EQ Lab

Due⌗

Due Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 2:00 pm (submit to D2L).

Practice using EQ (and basic gating) to reduce spill/leakage, remove noise, and shape timbre while keeping sources sounding natural.

Your Reaper project file(s) used to create those renders.
Short notes (a few bullets per section) listing the main EQ moves you made (filters, rough frequencies, and why).

Download the following source projects/files for the EQ lab.

Create a balanced mix (levels and panning first).
Use ReaGate to reduce spill on each microphone (keep it subtle and avoid obvious pumping/chatter).
Snare: Use peaking filters to get the snare tone you want. Then try to reduce leakage from other instruments without ruining that snare tone. Prioritize “natural” over “perfect isolation.”
Bass: Reduce leakage with a high-cut or HF-shelf. Use peaking and/or notch filters to tame unpleasant resonances and add definition.

Create a balanced mix (levels and panning first).
Use ReaGate to reduce spill on each microphone (again: subtle is better than artifacts).
Bass cab: Attenuate unpleasant resonances and adjust the overall tone so it fits with the band. Use primarily peaking and notch filters.

femaleVoice02.aif: Identify the low-frequency background rumble (use good headphones or monitors). Remove it with a low-cut filter without noticeably changing the vocal tone.
- Alternative: remove it with ReaFIR (FFT mode).
kick01.aif: Reduce leakage and improve kick definition without creating harsh resonances. Use a high-cut or HF-shelf plus peaking/notch filters as needed.

Remove the AC hum on the guitar. The best approach is usually a series of very narrow notch filters at the power-line fundamental and its harmonics:

Keep the notches as narrow as possible, and use only as many as you need to make the noise unobtrusive.