In many discussions for mixing ,always comes up this question.Should I first EQ and then compress or the opposite?
I want to tell you that there are no exact rules on this subject,but you have to decide what is the best for your song and your mix.
If you use EQ first ,then you will get a nicer,warmer sound.With EQ you can fix ,you can improve the sound of your track and then you can compress the EQed signal.If you use compressor first, then you get a very good balance for the dynamics of your song, you will get an cleaner sound also ,but you have to decide what you want to achieve in your current mix.
Personally, I use EQ first and then compressor. If I need to edit one of my tracks I always start with EQ. In that way ,I can fix anything has to do with frequencies ,and if I am sure for the result I get ,I use compression to improve the dynamics that maybe some of them are cut off with EQ. The best I suggest to do is EQ-compression and EQ again, so you can get the final and the best result for your track. This will affect your entire mix.
I would suggest to do the following: In the inserts tab you can put an EQ plug in on the second slot and compressor on the third. This way you can switch the positions of your plug ins , you can hear the difference and you can decide which is the best for you and your song. You can easily move your plug ins to another position by holding the right click and ctrl on your keyboard. In Cubase you can move your plug ins in different positions from the right side as it is shown in the picture below.
You can do these changes in your projects and you can decide what is the best for your mix or even if you are currently working on a project. Leave me your comments and mail me if you have any questions on that issue.