EQ Frequency Chart
A complete guide to EQ frequency bands for music producers and mixing engineers. Understand what to cut and boost across the full 20 Hz to 20 kHz spectrum, with per-instrument guides and the musical note equivalents for every frequency range.
EQ Frequency Bands Reference
Sub Bass
The foundation. You feel it more than hear it. Kick drum fundamentals, 808 sub tones, bass guitar sub harmonics.
Adds weight and power. Boost sparingly on kicks/808s.
Cut on everything except bass and kick. High-pass all vocals, guitars, synths starting at 80-120 Hz to clean up mud.
- - High-pass guitars at 100 Hz+ to free up headroom for bass
- - Use a spectrum analyzer to find the fundamental of your 808 before boosting
- - Too much sub in a mix causes distortion on consumer speakers and earbuds
- - Check sub on headphones AND a subwoofer before finalizing
Bass
Bass instruments live here. This range defines the warmth and body of your mix. Kick punch, bass guitar body, and low-frequency mud all compete in this band.
Adds warmth and fullness to bass and kick. 100 Hz adds punch to kicks.
Cut lows on guitars, pianos, and synths that compete with bass. "Low-shelf" cut at 150-200 Hz on midrange instruments.
- - 200 Hz is the mud zone. Cutting here on most instruments cleans up the mix.
- - Sidechain compress bass to kick so the kick cuts through without fighting for bass headroom
- - Use a high-pass filter (HPF) at 80-120 Hz on guitars to avoid bass clash
- - Piano and Rhodes have lots of low-end energy. HPF at 200 Hz unless the low notes are important
Low Midrange
The warmth and body zone. Vocals, guitars, and keys all have strong fundamental energy here. This is also the "boxy" or "honky" zone that makes mixes sound cheap when it builds up.
Adds warmth and body to thin-sounding instruments.
Cut 250-400 Hz on instruments that sound boxy, honky, or are competing with vocals.
- - The 300-400 Hz "honky zone" accumulates quickly. Use a narrow cut on each instrument to control it.
- - Boosting 350 Hz on a vocal can add warmth but quickly gets nasal. Boost in 1-2 dB increments.
- - Room mics and room reverb often need a cut at 300-500 Hz to remove boxiness
- - Acoustic guitar body resonance sits at 250-400 Hz. Tame it for a cleaner mix.
Midrange
The presence and definition zone. Human hearing is most sensitive here. Vocals, guitars, and keys cut through the mix in this range. This is also where harshness lives.
Adds presence, definition, and forward placement in the mix.
Cut in the 1-2 kHz range to reduce harshness and ear fatigue in dense mixes.
- - 1 kHz is the "nasal" or "honky" frequency on guitars and synths. A narrow cut here can open up a mix.
- - Boosting 1.5-2 kHz on a lead vocal adds edge and helps it cut through without raising the fader
- - The 2 kHz zone can cause ear fatigue in long sessions. Automate this band if needed.
- - Electric guitar power chords peak around 800 Hz-1.2 kHz. Cut here to make space for vocals.
Upper Midrange
Attack, articulation, and consonants. The "k", "t", "s" sounds in vocals live here. Drum attack and instrument transients are defined in this band. Overdo it and the mix becomes harsh.
Adds attack, bite, and articulation. Boost on vocals to improve intelligibility.
Cut harshness and sibilance here. De-essers target 3-5 kHz on vocals.
- - 3-4 kHz is the range where harshness accumulates most in dense mixes. Use a gentle cut here if the mix is tiring.
- - Boosting 3 kHz on a snare adds crack. Boosting 4 kHz on guitars adds bite.
- - De-esser target: 3-5 kHz for male vocals, 5-7 kHz for female vocals
- - Overproduced mixes from heavy compression often build up 3-5 kHz. A gentle broad cut here helps.
Presence
Vocal presence and high-end clarity. Instruments sparkle and cut through here. Too much makes the mix harsh and fatiguing. Too little makes it dull.
Adds presence and forward "in-your-face" quality to vocals and instruments.
Cut to reduce harshness and sibilance. Common de-esser target for female vocals (5-8 kHz).
- - A 6 kHz boost is the "classic presence" move on vocals. Keep it under 3 dB or it gets sibilant.
- - Female vocals often have harsh sibilance at 6-8 kHz. A narrow cut or de-esser here is common.
- - Mixing on laptop speakers or earbuds that boost 5-7 kHz can lead to over-cutting in this range on real monitors.
- - Acoustic guitar "air" and "shimmer" starts here. A gentle boost at 7-8 kHz adds sparkle.
Air / Brilliance
Airiness, shimmer, and brightness. This range adds openness and space to a mix. Cymbals, hi-hats, vocal breath, and reverb tails live here. Age-related hearing loss affects this range first.
Adds air and openness. A gentle "air shelf" boost at 10-16 kHz is a classic mastering move.
Low-pass on instruments that do not need brightness. Remove digital harshness above 16 kHz.
- - A gentle high-shelf boost at 12-16 kHz adds professional "air" to a mix. Keep it at 1-2 dB on the master.
- - Cymbals have significant energy up to 20 kHz. Over-compressing cymbals destroys this range.
- - Aliasing and digital artifacts often appear at 16-20 kHz. Low-pass here if you hear harshness on digital synths.
- - In mastering, an "air boost" at 14-16 kHz is one of the most common moves to open up a mix.
EQ Cheat Sheet by Instrument
Quick reference for HPF (high-pass filter), key cuts, key boosts, and LPF (low-pass filter) for common instruments.
| Instrument | HPF | Cut | Boost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Vocal | 80-100 Hz | 200-300 Hz (box) | 3-5 kHz (presence) |
| Kick Drum | 20-40 Hz | 400-600 Hz (mud) | 60-100 Hz (punch), 3-5 kHz (click) |
| Snare | 90-120 Hz | 400-600 Hz (ring) | 200-250 Hz (body), 2-4 kHz (crack) |
| Hi-Hat | 500 Hz - 1 kHz | 1-3 kHz (harshness) | 8-12 kHz (sparkle) |
| Bass Guitar | 30-50 Hz | 250-400 Hz (mud) | 80-120 Hz (body), 700 Hz-1 kHz (attack) |
| 808 / Sub Bass | 20 Hz | 300-500 Hz | 50-80 Hz (weight) |
| Electric Guitar | 80-150 Hz | 1 kHz (honk) | 3-5 kHz (cut through) |
| Acoustic Guitar | 80-120 Hz | 250-400 Hz (box) | 5-8 kHz (sparkle) |
| Piano / Keys | 80-150 Hz | 200-300 Hz (mud) | 2-4 kHz (presence) |
| Strings / Pads | 80-120 Hz | 400-600 Hz (mud) | 5-8 kHz (brightness) |
| Room / Overheads | 100-200 Hz | 300-500 Hz (box) | 8-12 kHz (air) |
| Mix Bus / Master | None | 200-300 Hz (gentle) | 50-80 Hz (low shelf), 12-16 kHz (air shelf) |
These are starting points. Every mix is different. Use your ears and sweep-cut technique to find the exact frequency that is causing the problem in your specific mix.
EQ and Musical Notes: Why Knowing Note Frequencies Matters
Most EQ guides treat frequencies as abstract numbers. But every frequency corresponds to a musical note. Knowing the note frequencies of your instruments makes EQ decisions faster and more musical.
Tune your 808 to the key
If your track is in C minor, your 808 fundamental should be around C2 (65.4 Hz) or C1 (32.7 Hz). Use notes.beatkey.app to find the exact Hz for your target note, then boost that frequency on the 808.
Find clashing bass frequencies
If your kick and bass are fighting, check their fundamentals. A kick at E1 (41.2 Hz) and a bass at F1 (43.7 Hz) are only 2.5 Hz apart. Side-chain or re-tune one of them to avoid the clash.
EQ in the key of the song
In a track in A major (A = 110 Hz, 220 Hz, 440 Hz), boosting a broad shelf around 220 Hz adds energy that is harmonically consistent with the key. Boosting 200 Hz might feel slightly dissonant.
Fix resonant peaks musically
When you find a resonant peak in a drum or synth, check what note it is. If the resonance is a half-step clash with your key, tune the drum or notch-filter at that exact frequency.
Try it now: Use the Note Frequency Calculator to look up the exact Hz value for any note, then dial that frequency into your EQ or synthesizer. Or use BeatKey to detect the key of your sample and find the root note frequencies automatically.
The Sweep-Cut EQ Technique
Rather than guessing which frequency to cut, use the sweep-cut method to find problem frequencies surgically.
Boost Narrow
Set a high Q (narrow bandwidth) peak boost of +10-15 dB. This creates a very sharp resonant peak you can clearly hear.
Sweep Slowly
Slowly move the center frequency through the problem range. Listen for the frequency where the sound becomes most unpleasant, honky, or harsh.
Cut and Reduce Q
When you find the problem frequency, flip the boost to a cut. Lower the Q to a moderate width (2-4) and cut 3-8 dB depending on how severe the problem is.
Common Problem Frequencies by Range
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main EQ frequency bands?
The main EQ frequency bands are: Sub Bass (20-60 Hz), Bass (60-250 Hz), Low Midrange (250-500 Hz), Midrange (500 Hz - 2 kHz), Upper Midrange (2-5 kHz), Presence (5-8 kHz), and Air/Brilliance (8-20 kHz). Each band affects a different character of the sound, from the weight of the sub bass to the sparkle of the air band.
What frequency should I cut to remove muddiness?
Muddiness typically lives at 200-400 Hz. Apply a narrow boost (Q = 2-4) at various points in this range and sweep through to find the offending frequency, then cut it by 2-6 dB. High-pass filtering guitars, pianos, and most instruments above 80-150 Hz also significantly reduces low-frequency mud. The 250-350 Hz range is sometimes called the "mud zone" because it accumulates easily in dense mixes.
What is the best EQ frequency for vocals?
For vocals: high-pass filter at 80-100 Hz to remove rumble, cut 200-300 Hz if the vocal sounds boxy, boost 3-5 kHz for presence and intelligibility (this helps the vocal cut through the mix), and optionally add a gentle air shelf at 10-12 kHz for brightness. A de-esser targeting 3-6 kHz for male vocals or 5-8 kHz for female vocals reduces harsh sibilance.
How does knowing musical note frequencies help with EQ?
Knowing musical note frequencies lets you EQ with musical intent rather than guessing. For example, if your track is in A minor (220 Hz fundamental), you know a competing bass line at 220 Hz will clash with the fundamental of your chord, so you can notch-filter around that frequency. When tuning an 808 to the key of C (C2 = 65.4 Hz), you know to boost around 65 Hz. When removing kick drum resonance, you can target the fundamental note (often C1-E1, 33-41 Hz) rather than sweeping blindly.
Find the Exact Hz for Any Note
Use the Note Frequency Calculator to look up any note across 10+ octaves. Combine with EQ to make frequency decisions that are in tune with your music.