EQing the Strings

[Sid Barnhoorn]

Hi all,

I've been playing around with Impulse Reverbs and bouncing seperate tracks per section which has delivered better results then bouncing it all at once I found out. Anyway, I've been mixing the sections but now I thought, do I need to EQ the string a little extra do get a more realistic sound? I've got the VSL Strings Pro Edition. Not the Performance unfortunately but I'm considering to buy it. Does the Strings Pro need any extra EQing to get a good, realistic, John Williams-esque score sound? Would I need to EQ the whole string-section or instrument per instrument, violins, violas, cellos and contrabasses seperate?

If someone has any thoughts on this I would really appreaciate it. Better still is a list of frequencies per section for a better overall view of the spectrum.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
-Sid.

[Rob Elliott]

Hi Sid,

This question is a very difficult one to answer. For me, any EQ is 'material dependent'. That is to say, depending on the orhestration, density, voicings, etc you could have two totally different EQ settings for your strings from one cue to another (sometimes NO EQ).

Having said that, if I don't like the strings sound ,I seem to always first go to the 2K and 4K range first to see if rolling off something in that range will 'sweeten' the sound a bit.

It is well worth the time to experient on this though. I would be interested in others opinions.

Rob

[Sid Barnhoorn]

Hi Rob,

Thanks alot for your reply. I'll experiment with this 2K / 4K range. With roff off you mean reduce a few dB off of those frequencies?

Thanks,
-Sid.

[Dietz]

This is what Rob meant (if I'm allowed to speak for him). You should experiment not only with the amount if reduction, but also with the "sharpness" of the EQ-band (referred to as "width", "Q", etc.). Sometimes it helps a lot to reduce one or two resonances to lighten up the whole sonic image. This is scale-, harmony- and context-dependent, though, so it's not possible to give you an absolut number.

As always: use your ears! :-]

All the best,

/Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library

[Rob Elliott]

@Dietz said:

This is what Rob meant (if I'm allowed to speak for him). You should experiment not only with the amount if reduction, but also with the "sharpness" of the EQ-band (referred to as "width", "Q", etc.). Sometimes it helps a lot to reduce one or two resonances to lighten up the whole sonic image. This is scale-, harmony- and context-dependent, though, so it's not possible to give you an absolut number.

As always: use your ears! :-]

All the best,

/Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library

Thank Dietz - couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes I roll off 279 Hz on the cellos and double basses to give more room (and less mud in the overall mix).

Rob

[Sid Barnhoorn]

Thanks Dietz,

That helps alot. Experimenting now...

Cheers,
-Sid.

[Dietz]

You're welcome! I'll share your gratitude with Rob. [;)]

All the best,

/Dietz