What does the equalizer do?

[njn]

Dear Zhuuu,

Sound contains frequencies from the lowest bass to the highest treble.

Bass violins and bass guitars produce sounds mostly in the lowest frequencies. Cymbals, flutes, and triangles produce sounds mostly in the highest frequencies. Clarinets, pianos, and voices mostly make sounds in the middle frequencies.

Most instruments make sounds that are a combination of high and low frequencies. For instance, when a snare drum is hit, the thud occurs on the low / bass frequencies. There are a set of wires that are stretched across the bottom skin which also provide a distinctive rattle when the top skin is struck. The rattling is all in the high / treble frequencies.

These "ranges" of frequencies correspond to the sliders in the Winamp equalizer. If the sound seems lacking in the high frequencies, try increasing the levels of the higher equalizer sliders. If the bass drum is missing, the lower equalizers need a push.

No musical instrument makes a pure tone. When "middle C" is played on a piano or a saxophone, each instrument is identifiable because of its "overtones," which are frequencies that are generated in addition to the basic, "fundamental frequency."

Generally, these additional frequencies are higher than the fundamental frequency, and proper re-creation of these frequencies during playback are partially responsible for providing “fidelity.” If the recording suffers some attenuation of the higher frequencies, turning up the “treble” control -- or the higher ranges of the equalizer -- can compensate for the apparent high-frequency attenuation. That will equalize the sounds so they have more fidelity -- closer to real life.

Musical instruments that provide sound across the audio frequencies are best for adjusting an equalizer. They includes snare drums, pianos, and voices, which sound unnatural if there are “peaks and valleys” in the recording or the playback adjustments.

Since recording and playback system deficiencies tend to rise and fall across the band -- they don’t occur at single frequencies, the Winamp equalizer slider settings will tend to increase and decrease gracefully across the band. Almost never will a single slider be increased or decreased by itself.

In Lesson One, we used more-simple Bass and Treble controls to adjust sound. Here, in Lesson 23, the bass and treble adjustments are broken up into finer bands. Theoretically, that has advantages over only two controls. With a little practice, you'll prefer the flexibility of an equalizer.

,
-Neil-