Ed Seay: Frequency juggling is important. You don ’t EQ everything in the same

place. You don’t EQ 3k on the vocal and the guitar and the bass and

the synth and the piano, because then you have such a buildup there

that you have afrequency war going on. So sometimes you can say,“Well, the piano doesn’t need 3k, so let’s go lower, or let’s go higher. ” Or,

“This vocal will pop through if we shine the light not in his nose, but

maybe towards hisforehead. ” In so doing, you can make things audible

and everybody can get some camera time.

EASY-TO-REMEMBER GOLDEN RULES OF EQ

1. If it sounds muddy, cut some at 250Hz.2. If it sounds honky, cut some at 500Hz.3. Cut if you're trying to make things sound better.4. Boost if you're trying to make things sound different.5. You can't boost something that's not there in thefirst place.

Figure 5INSTRUMENT MAGIC FREQUENCIES

Bass Guitar Bottom at 50 -80Hz; attack at 700Hz; snap at2.5kHz

Kick Drum Bottom at 80 - 100Hz; hollowness at 400Hz; point at3- 5kHz

Snare Fatness at 120 - 240Hz; boing at 900Hz; crispness at5kHz; snap at 10kHz

Toms Fullness at 240- 500Hz; attack at 5- 7kHz

Floor Tom Fullness at 80 - 120Hz; attack at 5kHz

Hi Hat and Cymbals Clang at 200Hz; sparkle at 8 to 10kHz

Electric Guitar Fullness at 240 - 500Hz; presence at 1.5 to 2.5kHz; reduce1kHz for 4x12 cabinet sound

Acoustic Guitar Fullness at 80Hz; body at 240Hz; presence at 2 - 5kHz

Organ Fullness at 80Hz; body at 240Hz; presence at 2 - 5kHz

Piano Fullness at 80Hz; presence at 2.5- 5kHz; Honkey-tonk at2.5kHz;

Horns Fullness at 120 - 240Hz; piercing at 5kHz

Voice Fullness at 120; boominess at 240Hz; presence at 5kHz;

sibilance at 5kHz; air at 10 - 15kHz

Strings Fullness at 240Hz; scratchiness at 7 - 10kHz

Conga Ring at 200Hz; slap at 5kHz

The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook32