However, low shelf and high shelf filters can be present in all types of audio equalizers and tone controls (yes, even those with “mid” controls). To limit things even further, these tone controls will only have “bass” (low shelf) and “treble” (high shelf) controls. These “EQs” are technically restricted to having only low and high shelf controls and you'll typically only ever have them in tone controls. Shelving EQ is often listed as it's own type of audio equalizer. Shelving can be used to either boost/amplify or cut/attenuate and affects all frequencies equally beyond defined cutoff frequency points. What is shelving equalization? Shelving EQ utilizes high and/or low shelf filters to affect all frequencies above or below a certain cutoff frequency, respectively. Collectively, these filters make up what is known as “shelving EQ”. In the opening paragraphs, I gave brief answers as to what defines a low shelf and a high shelf filter. Rather, it's a guide to understanding and using shelving EQ/filters in the context of audio mixing and production.įor my best advice on using EQ, check out my article Top 11 Best EQ/Equalization Tips For Mixing (Overall). However, this is by no means a complete study on filters. In this article, we'll get into some theory to help us understand shelving filters. It's important to note, before we begin, that the study of electronic filters is rather dense. We'll also consider some uses of low shelf filters and high shelf filters in the context of audio mixing. In this article, we'll discuss shelving EQ filters in detail, discussing how they work, how they're designed and how they show up in audio devices. The resulting amplitude-frequency graph resembles a shelf in the high-end. What is a high shelf filter in audio? A high shelf filter is a filter that either boosts (increases amplitude) or cuts (decreases amplitude) frequencies above a certain cutoff frequency up to another cutoff frequency, where the amplitude will level off. The resulting amplitude-frequency graph resembles a shelf in the low-end. What is a low shelf filter in audio? A low shelf filter is a filter that either boosts (increases amplitude) or cuts (decreases amplitude) frequencies below a certain cutoff frequency down to another cutoff frequency, where the change in amplitude will level off. From dedicated audio equalizers to tone controls on stereos and instruments, shelving EQ filters are commonplace components in both analog and digital audio devices.

Shelving equalizer definition