From the course: Audio Foundations: EQ and Filters

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Using the bandwidth, or Q, EQ control

Using the bandwidth, or Q, EQ control

From the course: Audio Foundations: EQ and Filters

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Using the bandwidth, or Q, EQ control

We now know that EQ's frequency and gain controls can be used to shape a signal's frequency content by boosting or cutting various ranges of frequencies, but what defines the range of frequencies that these boost or cuts apply to? When increasing or decreasing the gain control of an EQ, even though we select a target or center frequency to work on, rarely is that the only frequency that is affected. For example, if I choose to boost a signal by 6 dBs at 2k, the frequencies around 2k also get boosted. The range or bandwidth of frequencies around the target frequency that the EQ's gain control will affect is known as Q, short for quality. In other words, Q is a way of expressing the frequency width of a filter in relation to the center frequency of a specific filter band. A boost or cut with a narrow or higher Q value will cause the EQ to affect fewer frequencies around the target frequency, while a wider or lower Q value will affect more frequencies around the target. Listen to this…

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