Question:
so here’s the  big question… how the hell do i equalize? Do i just arbitrarily pick a number?  and slide that little bar around? I looked into the help section and it says to drag across the blue text for e3ach band to specifiy boost or attenuation in decibels, and center frequency in hertz.
I was hoping that it was just a case of hitting a button but… it doesn’t look like it. This can’t possibly be harder than learning a cable stitch using six needles in knitting, so … patience grasshopperette.
Also, “Effects” doesn’t drop down a menu if I’m in multitrack I found the graphic equalizer there and saw the three band thingees, but was I supposed to move each one of them to 250hz?
oy
sj
so… as the first track is all cut up (that’s the way I got it) do I have to go into each pie3ce and equalize? wouldn’t that be in edit and not multitrack?

Answer:

Don’t feel bad on the EQ.  It’s actually one of the harder elements to learn.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is doing it wrong.  So first a little theory… which even if it doesn’t stick should help in understanding:

The range of human hearing is 20Hz (that is 20 cycles or pulses per second) to 20kHz (20,000 cycles or pulses per second.)  The catch hear is that is someone with perfect hearing… such as an eight year old.  As we get older the noise in our environment and age depletes our range of hearing… most of us only hear between 40hz and 16khz.  We have lost our top and bottom ranges with the years.

In musical terms, frequency is the same as pitch or how high or low a note is.  Lower notes are lower frequency.  Higher notes are higher frequency.

The following sites gives your range of frequencies:
http://www.digitalprosound.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/mixing_excerpt1.htm
http://www.recordingeq.com/Subscribe/tip/tascam.htm
http://musicheights.com/forum/recording-tips/3327-recommended-equalization-frequencies.html

Let’s stick with the first site for now, as it lays out your ten quintessential bands (10 Band Eq)

I highly recommend against using the EQ that is showing in the mixer window.  They work great, but they are difficult for the beginning user to grasp.  I’ve uploaded a video showing you how to access a graphic EQ from the mixer window.  It may vary slightly since I only have Audition 2.0 at work, but it’s not much different in Audition 3 that I use at home.  Not that you may have to expand the FX panel in the mixer window as shown in the video.

1) The first biggest thing about eq is not to do it.  What I mean is: try to get your sound solid from the source rather than electronically altering the sound.  Audio is a SISO (Shit In – Shit Out) process, meaning that your output is only going to be as good as your input will allow.  Things like EQ can be modified, but will never equal a sound that requires no modification.

What it also means is: don’t touch the EQ unless you have to.  If you have a nice steady even sound coming out of the monitors, there’s no need to apply EQ to it.  I prefer to EQ subtractively rather than additively.  That means instead of adding to a frequency, I will get the best possible sound during recording, then remove frequencies rather than add to them.  That said, there will be times when I need to add to the EQ channels.

2) Try to only change your EQ levels by 3 to 6 dB.  There will be times when you need to do more, but they’ll be few and far between.  Even then, 10dB is the most you’ll probably need to avoid artificially flavoring a sound.  The big exceptions here are when you’re rolling off frequencies to isolate a sound (as described in the first eq tutorial.) and when you are creating special effects (for a voice on radio decrease the 500 and 2khz by half, increase the 1kHz by 6dB and completely remove all the other channels.)

By the way, the dB refers to those numbers on the far left and right of the EQ window.

3) Only change what need to be changed.  Leave the rest alone.  This is kind of like rule number one, but beginners tend to overspice a mix by trying to make the EQ faders look pretty or orderly.  This can actually kill an otherwise good mix by dropping out or adding unwanted changes.

I hope this helps.

And as far as the cut up track goes, the process would be:
1) Piece the track together

2) EQ as necessary to smooth out the track. I prefer to do this in the multitrack window to keep from losing the original track. (Just pop an EQ in the individual tracks in the mixer window.)  Alternatively, you can also save a backup of your original file and EQ a copy for use.  Whatever is more comfortable.

3) Assemble all your tracks in the mixer window.

4) EQ the master as necessary to make everything smooth between the different tracks.

Recently, a friend and fellow writer named Sable Jak asked me if I would help her with Adobe Audition 3.0, since she uses it for radio shows.  Ordinarily she has help in this department, but her mixer passed away, so she was looking for someone to help her complete her projects.  I decided to give her a hand under the condition that I could post some of the information we discussed here:

Question:
I’m laying out the voice tracks (there are three) and weaving them together for the Enchantress. Once I have them all pieced together is it better to equalize just the voice track and then slowly add all the sound effects and the music an different tracks and then equalize the whole thing? I ask because there is some yelling and my lead has a strong bass and when he lets go… boing.
And then, of course, how the hell do I do that?

Sable

Now in Production:
An Elemental Horror – A Rebecca Bowen Mystery
In 1890’s London the highest paid private detective is a woman.

Watch for:
A Jewel of the Gods Adventure: The Amber Room Hunters
full-cast audio drama: www.sablejak.com <http://www.sablejak.com/>

also:
Writing The Fantasy Film, Heroes and Journeys in Alternate Realities www.mwp.com <http://www.mwp.com/>

Answer:

Proper EQ and mastering should be the goal no matter what the medium, especially if you plan to sell CDs. Treat each track as a separate instrument. I tend to use grouping to keep sound effects with their respective characters:
In Auditon 3:

1. Hold down the Ctrl key, and click each clip you want in the group.
2. Choose Clip > Group Clips. Alternatively, right‑click any clip in
the group, and choose Group Clips.

For instance, I would put the lead voice, with his footsteps, any Foley effects and spot effects associated with the character on different tracks grouped together for quick reference.

EQ: There should be separate eq for the characters and a master eq for the entire production. So Davis would be eq’d all as one track. treat each track like it’s own instrument with it’s own sense of space. When you start mixing down effects into the tracks, you lose the ability to edit individual details.

Alright… methods for controlling the boomy voice:
1) When you record, make sure your actor backs off of his microphone a bit. Close proximity creates a resonance in the low frequencies (proximity effect) that artificially adds bass to the voice.
2) Drop the 250hz eq slider by about 3 to 6 dB
2) Roll down frequencies below 500hz. Roll down means stepping down by about for every frequency below that range: There’s a great resource on eq ranges here for reference: http://www.digitalprosound.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/mixing_excerpt1.htm
3) You can also try a multiband compressor, but these can sound unnatural if not carefully used. If you want to try this, let me know, and I’ll set you up, But EQ should handle most of your tweaking needs.

Rolling down:
I tend to use a 20 band graphic eq for tracks and 30 for the master. You can easily get away with using a 10 band for voice tracks. The method is the same either way. I’ll give it to you for 20 band:
1) Remove all frequencies that aren’t part of the instrument’s natural range. For voice, anything below 125 can be cut:

2) Rolling off: This is easier to do if you start with at 125. Cut the 125 slider by half (-12dB). Set the 180 slider to half the difference (-6dB) and again for all the frequencies below 500 (250 to -3dB, 355 to -1.5dB). These down have to be exact.

3) Tweak: Now tweak the voice to your desired levels.
Fuller voice: Bump up the 125 slowly until the richness you want is desired?
Boomy: Cut the 250 down a little at a time
Clearer voice: Bump the 5.6 and the 11.3 up very slightly
Dull voice: Bump up the 8k
Sibilance (t’s and s’s are too present): bumps the 8k down slightly.