Tascam 388 Studio 8 - Apparent and Absolute Valúes; How to Use Your Equalizer

APPARENT AND ABSOLUTE VALUES
HOW TO USE YOUR EQUALIZER
Your ear and your Studio 8 perceive the same
program material ¡n very different ways. The
ear deals ¡n apparent, subjective valúes, while
your mixer and recorder ¡n the Studio 8 deal
in absoluta, objective valúes. This difference
leads to the fundamental rule: On the way in,
to your recorder by way of the mixer, trust the
machine's meters and OL indicators; On the
way out, to the ear by way of loudspeakers/
headphones, trust what you hear. Remember
too, until your ears reach the level of perception
achieved by experienced audio engineers, trust
your meters and LEDs whenever in doubt.
The Meters of your Studio 8 show both the
average program level with the needle of the
meter and the peak program level and transients
by means of peak LEDs built into the Meters.
OL indicators in your mixer's channeis aiso
show signal leveis that are too high. Percussive
instruments and synthesizers are very difficult
to mix and record properiy. Relieve your Meters
and LEDs when you're recording these instru
ments. Their apparent loudness is not usually
greater than other instruments, but their peak
transient signal level, particularly at the
beginning (attack) of a note, is much higher than
the average program level. Keep your leveis
under control when you mix or record these
instruments. If their leveis reach your tape or
amplifiers without being trimmed, they will
cause your sound quality to go down.
EQ controls are used to changa the timbre of
a signal in an individual channel of your mixer.
There are three controls in your equalizer, each
of which has two distinct functions: to cut or
boost, and to determine a precise frequency
to be affected. The term frequency roughiy
corresponds to the term pitch. The higher the
frequency number, the higher the pitch. The
human ear is an amazing instrument that can
pickup an extremely broad ranga of sounds.
The following is a very simple and subjective
explanation of the characteristics of the various
frequency rangas.
20 to 60 Hz: The lowest frequencies the ear
can perceive exist here. Notes in this ranga are
feit more than heard. Too much boost in this
ranga will muddy the sound quality.
60 to 500 Hz: This is where the fundamental
pitches of many instruments exist. This area is
very sensitiva to equalization. Too much cut in
this area can make your music sound thin and
lifeless. Too much boost will make the music
sound a littie dull and muffied.
500 Hz to 2.5 kHz: This area is usually callad
the "mid-range." There is a lot going on in
this ranga and too much boost can cause the
music to become harsh or hard to listen to. The
experience known as "listener fatigue" is usually
causad by too much emphasis in this frequency
ranga.
Peak LED
IV DISTORTION
AVERAGE
LOUDNESS
{y4/mkml\
TUNE NO 1 TUNE^NO 2
EAR PERCElVES BOTH TUNES AT SAME RELATIVE LOUDNESS
wmm
TUNE NO 1 TUNE NO 2
VU METER INDICATES BOTH TUNES AT SAME RELATIVE LEVEL
2.5 kHz to 6 kHz: This area contributes to
the clarity and "presence" of the program.
Material in this ranga is often perceived as being
louder than its measurable signal level would
suggest. A slight boost in the upper frequencies
in this ranga (5 kHz) can make the music sound
brighter. Be carefull Listener fatigue can happen
here too.
6 kHz to 15 kHz: Brilliance, clarity, and the
metallic sheen of bells and cross modulated
synthesizer patches are found in this range.
The ring of acoustic guitars and pianos can be
accentuated in this area. Overtones, harmonics,
are what you're working with, rather than
fundamental pitches. The warning for this area
has to do with noise. There is a lot of it up here
and too much boost will bring out any noises
present in your material.
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