ Either way, thanks for the cool video! I’ll be checking out more. Subscribed💫😎

The time you take… sorry you offer to explain is great. Thank you.

my new fav channel

If you do a video on acoustic guitars, I'd love to hear about how their role in the song changes your approach to EQ. How would you EQ the acoustic guitar for a singer-songwriter record where acoustic guitar is one of the main instruments? How would you EQ an acoustic guitar in a fleshed out rock song where there are many more instruments competing for attention? Loving this series by the way!

I’m listening to this as a person learning to play guitar. I’m learning about recording EQ, because it helps with live EQ as I play

I have some ideas I’ve put together and wonder what your thoughts are.

Speakers and amplifiers have their own EQ profiles, and if I understand correctly, IRs and amp sims are EQ curves specific to that cabinet, driver, preamp, etc.

Assuming this, a super high fidelity white box amp sim recorded direct would produce a wider range of frequencies than a physical amp.

I turn down specific frequencies to cut them out of the sound I’m playing when using digital reproductions.

Is this crazy?

Acoustic- yes, please!

Hey Sara I just wanted to say thank you sincerely for these videos. I love your vision and you’re a great teacher. I am a pianist and guitarist. The piano tutorial was amazing, and I’m looking forward to getting in the studio to give a shot as to what you recommend. Go yersel and again massive thanks - cheers, Ally

I always found using a roll off on the high end makes for a more detailed and real speaker sound. Unfortunately using close mics on cabs seem to add sparkle and fizz. These also can sound very harsh. I roll of the low end to help the bass and high end to make a real guitar sound so it's like it's coming out of the amp. I find you can cut as far as 5k or more for dark guitars.

Great video I’ve already completed your full mixing essentials course EQ, compression and FX and it’s completely transformed my mixes. Night and day. So much info I find myself always going back to them as it’s so in depth but I still enjoy these videos also as there’s always a little bit here and there you can take from new content. You rock Sara!

Answering the question of the video: I don't know why but the EQ81 by Ikmultimedia became a goto tool (for me) when eqing guitars

Again, another great video. I'd suggest maybe a different topic, but I'd like to see your approach to choirs. Could be simple ones: three to five voices or a hundred people singing together.

Your content gold Sara. Thank you.

So much wisdom packed into this one video.

Absolutely superb tutorial Sara!

One thing I often do when I boost 1.5k, if necessary, Is to use Neutron 4 Unmask with lead vcls, so I can set Gtrs up as needed but find space for vcls when it's their momento to Shine.

Always inspiring. Good job. Acoustic Is welcome too, and the space for them with Electric and keys.

Sounds like a Joe Bonamassa tone.👍

I struggle with rock guitars more than any other instrument. I especially struggle with palm-muted parts. If I keep them as low gain as I want them, I feel like the transients are out of control. But if I crank the gain to tame the transients, I lose all definition. I work with amp sims, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I've had some success using a fast attack compressor to really grab the transients, and I've had some success using tape saturation. But they still always end up sounding a little "plonky." That's the best way I can think to describe it. It's like the horrible sound of DI guitar transients is still coming through too strong.

Yes and Thank you on acoustic. And please too.

Hey Sara, what is your camera/lighting/mic setup for recording these? It's top notch and makes me want a similar setup for my day job!

Electric guitars for me are the most fun. I always request a clean DI recording with any guitar tracks cos its useful to be able to add in any IR/emulation/effects you think works when your layering tracks and layering is critical for perfect guitar tracks.

I’m always mixing guitars loud in my mixes but I think it’s because I’m blending them with synth sounds. However… my method is using only the high frequencies of the guitars double tracked and using the horn synth to fill the mids. Sounds cool but I’m only experimenting now. Thank you for this video!

Cramer HLS PI for guitars is news to me. Gonna try it out. Thanks!

Hi Sara, thanks for this series, it’s very inspiring. As so many others I would also be interested in your take on acoustic guitars and especially how to mix them together with electric guitars to keep separation, but still create a big unified guitar sound if that makes sense.

Very good sara 🎉

Really useful, thank you.

Here's a thought: How about the musician applying these techniques themselves?

I use an Axe FX3 modeller and with the flexibility that you have for cutting and boosting across the frequency spectrum across the whole preset including a good PEQ,. means that you can sculpt your tone before it gets recorded, meaning less correction work at the mixing stage.

Might do you out of a job though!