M-AUDIO Torq 1.5 - Manual (Page 62)

Torq 1.5 User Guide Chapter 1 61 Torq 1.5 User Guide Chapter 10 61
Gain/Mute
When audio from a Deck enters a channel in the Mixer, the first thing it runs into is the Gain control (seen at the top of
each channel in the mixer). This knob will increase or decrease the volume of the incoming audio signal, allowing you to
boost the level of quiet songs or reduce the level of loud ones. This is a basic step in both maintaining high-quality audio
and matching the levels of the two songs you’re mixing together.
Torq’s Gain knobs will boost or cut the incoming signal by up to 12dB. The “X” button next to the Gain knob is the Mute
button. Activating this button will mute the incoming audio—resulting in a silent channel.
EQ/Kills
Next in the signal chain is the Equalizer, or EQ for short. While the Gain knob (above) increases or decreases the level
of the entire audio signal in the channel, an EQ increases or decreases the level of only a specific frequency range within
the audio signal. Torq is equipped with a 3-band EQ, meaning it can control the levels of three different frequency ranges
(bands), named High, Mid, and Low.
The 3-band EQ is comprised of three knobs and three buttons arranged vertically in each mixer channel. Naturally, the
High EQ is above the Mid EQ, which is above the Low EQ. The “X” buttons next to each EQ knob is a Kill. Activating
these buttons will completely remove, or kill, the associated frequency band from the audio—activating all three at the
same time will therefore completely mute the audio signal.
EQ may very well be the most powerful tool on the DJ mixer (though some would argue that the crossfader is the
ultimate weapon). The EQ controls are used to (1) improve the sound quality of poorly recorded or produced songs, (2)
assist in matching the overall frequency content of two songs, (3) add emphasis to the music by removing or isolating one
or more of the frequency ranges, and (4) mix songs together in a “jigsaw” fashion by swapping the frequency ranges of
two songs as they play together.
Old songs typically don’t have as much bass as today’s tracks. Therefore, you’ll often use the Low EQ to boost the bass
(low frequencies) of the old song to match the louder bass of a recent song. Without doing this, it may sound like the
music gets quieter as you mix from the recent song to the older one.
Likewise, even tracks recorded within the same year can sound different from one another, even when playing at the same
volumes. This is usually because one song will have stronger Mid frequencies compared to the other. If the bass parts in
both songs sound like they’re the same volume, you can use the Mid EQ to “turn down” the louder song until it more
closely matches the quieter song.
DJs also like to mix things up during their sets by adding their own manipulations to the songs they play. For example, a DJ
might cut the High and Low frequencies from a track a few beats before the chorus of a song, then bring them back right
when the chorus starts (the perfect job for Torq’s High and Low Kill buttons).
When two songs are playing at the same time, you’ll frequently find that the music sounds muddy. This is normally due
to “un-complementary” bass content in the two songs. This can be as simple as the two songs being in different keys, or
could occur if both songs have long, sustained bass notes. In order to clean things up, you can simply remove the bass
from one of the songs with one of the Low Kill buttons. This will leave the bass from the other song in the mix, so it will
still sound natural. When you’re ready, press both Low Kill buttons at the same time. This will kill the bass in the first
track while bringing in the bass from the other. This will sound like the bass part in the overall mix has changed (which it
has) and the mix will still sound full. You can also swap frequencies with the other frequency bands. You can also make the
swaps less abrupt by using the EQ knobs instead.