EQ frequency chart
This is the classic sweep: boost a narrow band a lot, move it until something sounds ugly, then cut there instead. Solo the band plays only that slice, so you can hear what each region of the chart sounds like on its own.
The audible range is roughly 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Mixers split it into about seven bands: sub (20–60 Hz), bass (60–250), low mids (250–500), mids (500–2k), upper mids (2–4k), presence (4–6k) and air (6–20k). The edges are fuzzy; these are the usual ones.
The bands
| Band | What lives there | Too much | Too little |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub20–60 Hz | Felt more than heard: kick and bass fundamentals in electronic music, 808s, organ pedals. | Rumble, a woolly mix that eats headroom. | Thin, no floor on big speakers. |
| Bass60–250 Hz | The body of the bass, the punch of the kick, the low notes of guitar and piano. | Boomy, muddy, everything blurs. | Weak, small, no weight. |
| Low mids250–500 Hz | Warmth and body of most instruments and voices. Where tracks pile up. | Mud and boxiness. Usually the first place to cut. | Hollow, cold, scooped. |
| Mids500–2,000 Hz | The core of guitars, vocals, snare and keys. Where things are recognisable. | Honky, nasal, like a phone. | Distant, no presence, lost on small speakers. |
| Upper mids2,000–4,000 Hz | Attack, definition and intelligibility. The ear is most sensitive here. | Harsh, hard, fatiguing. | Dull, the vocal falls back. |
| Presence4,000–6,000 Hz | Edge and closeness: pick attack, consonants, snare crack. | Brittle, sibilant, edgy. | Veiled, far away. |
| Brilliance / air6,000–20,000 Hz | Sparkle, cymbals, breath, the sheen on a vocal. | Hissy, sizzly, splashy esses. | Dark, lifeless, muffled. |
Instrument ranges
These are the fundamentals, the actual notes. Every instrument's harmonics run far higher, which is why a bass can be heard on a phone speaker that cannot reproduce 41 Hz at all: you hear its harmonics, and your ear fills in the rest.
| Instrument | Notes | Fundamentals |
|---|---|---|
| Piano | A0–C8 | 27.5 – 4,186 Hz |
| 5-string bass24 frets | B0–G4 | 30.9 – 392 Hz |
| Bass guitar4-string, 24 frets | E1–G4 | 41.2 – 392 Hz |
| Cellopractical range | C2–A5 | 65.4 – 880 Hz |
| Guitarstandard tuning, 24 frets | E2–E6 | 82.4 – 1,319 Hz |
| Bass voicetypical choral range | E2–E4 | 82.4 – 330 Hz |
| Tenor voicetypical choral range | C3–C5 | 130.8 – 523 Hz |
| Alto voicetypical choral range | F3–F5 | 174.6 – 698 Hz |
| Violinpractical range | G3–A7 | 196.0 – 3,520 Hz |
| Soprano voicetypical choral range | C4–C6 | 261.6 – 1,047 Hz |
| Flute | C4–C7 | 261.6 – 2,093 Hz |
Drums are not tied to notes the same way. A kick drum's weight is usually somewhere in the 40 to 100 Hz range with its click up around 2 to 5 kHz; a snare's body is usually 150 to 250 Hz with its crack and wires above 2 kHz. Every drum and every mic is different, so sweep to find it.
How to use an EQ chart
- Cut before you boost. Most problems are too much of something. A small cut in the low mids often does more than any boost up top.
- Sweep to find it. Boost a narrow band, sweep slowly, and the ugly frequency jumps out. Then turn the boost into a cut.
- Give each part its own space. If the bass and the kick fight, let one own the sub and the other the punch above it.
- High-pass what does not need lows. Vocals, guitars and keys often carry rumble below anything musical. Be gentle on the bass and kick.
- Check on small speakers. If the bass vanishes on a phone, give it a little more in the harmonics around 700 Hz to 1 kHz instead of more sub.
Memory Station's haze is a lowpass with a mood.
Sweep the air band out of a guitar and it starts to sound like a memory. Memory Station '03 does that with tape wobble, static and chorus on top, and it is free. Play it in your browser first.
Play Memory Station live →Quick answers
What are the EQ frequency ranges?
The usual bands are sub (20 to 60 Hz), bass (60 to 250 Hz), low mids (250 to 500 Hz), mids (500 Hz to 2 kHz), upper mids (2 to 4 kHz), presence (4 to 6 kHz) and brilliance or air (6 to 20 kHz).
What frequency is mud?
Mud usually lives in the low mids, roughly 200 to 500 Hz, where the body of most instruments overlaps. A small, fairly wide cut there on a few tracks cleans up a mix more than any boost.
What frequency range is a guitar?
A guitar in standard tuning plays fundamentals from 82.4 Hz (low E) to about 1,319 Hz (the 24th fret on the high E), with harmonics well above 5 kHz.
What frequency range is a bass guitar?
A four-string bass plays fundamentals from 41.2 Hz (low E) up to around 392 Hz on a 24-fret neck. A five-string goes down to 30.87 Hz.
What frequency is sibilance?
Harsh esses and tees usually sit somewhere between about 5 and 10 kHz, depending on the singer and the mic. Sweep a narrow boost through that range to find it, then use a de-esser or a narrow cut.
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