In talking about EQ and saturation here on Music Guy Mixing, I reference overtones quite a bit as they relate to the frequencies of the audio we’re processing. With that in mind, I thought it would be fitting to put together a quick definition of what are overtones in music to better explain this concept.
What Are Overtones
In short in defining what are overtones, overtones are frequencies which occur above the fundamental frequency of a sound. While the first overtone of any sound occurs one octave up from that initial fundamental frequency, it also exists at other frequencies unrelated to the octave.
In other words, overtones is a bit of a catch all term to refer to any frequencies included in a sound outside of (and above) its fundamental frequency, beginning at that next octave up.
As compared to harmonics, overtones don’t necessarily have to relate to the octaves of the fundamental frequency and encompass any and all frequencies heard as part of a sound at and above that first octave.
Also as compared to harmonics, all harmonics of a sound won’t necessarily resonate as part of that sound, but by definition all overtones will.
To reiterate, any frequencies which resonate as part of a sound outside of the fundamental frequency itself, beginning an octave up, are its overtones.
I alluded to this in opening, but sometimes we want to ADD overtones to our audio by way of saturation to fill out an otherwise lacking frequency profile of a track.
Here is a before and after graphic taken from my overview on what does saturation do which shows some lows and mids being warmed up on guitar to help smooth out a harsh tone:
Whether it was caused by poor recording conditions or improper setups, cheap equipment, a bad room, or some combination of any or all of this, sometimes a recorded track can sound empty or thin.
While EQ can’t boost something which isn’t there, we CAN add saturation to introduce low levels of distortion to our audio to add in overtones at and around each octave. This can add fullness and warmth to an otherwise lacking track by way of those overtones (by way of that saturation).
Check out my tutorials on saturation for more information on how we can apply the concept of overtones to improve the sound of our audio in a number of mixing situations.
