EQ & Frequency Spectrum

Weight and punch of music. Kick drum body, bass guitar/synth fundamentals, low vocals, low strings. Too much = muddy, too little = thin.

Body of instruments but also the 'mud' zone. Everything has energy here, making it easy for mixes to get thick and unclear. Often where cuts help most.

Where most melodic information lives. Vocals, guitars, keyboards, snare body all dominant here. Also where 'nasal' and 'honky' problems occur.

Consonants, attack, pick sounds, stick hits. Adds articulation and definition. Also where sibilance begins to be problematic.

S, T, F sounds. Essential for speech clarity but easily excessive. De-essers target this range. Also cymbal presence and guitar brightness.

Sparkle, airiness, 'expensive' sheen. Often lost in older listeners (hearing deteriorates with age). Subtle but adds polish to professional mixes.

Affects all frequencies above (high shelf) or below (low shelf) the set frequency. Great for broad tonal changes—adding warmth or air.

Filters remove everything above (low-pass) or below (high-pass) a cutoff frequency. High-pass on most tracks removes rumble and mud.

EQ that only engages when signal crosses a threshold. Like a compressor that only affects certain frequencies. Great for problems that come and go.

Shape overall tone without targeting specific problems. Think 'warmer', 'brighter', 'more body'—not 'cut 347Hz'.

Classic rule: 'Cut narrow, boost wide.' But context matters. Sometimes a cut sounds more natural than a boost; sometimes opposite.

Address problems before enhancing. Subtractive EQ creates headroom and reveals what's already good. Then boost only if needed.

Analyzers excel at showing resonances (spikes), buildup (bulges in certain ranges), and holes (missing frequencies).

Some analyzers let you compare your mix to a reference track. Shows where your frequency balance differs from a professional mix.

Analyzers show frequency content, not musicality. They can't tell you if the vocal is emotional, if the drums groove, or if the guitar tone is appropriate.

Cuts should be just enough to tame the resonance, not eliminate the frequency entirely.

Some resonances only occur on certain notes or at certain intensities. Dynamic EQ cuts only when the resonance is actually triggered.

While every source is different, certain frequency ranges are common trouble spots across many recordings.

Always EQ with other tracks playing, at least during the final passes. What sounds thin alone might be perfect with bass and drums.

Think of the spectrum as divided into 'slots' where each important element lives. Every element doesn't need to be full-range.

Static EQ settings may not work for the whole song. Automating EQ can address section-specific needs.

Snare has body (150-250Hz), tone (400-800Hz), crack (2-4kHz), and sizzle from snare wires (5-8kHz).

Bass needs to fit with kick drum. Decide who owns which sub frequencies. Bass typically has sub, fundamental (60-150Hz), and articulation (700Hz-2kHz).

Vocals are the most important element in most songs. Body, presence, and air make vocals work.