Please Note – The values below are marely guides, each mix is unique and individual so experimentation is advised.
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. Boosting blindly in this area without 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, although most bass signals in modern music lie around the 90-250Hz. A small boost in the upper ranges will add some presence and 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, it will become annoying.
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. 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. This area is slightly boosted to make sounds artificially brighter/’lifelike’
Hi-High Range: 8-20kHz
This area is taken up by the higher frequencies of cymbals and hi-hats. Boosting in this area 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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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.
100Hz
1. Increase to add a harder bass sound to lowest frequency instruments.
2. Increase to add fullness to guitars, snare.
3. Increase to add warmth to piano and horns
4. 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 vocal 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
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.
