Mastering EQ for Church Broadcast Mixes
In this week’s video, I explore EQ strategy for live church broadcast mixes, focusing on subtractive EQ and sharpening your ear through intentional listening. Mixing for broadcast isn’t about sculpting perfection—it’s about making deliberate, efficient decisions that support the music and translate clearly across every system.
Setting the Stage: Keeping It Simple
When I start EQ’ing a mix, my first goal is simplicity. One exercise I come back to often is forcing myself to improve a sound using only one EQ band. This constraint keeps me focused on broad, musical moves instead of chasing tiny adjustments that rarely move the mix forward.
This approach is especially valuable for ear training. By limiting options, you’re better able to identify problem areas quickly and build confidence in your decisions—something that matters a lot in live broadcast environments.
Subtractive EQ Focus
A cornerstone of my workflow is starting with subtractive EQ. Before I think about enhancing anything, I focus on removing what’s getting in the way of clarity.
Take a snare drum, for example. I’ll often exaggerate a frequency boost to reveal boxiness, harshness, or unwanted resonance. Once I hear it clearly, I back off the boost and use subtractive EQ to gently clean up the sound. The result is a snare that feels more natural and sits better in the mix.
Practical Steps in Subtractive EQ
- Identify problem frequencies by sweeping with a narrow boost to expose areas that feel off.
- Apply subtractive EQ to reduce those frequencies until the instrument opens up.
- Refine and reassess by listening in context—every change affects the whole mix.
Gating: Managing Overheads and Hi-Hats
One challenge that comes up often in broadcast mixes is hi-hat spill in drum overheads. To manage this, I’ll use gating on drum channels to reduce excess bleed while preserving the natural feel of the kit.
The key here is restraint. The goal isn’t to eliminate the hi-hat completely—it’s to clean up the image without introducing audible gating artifacts.
Channel Strips for Efficiency
Efficiency matters, especially in live environments. Channel strips can be a powerful tool because they combine EQ and dynamics into a streamlined workflow. Instead of juggling multiple plugins, I can make fast, confident adjustments that keep me focused on the sound—not the screen.
Vocals: Dynamic and Tilt EQ
Vocals demand flexibility. Tilt EQ is one of my go-to tools for quickly shifting a vocal brighter or warmer, while dynamic EQ allows processing to engage only when needed.
That combination keeps vocals present and intelligible without feeling harsh or over-processed—especially important for spoken word and worship vocals in broadcast mixes.
Perspective and Growth
Live broadcast mixing is full of variables, and that’s part of the craft. Developing confidence with techniques like subtractive EQ and gating takes time, but each mix builds your intuition and sharpens your ears.
Final Thoughts
EQ isn’t about complexity—it’s about clarity. By grounding your workflow in foundational techniques like subtractive EQ and intentional listening, you create a solid foundation for every mix decision that follows.
Next week, we’ll move into compression and explore nuanced approaches for adding polish without sacrificing dynamics. Be sure to watch the full video for a deeper walkthrough of these EQ strategies.