Question about Master EQ and Compression

What's good everybody? I have a live beat exhibition coming up next month and will be playing my MPC 2500 live. I'm just curious on what settings would be the best for a live performance? Such as EQ and Compress settings from the Master Effect screen? Any help would be fantastic! Peace to the forums!

good question. I use different EQ and compression for each song, so do not use it as a set and forget thing. I do this cos i use desk with EQ and outboard compressors so live i would play with them instead, There is no correct setting. Every venue will need different EQ because of room, and this all depends on FOH set up as well and there room correction EQ. So every time you play it will need different settings in some respects. So its hard to answer question and suggest you think about what you NEED to achieve sound wise. So a little EQ to tame mids and Hi's and compressor set to just compress peaks a bit to tame it say, this could be a good starting point, so nothing very obvious but will make it sound good.....
As a rule try to attenuate EQs gain down, so think about what frequencies taken out help your sound work. Of course I use EQ in extreme ways and can be very problomatic later on in your gain structure. And god, dont get me started on mix compression. Thats a whole nother thread. So again think about what you are trying to achieve, think about transients here.

i get what you're sayin bliiprock but i can also tell u this - when i rocked the 1k w/ jjos i always used the SAME master compression and EQ and i applied it BEFORE i started making the beat, and used it to my advantage in terms of getting all my beats mixed similar. even tho people recommend doing mixing after the creative process is done i've always done it as part of the beatmaking process.. therefor when i used the 1k i always used the same eq and compression to make them all sound mixed the same .. i still kinda do the same stuff in reason.

mixed straight out mpc 1k w/ jjos - same master eq and compression on each beat, no post production done..











--- all im trying to point out is the same master eq and compression on each beat CAN work..

sorry though, i cant remember WHAT i used to put them at.. but they are damn close to the "default" eq and compression lol

main mixing tool in my arsenal is FILTERS! (very subtle filters)

bliprock wrote:good question. I use different EQ and compression for each song, so do not use it as a set and forget thing. I do this cos i use desk with EQ and outboard compressors so live i would play with them instead, There is no correct setting. Every venue will need different EQ because of room, and this all depends on FOH set up as well and there room correction EQ. So every time you play it will need different settings in some respects. So its hard to answer question and suggest you think about what you NEED to achieve sound wise. So a little EQ to tame mids and Hi's and compressor set to just compress peaks a bit to tame it say, this could be a good starting point, so nothing very obvious but will make it sound good.....
As a rule try to attenuate EQs gain down, so think about what frequencies taken out help your sound work. Of course I use EQ in extreme ways and can be very problomatic later on in your gain structure. And god, dont get me started on mix compression. Thats a whole nother thread. So again think about what you are trying to achieve, think about transients here.

also, most of what you're describing can be done outside the mpc and in an easier way (mixing console, etc)

Es-K, do you mix into outboard gear then?

that's what sound check is for.

what you do to your samples in your machine at home on your monitors wont matter much if the sound guy at the venue is a deaf bastard.

get there early, and fiddle the board till your shit sounds good.

if there are others playing as well, take a bit of masking tape with you and mark the levels where you want everything so that when its your turn the sound guy just has to move faders and knobs to your tape.

pay attention to the low end stuff which might be too boomy, the mids which may be too muddy, and the highs which may be too high and you should be good to go.

good luck, and post a video if someone takes one!

kwazi wrote:Es-K, do you mix into outboard gear then?

not on any of those tracks i just posted.

es-k wrote:when i rocked the 1k w/ jjos i always used the SAME master compression and EQ and i applied it BEFORE i started making the beat, and used it to my advantage in terms of getting all my beats mixed similar. even tho people recommend doing mixing after the creative process is done i've always done it as part of the beatmaking process.. therefor when i used the 1k i always used the same eq and compression to make them all sound mixed the same .. i still kinda do the same stuff in reason.

mixed straight out mpc 1k w/ jjos - same master eq and compression on each beat, no post production done..

main mixing tool in my arsenal is FILTERS! (very subtle filters)

This is gospel to me right now. Same exact thing i do on my 1K.

I set eq and compression before i start makin the beat because that stuff really gets in the way of the creative process for me.

I dont remember all of my eq settings but i usually leave the compression as default, only changing the ratio to 25:1. That helps everything to lay down in my mix but still gives the drums a little bit of punch. Just enough for the sound im lookin to achieve.

and i use filters to balance out what the master eq is. For example in my master eq i know i boost the lows +6 so if it makes the sample too muddy i'll put a very subtle BP filter on it to offset some of it.

i always judge by the drums tho. That helps maintain continuity cuz i mix everything within the mpc 1000

here's an example:

http://unfazedrecords.bandcamp.com/track/prove

es-k wrote:

kwazi wrote:Es-K, do you mix into outboard gear then?

not on any of those tracks i just posted.

Hi Es-K, that's pretty awesome. You're an example on how to make great stuff with limited gear. I have a lot of respect for that. Sick and tired of buying stuff which give me more headaches than fun. I always come back to just messing with mpc and a mopho (for the bass).

Listening to your Beat treats album on spotify. Classy and inspiring!! I take it that you used more than the mpc1k mixing and mastering for this one.. very well done sir I've been listening to Damu's and Fat Jon's albums for quite a while now and I was looking for something somewhat fresher and looks like I found it today!

Ok enough flatteries now

Have a nice weekend everyone
/Philippe

that album is half just mpc! and yea the label did something to it. i honestly dont like teh way it sounds loll... "Here and Now" sounds better