An Overview of the Stock EQ Plugins in FL Studio
Equalizing is a very important part of music production and should be present in one form or the other on every single track you create or listen to.
Commonly dubbed EQ, you can expect to spend a lot of time using EQ on the various sounds you’re working with when mixing a track. Even if you outsource your mixing/mastering, having a fundamental and basic knowledge of EQ’s importance as well as the software used to add it can only further your music production abilities.
FL Studio has four stock EQ plugins, which you’ll want to have an understanding of when using this DAW.
What Is Equalization in Music Production?
Equalization (EQ) is the process of manipulating the frequencies of various audio tracks in a project to improve how they work sonically with each other. In essence, it’s about understanding the relationships various sounds have with each other and ensuring that no element of the music drowns out another part (unless intended for a certain section of a track).
Put simply, EQ in music production is both crucial and an art form. You are likely to need hours upon hours of practice in order to understand it and implement it. Making it more complex, there is no right or wrong way to EQ a song; it’s purely at the discretion of the producer and their style.
Many music producers choose to outsource their mixing and mastering of tracks to someone else. While this is a good idea, particularly if you’re not great at mixing, you still need to have an understanding of what EQ is as well as the process.
As there are four EQ plugins on FL Studio that are stock, you don’t even have to spend anything extra to practice by yourself and learn.
EQUO is a graphic morphing EQ plugin that you can use to affect the volume of different frequencies in your track as well as the frequency amount on each side of stereo output. Displayed in a graph form, you’ll find low frequencies on the left and high frequencies on the right, which you can affect to customize your sounds in any way you see fit.
While there are manytips for using loops on FL Studio, an important one is knowing how to affect the volume of different frequencies in any loops or samples you download. This is so they work well with the native instruments that you add, ensuring all of the different track elements are working together and not drowning each other out.
EQUO isn’t an EQ that you should use by itself. Rather, you should do the major work with Fruity Love Parametric EQ 2 and then customize further with EQUO. This equalizer is useful for things like adding automation to certain sounds.
For instance, you could have a drumbeat that you want to EQ to be quieter, focusing on the high frequencies at the beginning of a track before it gets louder, bass-ier, and focuses on the lower end as the track progresses.
2. Fruity Love Philter
Fruity Love Philter is a very powerful and capable EQ plugin that you can use for specific effects such as sidechaining and cutoff effects. As with EQUO, this isn’t the EQ plugin that you should be using for the majority of your equalization, but rather should be used in conjunction with a standard EQ such as Fruity Love Parametric EQ 2.
Many producers tend to use the Fruity Love Philter plugin for hi-hat effects, as it is very useful for incorporating phaser effects; creating cuts in the high end, and modulating that into different frequencies. it’s possible to also use this plugin for delay and gating effects, which add a bit more dynamic range to your tracks and can help them to sound more fleshed out.
3. Fruity Love Parametric EQ
A seven-band parametric EQ, Fruity Love Parametric EQ is more CPU-friendly than the more advanced Fruity Love Parametric EQ 2. Fruity Love Parametric EQ allows you to control your sounds with seven bands that range in the frequencies they cover.
you could use this plugin to take away emphasis from certain frequencies and add a bit more “oomph” to others. Further, you can use it to create pan effects as well as sweeping effects to add a dynamic effect to your sound progression.
Generally, most producers don’t tend to use this plugin and stick with the more capable Fruity Love Parametric EQ 2 as well as EQUO and Fruity Love Philter.
If you’re still undecided on a DAW, check ourcomparison of FL Studio and Audacity.
4. Fruity Love Parametric EQ 2
The crown jewel of FL Studio’s EQ plugins, Fruity Love Parametric EQ 2 is generally considered the best stock equalizer plugin on the DAW and is the one most producers use. With seven bands that control the low to high frequencies displayed in a graph, you can use it to influence the different elements of your track to get the right style of EQ that you want.
Displayed in a graphical band, the plugin is really helpful for allowing you to visualize the various elements of your track, which can make your production workflow easier.
To the right of the graphic display, there are simple levers that can also be used to affect the seven bands. These multiple options allow you to filter out the volume of the frequencies as well as create high-pass/low-pass and cutoff effects.
It has a useful Compare feature which you could use to compare an audio file without any EQ added and with EQ added. Most producers tend to use Fruity Parametric EQ 2 for the bulk of their equalization, then use another plugin such as EQUO or Fruity Love Philter for further, more minor affectation.
You can find loads of videos online on thebest YouTube channels for learning FL Studioto help you get to grips with EQ and other aspects of music production.
Improve Your Tracks With EQ in FL Studio
While there are multiple stock EQ plugins available on FL Studio, you should use the one or two you feel the most comfortable with. EQ can be used to improve your tracks, but just remember that there is no right or wrong EQ, it’s all to do with what you’re trying to achieve stylistically.
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