Define this....'energy' in a certain frequency range(s)?

[anp27]

Hey guys, I've recently started getting more into mixing aspects and came across spectral analyzers. So my question is this, what does it mean when saying that a certain instrument needs more 'energy' in a certain frequency range(s)? I'm getting a little confused with the usage of the word 'energy' in this context. ?

[ski]

It's just a way of saying that a sound needs to have more "oomph" in a certain range of frequencies that will end up enhancing the sound (or shaping it into something altogether different). For example, if someone says that a snare needs more "energy", it could be that it needs to be EQ'd to emphasize the upper mids to give the sound more snap or bang. But "energy" isn't always a function of EQ. Sometimes you get energy by compression too. But anyway, the term "energy" is something you have to learn to interpret on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, you can't get more "energy" no matter what you do with engineering plugins because of the nature of the sound. Sometimes it might be better to look for a different sample instead.

[anp27]

Thank you for this explanation.. I guess I was over-thinking the term. Thank you also for your endless contributions to the forum/Logic community! I just saw your Mac Pro video on scripting... fantastic! You are completely and utterly inspiring! If you were Jesus, I would be your disciple

[Eriksimon]

[anp27]

(...)

 

Oh "Life of Brian" is a CLASSIC!!!!

[David Nahmani]

Energy is directly related to the level of your signal in that band of frequency.

 

So instead of just looking at your signal as a broad frequency signal and saying for example: "it has an RMS level of -12 dBFS", you can cut your signal into bands of frequencies and describe the level in each band of frequency. You may have an RMS level of -14 dBFS between 20 and 500 Hz but an RMS level of -4 dB FS between 500 and 3,000 Hz, so you could say that if that's a mixed song, and your goal was to have it balanced, then it lacks energy in the low frequency spectrum.

 

Hope that helps?

 

It's basically the same as saying "there's too much high frequencies" or "not enough low-mids".

[anp27]

Energy is directly related to the level of your signal in that band of frequency.

 

So instead of just looking at your signal as a broad frequency signal and saying for example: "it has an RMS level of -12 dBFS", you can cut your signal into bands of frequencies and describe the level in each band of frequency. You may have an RMS level of -14 dBFS between 20 and 500 Hz but an RMS level of -4 dB FS between 500 and 3,000 Hz, so you could say that if that's a mixed song, and your goal was to have it balanced, then it lacks energy in the low frequency spectrum.

 

Hope that helps?

 

It's basically the same as saying "there's too much high frequencies" or "not enough low-mids".

 

Thank you for your reply, David, but sadly I don't know what 'RMS' is....

[David Nahmani]

Well it's just an average level - nevermind RMS, sorry about that, just disregard "RMS" in my previous post... it should still make sense?

 

In other words when your friend tells you "There's no bass in that mix" he's really trying to say "There's a lack of energy in the low frequency band". Same thing!

[anp27]

Oh, I see. It's just a different way of expressing the same thing. The use of the word 'energy' really threw me off!