Sometimes a sound fits just right except for a tiny annoying frequency. A nice way to find what’s killing your ears is to boost a frequency on the EQ and move the frequency around until it sounds most annoying. Once you’ve found that frequency, cut it.
Simply put, subtractive EQ is an equalization technique that involves cutting frequencies you don’t like. Additive EQ is boosting frequencies you want to hear more of.
If you hit the books, you’ll find all kinds of people recommending that subtractive EQ is superior to additive, which makes sense because boosting signal must be adding some sort of artifacts. I’m wondering if this still applies in a digital scenario. Is subtractive EQ any different from additive EQ in a purely digital setting? I’m putting together a test for this and will let you know when I have something to show.
What do you think? Is there any audible difference between the 2 techniques?