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[Brad Weber]

If only it were all true. Unfortunately it's not.

Agreed.  And to add, because they are time/phase related, issues such as room modes and multiple source interactions cannot be fixed with equalization.  You may be able to improve the associated results at one location but those same changes may then negatively affect other locations.  How any equalization applied may affect all listeners and the system overall is often an important consideration, so you probably want to judge the results at more than one location.

This looks like an eq that has been set by ear.

All the minor adjustments suggest to me someone painstakingly trying to get as close as possible to a specific response on an RTA of FFT analyzer rather than necessarily making only changes that affect what they hear.  But it could just be someone that could not stop playing with the equalizer.
 

One of the first things I did was work on the console's channel eq... it was pretty bad when I first got there.

Keep in mind that what you hear in the room is the sum of any related channel and system EQ.  If the source you are using to judge the house EQ has any channel equalization then that can affect the response you hear in the house.
 

The EQ is set for +/-6dB of boost/cut, so it's not as bad as it looks.  No frequencies are dumped or boosted completely, and the HPF and LPF filters seem to be set so they aren't affecting much.

Also agreed.  In addition, no bands appear to be set at even the full 6dB cut or boost, the mazimum cut and boost in any single band appear about equal and the overall 'makeup' gain appears to be just 2dB.  Overall, it may look like there is a lot more equalization being applied than there actually is being applied.

If you think it sounds better bypassed, then bypass it when you mix on the system.

Just be aware that some of the settings may be to address gain before feedback during typical use or were intended to address the results on a more general basis rather than at any one specific location.  Basically, bypassing it or starting over may be a good idea but I would probably not bypass it right before or during a service, at least not without being ready to quickly address some of the related issues that may arise fom doing so.

[Tommy Peel]

Thanks for all of the help. We had a short practice before church and I tried running with the EQ bypassed; overall the sound seemed better(clearer instruments and vocals; less channel EQ applied overall). I'll be running it like this for a couple of weeks and see if any more changes are needed. One thing that is clear is that if they plan to expand their music program very much the mixer/snake are going to need to be replaced/expanded. Right now they've got 2 auxes(one monitor mix for three people and one for effects), but then again if the musicians can live with the monitor situation they should have enough channels for whatever they'd want to add. I guess I've gotten spoiled with the band I mix for's Onyx 1640 and it's 6 auxes, 4 band eq, and 4 busses; not to mention the 6chs of compression and better effects unit. :-)

[Jay Barracato]

Tommy

Here is the house GEQ for the bar system I am on today.

All the "permanent" eq changes have been done in the DSP, leaving the geq flat for nightly changes.

As I said before, eq shouldn't be either set and forget or something you should be afraid of resetting.

[Sidney.Pilien]

I know the OP is pretty much answered but here's my 2 cents worth. At our church, nothing changes so ringing out is a breeze, especially with RTA. I'm spoiled with parametrics in my board. I drop 2 bands and that's it. If I get no feedback problems, why mess with it? I shape at the channels and gate the mics. Graphs are a total waste of money if you ask me. Cutting about 6 out of 32 bands is ridiculous. Parametrics cost just as much and is more surgical. I don't believe in shaping sound at mains or aux master eq. It's more critical to do feedback cuts there and shape at the channel strips. I always went by ear and still had feedback problems so when I started using my hand held RTA, set it and forget it!

[Brad Weber]

Here is the house GEQ for the bar system I am on today.

All the "permanent" eq changes have been done in the DSP, leaving the geq flat for nightly changes.

As I said before, eq shouldn't be either set and forget or something you should be afraid of resetting.

I tend to find three basic EQ situations:
 

• A system such as the one you reference with dedicated system EQ that is set and left alone and additional 'user' EQ that is adjusted on a regular basis for different events, personal tastes, etc.
• My least favorite, situations where the GEQ is the only EQ and things change so much between uses that it is often completely reset for each use.
• Situations where the GEQ is the only EQ and things do not change that much so it is 'set and forget'.  That does not mean it may not need to be occassionally, especailly with changes in the system or the room, but rather that it is does not need to routinely be adjusted once set.

While #1 is my preference for any situation, #2 is a common approach for portable systems or maybe installed systems in performance venues while #3 is probably the most common approach for smaller installed systems in churches, schools, meeting spaces and so on.  And in many cases the system EQ in appoach #1 and EQ in approach #3 should only be accessed by a limited number of qualified parties and hace access limited or prohibited for others.
 

[Richard Carter]

I think Luke gave you a good basic approach to setting the GEQ for room modes.  If you have a computer (laptop) and a recording interface and a measurement mic, you might check out ARTA (http://www.artalabs.hr/).  It is a pretty good FFT program and can be used for free.

As to the comments about left and right channel EQ, I can second that there can be differences.  We had a pair of Mackie SRM450s and one died and was replaced.  The new one sounded noticeable different but I was able to pretty well match them using the ARTA program.

I would suggest doing each speaker separately, then doing them together.  You need to take measurements at several points in the room.  Not a quick process but the effort is worth it.

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