The Ultimate EQ Guide

[ChevChelios]

Stolen from another forum, still good info though

Eq Settings

General:

20 Hz and below - impossible to detect, remove as it only adds unnecessary energy to the total sound, thereby most probably holding down the overall volume of the track

60 Hz and below - sub bass (feel only)

80(-100) Hz - feel AND hear bass

100-120 Hz - the "club sound system punch" resides here

200 Hz and below - bottom

250 Hz - notch filter here can add thump to a kick drum

150-400 Hz - boxiness

200 Hz-1.5 KHz - punch, fatness, impact

800 Hz-4 KHz - edge, clarity, harshness, defines timbre

4500 Hz - exteremly tiring to the ears, add a slight notch here

5-7 KHz - de-essing is done here

4-9 KHz - brightness, presence, definition, sibilance, high frequency distortion

6-15 KHz - air and presence

9-15 KHz - adding will give sparkle, shimmer, bring out details - cutting will smooth out harshness and darken the mix

Kicks:

60Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Add fullness to kicks.

5Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds attack to Kicks

bottom (60 - 80 Hz),

slap (4 kHz)

EQ>Cut below 80Hz to remove rumble

Boost between 80 -125 Hz for bass

Boost between 3 - 5kHz to get the slap

PROCESSING> Compression 4:1/6:1 slow attack med release.

Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)

General:

Apply a little cut at 300Hz and some boost between 40Hz and 80Hz.

Control The Attack:

Apply boost or cut around 4KHz to 6KHz.

Treat Muddiness:

Apply cut somewhere in the 100Hz to 500Hz range.

kick>> bottom depth at 60 - 80 Hz, slap attack at 2.5Hz

Snares:

200Hz - 250Hz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds wood to snares

3Khz with a Q of 1.4 -- Adds atack to snare.

7Khz with a Q of 2.8 -- Adds Sharpness to snares and percussion

fatness at 120-240Hz

boing at 400Hz

crispness at 5kHz

snap at 10kHz

fatness (240 Hz), crispness (5 kHz)

EQ> Boost above 2kHz for that crisp edge

Cut at 1kHz to get rid of the sharp peak

Boost at 125Hz for a full snare sound

Cut at 80Hz to remove rumble

PROCESSING> Compression 4:1 slow attack med release.

Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)

snare>> fatness at 240HZ, crispness at 5 KHz

Vocals

General:

Roll off below 60Hz using a High Pass Filter. This range is unlikely to contain anything useful, so you may as well reduce the noise the track contributes to the mix.

Treat Harsh Vocals:

To soften vocals apply cut in a narrow bandwidth somewhere in the 2.5KHz to 4KHz range.

Get An Open Sound:

Apply a gentle boost above 6KHz using a shelving filter.

Get Brightness, Not Harshness:

Apply a gentle boost using a wide-band Bandpass Filter above 6KHz. Use the Sweep control to sweep the frequencies to get it right.

Get Smoothness:

Apply some cut in a narrow band in the 1KHz to 2KHz range.

Bring Out The Bass:

Apply some boost in a reasonably narrow band somewhere in the 200Hz to 600Hz range.

Radio Vocal Effect:

Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.

Telephone Effect:

Apply lots of compression pre EQ, and a little analogue distortion by turning up the input gain. Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.

vocals>> fullness at 120 Hz, boominess at 200 - 240 Hz, presence at 5 kHz, sibilance at 7.5 - 10 kHz

Hats:

10Khz with a Q of 1.0 -- Adds brightness to hats and cymbals

Hi Hat & Cymbals: sizzle (7.5 - 10 kHz), clank (200 Hz)

EQ> Boost above 5kHz for sharp sparkle

Cut at 1kHz to remove jangling

PROCESSING> Compression use high ratio for high energy feel

Reverb: Looser than Bass n Snare allow the hats and especially the Rides to ring a little

Get Definition:

Roll off everything below 600Hz using a High Pass Filter.

Get Sizzle:

Apply boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter. Adjust the bandwidth to get the sound right.

Treat Clangy Hats:

Apply some cut between 1KHz and 4KHz.

hi hats/cymbals>> clank or gong sound at 200 Hz, shimmer at 7.5 kHz - 12 kHz

Guitar:

Treat Unclear Vocals:

Apply some cut to the guitar between 1KHz and 5KHz to bring the vocals to the front of the mix.

General:

Apply a little boost between 100Hz and 250Hz and again between 10KHz and 12KHz.

Acoustic Guitar

Add Sparkle:Try some gentle boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter with a medium bandwidth.

General:

Try applying some mid-range cut to the rhythm section to make vocals and other instruments more clearly heard.

Other:

Voice: presence (5 kHz), sibilance (7.5 - 10 kHz), boominess (200 - 240 kHz), fullness (120 Hz)

Electric Guitar: fullness (240 Hz), bite (2.5 kHz), air / sizzle (8 kHz)

Bass Guitar: bottom (60 - 80 Hz), attack (700 - 1000 Hz), string noise (2.5 kHz)

Toms: attack (5 kHz), fullness (120 - 240 Hz)

Acoustic Guitar: harshness / bite (2 kHz), boominess (120 - 200 Hz), cut (7 - 10 kHz)

Bass - Compressed, EQ'd with a full bottom end and some mids

rack toms>> fullness at 240 Hz, attack at 5 kHz

floor toms>> fullness at 80 - 120 Hz, attack at 5 kHz

horns>> fullness at 120 - 240 Hz, shrill at 5 - 7.5 kHz

strings>> fullness at 240 Hz, scratchiness at 7.5 - 10 kHz

conga/bongo>> resonance at 200 - 240 Hz, slap at 5 kHz

General Frequencies:

EQ Reference: Frequencies

50Hz

Boost: To thicken up bass drums and sub-bass parts.

Cut: Below this frequency on all vocal tracks. This should reduce the effect of any microphone 'pops'.

70-100Hz

Boost: For bass lines and bass drums.

Cut: For vocals.

General: Be wary of boosting the bass of too many tracks. Low frequency sounds are particularly vulnerable to phase cancellation between sounds of similar frequency. This can result in a net 'cut of the bass frequencies.

200-400Hz

Boost: To add warmth to vocals or to thicken a guitar sound.

Cut: To bring more clarity to vocals or to thin cymbals and higher frequency percussion.

Boost or Cut: to control the 'woody' sound of a snare.

400-800Hz

Boost: To add warmth to toms.

Boost or Cut: To control bass clarity, or to thicken or thin guitar sounds.

General: In can be worthwhile applying cut to some of the instruments in the mix to bring more clarity to the bass within the overall mix.

800Hz-1KHz

Boost: To thicken vocal tracks. At 1 KHz apply boost to add a knock to a bass drum.

1-3KHz

Boost: To make a piano more aggressive. Applying boost between 1KHz and 5KHz will also make guitars and basslines more cutting.

Cut: Apply cut between 2 KHz and 3KHz to smooth a harsh sounding vocal part.

General: This frequency range is often used to make instruments stand out in a mix.

3-6KHz

Boost: For a more 'plucked' sounding bass part. Apply boost at around 6KHz to add some definition to vocal parts and distorted guitars.

Cut: Apply cut at about 3KHz to remove the hard edge of piercing vocals. Apply cut between 5KHZ and 6KHz to dull down some parts in a mix.

6-10KHz

Boost: To sweeten vocals. The higher the frequency you boost the more 'airy/breathy' the result will be. Also boost to add definition to the sound of acoustic guitars or to add edge to synth sounds or strings or to enhance the sound of a variety of percussion sounds. For example boost this range to:

Bring out cymbals.

Add ring to a snare.

Add edge to a bass drum.

10-16KHz

Boost: To make vocals more 'airy' or for crisp cymbals and percussion. Also boost this frequency to add sparkle to pads, but only if the frequency is present in the original sound, otherwise you will just be adding hiss to the recording.

Chev.

[ChevChelios]

More stuff, probably lots of similar stuff but more detail in some areas and I couldn't be bothered to sift through it.

Low Bass: anything less than 50Hz

This range is often known as the sub bass and is most commonly taken up by the lowest part of the kick drum and bass guitar, although at these frequencies it's almost impossible to determine any pitch. Sub bass is one of the reasons why 12" vinyl became available: low frequencies require wider grooves than high frequencies - without rolling off everything below 50Hz you couldn't fit a full track onto a 7" vinyl record. However we do NOT recommend applying any form of boost around this area without the use of very high quality studio monitors (not home monitors - there is a vast difference between home nearfield and studio farfield monitors costing anywhere between £5,000 and £20,000). Boosting blindly in this area without a valid reference point can and will permanently damage most speakers, even PA systems. You have been warned!

Bass: 50-250Hz

This is the range you're adjusting when applying the bass boost on most home stereos, although most bass signals in modern music tracks lie around the 90-200Hz area with a small boost in the upper ranges to add some presence or clarity.

Muddiness/irritational area: 200-800Hz

The main culprit area for muddy sounding mixes, hence the term 'irritational area'. Most frequencies around here can cause psycho-acoustic problems: if too many sounds in a mix are dominating this area, a track can quickly become annoying, resulting in a rush to finish mixing it as you get bored or irritated by the sound of it.

Mid-range: 800-6kHz

Human hearing is extremely sensitive at these frequencies, and even a minute boost around here will result in a huge change in the sound - almost the same as if you boosted around 10db at any other range. This is because our voices are centred in this area, so it's the frequency range we hear more than any other. Most telephones work at 3kHz, because at this frequency speech is most intelligible. This frequency also covers TV stations, radio, and electric power tools. If you have to apply any boosting in this area, be very cautious, especially on vocals. We're particularly sensitive to how the human voice sounds and its frequency coverage.

High Range: 6-8kHz

This is the range you adjust when applying the treble boost on your home stereo. This area is slightly boosted to make sounds artificially brighter (although this artificial boost is what we now call 'lifelike') when mastering a track before burning it to CD.

Hi-High Range: 8-20kHz

This area is taken up by the higher frequencies of cymbals and hi-hats, but boosting around this range, particularly around 12kHz can make a recording sound more high quality than it actually is, and it's a technique commonly used by the recording industry to fool people into thinking that certain CDs are more hi-fidelity than they'd otherwise sound. However, boosting in this area also requires a lot of care - it can easily pronounce any background hiss, and using too much will result in a mix becoming irritating.

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Kick Drum

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz. Try a small boost around 5-7kHz to add some high end.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom to the sound

100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness Area

5-8kHz ~ Adds high end prescence

8-12kHz ~ Adds Hiss

Snare

Try a small boost around 60-120Hz if the sound is a little too wimpy. Try boosting around 6kHz for that 'snappy' sound.

100-250Hz ~ Fills out the sound

6-8kHz ~ Adds prescence

Hi hats or cymbals

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz. To add some brightness try a small boost around 3kHz.

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area

1-6kHz ~ Adds presence

6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity

8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness

Bass

Try boosting around 60Hz to add more body. Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz.If more presence is needed, boost around 6kHz.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom end

100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness Area

800-1kHz ~ Adds beef to small speakers

1-6kHz ~ Adds presence

6-8kHz ~ Adds high-end presence

8-12kHz ~ Adds hiss

Vocals

This is a difficult one, as it depends on the mic used to record the vocal. However...Apply either cut or boost around 300hz, depending on the mic and song.Apply a very small boost around 6kHz to add some clarity.

100-250Hz ~ Adds 'up-frontness'

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area

1-6kHz ~ Adds presence

6-8kHz ~ Adds sibilance and clarity

8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness

Piano

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz. Apply a very small boost around 6kHz to add some clarity.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom

100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness

250-1kHz ~ Muddiness area

1-6kHz ~ Adds presence

6-8Khz ~ Adds clarity

8-12kHz ~ Adds hiss

Electric guitars

Again this depends on the mix and the recording. Apply either cut or boost around 300hz, depending on the song and sound. Try boosting around 3kHz to add some edge to the sound, or cut to add some transparency. Try boosting around 6kHz to add presence. Try boosting around 10kHz to add brightness.

100-250Hz ~ Adds body

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area

1-6Khz ~ Cuts through the mix

6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity

8=12kHz ~ Adds hiss

Acoustic guitar

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off between 100-300Hz. Apply small amounts of cut around 1-3kHz to push the image higher. Apply small amounts of boost around 5kHz to add some presence.

100-250Hz ~ Adds body

6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity

8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness

Strings

These depend entirely on the mix and the sound used.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom end

100-250Hz ~ Adds body

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area

1-6hHz ~ Sounds crunchy

6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity

8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness

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50Hz

1. Increase to add more fullness to lowest frequency instruments like foot, toms, and the bass.

2. Reduce to decrease the "boom" of the bass and will increase overtones and the recognition of bass line in the mix. This is most often used on bass lines in Rap and R&B.

__________

100Hz

Increase to add a harder bass sound to lowest frequency instruments.

Increase to add fullness to guitars, snare.

Increase to add warmth to piano and horns.

Reduce to remove boom on guitars & increase clarity.

__________

200Hz

1. Increase to add fullness to vocals.

2. Increase to add fullness to snare and guitar (harder sound).

3. Reduce to decrease muddiness of vocals or mid-range instruments.

4. Reduce to decrease gong sound of cymbals.

__________

400Hz

1. Increase to add clarity to bass lines especially when speakers are at low volume.

2. Reduce to decrease "cardboard" sound of lower drums (foot and toms).

3. Reduce to decrease ambiance on cymbals.

__________

800Hz

1. Increase for clarity and "punch" of bass.

2. Reduce to remove "cheap" sound of guitars

__________

1.5KHz

1. Increase for "clarity" and "pluck" of bass.

2. Reduce to remove dullness of guitars.

__________

3KHz

1. Increase for more "pluck" of bass.

2. Increase for more attack of electric / acoustic guitar.

3. Increase for more attack on low piano parts.

4. Increase for more clarity / hardness on voice.

5. Reduce to increase breathy, soft sound on background vocals.

6. Reduce to disguise out-of-tune vocals / guitars

__________

5KHz

1. Increase for vocal presence.

2. Increase low frequency drum attack (foot/toms).

3. Increase for more "finger sound" on bass.

4. Increase attack of piano, acoustic guitar and brightness on guitars.

5. Reduce to make background parts more distant.

6. Reduce to soften "thin" guitar.

__________

7KHz

1. Increase to add attack on low frequency drums (more metallic sound).

2. Increase to add attack to percussion instruments.

3. Increase on dull singer.

4. Increase for more "finger sound" on acoustic bass.

5. Reduce to decrease "s" sound on singers.

6. Increase to add sharpness to synthesizers, rock guitars, acoustic guitar and piano.

__________

10KHz

1. Increase to brighten vocals.

2. Increase for "light brightness" in acoustic guitar and piano.

3. Increase for hardness on cymbals.

4. Reduce to decrease "s" sound on singers.

__________

15KHz

1. Increase to brighten vocals (breath sound).

2. Increase to brighten cymbals, string instruments and flutes.

3. Increase to make sampled synthesizer sound more real.

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80hz - rumble of the bass

100hz - thump of the kick

200hz - bottom of the guitar

250hz - warmth of the vocal

350hz - bang of the snare

400hz - body of the bass

500hz - clang of the high hat

600hz - clang of the cymbals

800hz - ping of ride cymbal

1000hz - meat of the guitar

1200hz - body of the snare

1400hz - meat of the vocal

1600hz - snap of the kick/plectrum on guitar (attack)

2500hz - wires and snap of snare

3000hz - presence of the vocal

4000hz - ring of ride cymbal/top end of bass guitar

6000hz - sizzle of the high hat

7000hz - sizzle of the cymbals

8000hz - top end of the kick

9000hz - brightness on snare and cymbals

10000hz - brightness on vocal

12000hz - air on vocal

14000hz - air on cymbals

Chev.

[Genetic]

very informative

[Tomy]

very nice.