EQ Cheat Sheet - Frequency Spectrum - 4 Key Approaches - 10 Essential Tips

Oct 13, 2026

A practical EQ cheat sheet mapping the audio frequency spectrum (sub-bass through highs) and describing what each band is associated with, including rumble, warmth, mud, sibilance, and definition. It explains four key EQ approaches: removing problematic elements, enhancing pleasing ones, making sounds different, and creating space via range allocation. The guide adds ten actionable mixing tips and lists common EQ mistakes, plus genre-specific starting points and recommended plugins for further experimentation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Frequency spectrum

4 Key Approaches

10 Essential Tips to Try Today

11 EQ Mistakes To Avoid

EQ in Different Genres

Recommended Plugins

Further Training (In-Depth Videos)

EQ CHEAT SHEET Frequency spectrum | Frequency Range | Description | | --- | --- | | 20Hz-60Hz | Sub-bass | | 60Hz-200Hz | Bass | | 200Hz-600Hz | Lower mids | | 600Hz-3kHz | Mids | | 3kHz-8kHz | Upper mids | 8kHz-20kHz Highs [www. musicianonamission.com](www. musicianonamission.com) | Description | Frequency Range | | --- | --- | | Rumble | 25Hz – 40Hz | | Bottom | 60Hz – 90Hz | | Boom/Punch | 100Hz – 170Hz | | Warmth | 130Hz – 220Hz | | Fullness/Mud | 250Hz – 450Hz | | Honk | 450Hz – 1kHz | | Tinny | 1kHz – 2kHz | | Crunch | 2kHz – 4kHz | | Edginess/Brittleness | 3.5kHz – 6kHz | | Sibilance (in voice) | 4kHz – 10kHz | | Definition | 6kHz – 10kHz | | Piercing | 8kHz – 12.5kHz | Air 15kHz – 20kHz IMPORTANT: Don’t use these charts when you’re mixing, or try to avoid it. They are just there to give you an idea of how different frequencies sound. Every now and then it’s okay, but don’t become reliant on them. Instead, use your ears and sweep around with the EQ when mixing if you can’t find the range you are looking for. [www. musicianonamission.com](www. musicianonamission.com) 4 Key Approaches 1. Remove nasty elements a. Narrow cuts to remove room resonances b. High pass filter (only if needed) to remove low end noise c. Do this in solo as part of the preparation phase 2. Enhance pleasing elements a. Wider cuts and boosts to shape the tone b. Be bold if necessary-but only if you know what you are doing 3. Make things sound different a. For example, filtering all the lows and highs to create the‘telephone’ sound on vocals 4. Create space in the mix using range allocation a. Don’t boost two different channels in the same frequency range b. Instead, carve out space for important parts e.g. vocals or lead guitar 10 Essential Tips to Try Today 1. Have an intention 2. Don’t rely on EQ alone, especially to shape tone 3. Prioritize cuts, but still use boosts 4. Avoid applying EQ in solo 5. Small changes soon add up 6. Be more subtle with stock parametric EQs 7. Don’t obsess over plugin order 8. Get it right in the recording phase 9. Create instant clarity by removing muddiness (200-500Hz) 10. Mix in mono [www. musicianonamission.com](www. musicianonamission.com) 11 EQ Mistakes To Avoid 1. Using EQ without intention 2. Only using subtractive EQ 3. Only using EQ on individual channels 4. Not being aggressive when you need to be 5. Using the solo button 6. Applying a hi-pass to every track 7. Wasting time and money on plugins 8. Not using the bypass button 9. Worrying about plugin order 10. Not learning the frequency spectrum 11. Not training your ears EQ in Different Genres Mainstream and pop ● Applies to any music that you wanted to sound modern and polished ● Lots of top end boosts for high fidelity sheen ○ Especially above 12kHz ○ Can even do this on the mix buss ○ Analogue modelling ideally Hip-hop ● A lot of hip hop is now treated more like Pop ● Less top end sheen ○ More aggression in upper mid Rock ● Similar to hip hop for EQ ○ Less top end, more aggression in upper mids (4-8kHz) ○ More warmth and thickness [www. musicianonamission.com](www. musicianonamission.com) Hardcore and metal ● Similar to rock ○ But can get away with even more compression ○ EQ, similar to rock, but can be more aggressive in upper mids Acoustic ● Maintain integrity when mixing ○ Even more crucial to get the best sound in recording phase ● Very subtle EQ RECOMMENDED PLUGINS ● Stock EQ – A lot of DAWs now have a stock EQ that models an analogue unit, don’t upgrade for the sake of it! ● Slick EQ – A great free option for analogue modelling. ● FabFilter Pro-Q 2-An incredible fully parametric EQ. ● Waves Renaissance EQ-Highly affordable parametric EQ, this whole range is great for the price. ● Slate VMR – You get two awesome analogue equalizers with this versatile plugin. ● Waves SSL E-Channel – A classic plug

FAQs

How should the frequency spectrum charts be used while mixing?

Use the charts only as a reference when mixing, and avoid relying on them exclusively. Prefer using your ears and sweeping with EQ to find the needed range.

What are the four key EQ approaches?

Remove nasty elements, enhance pleasing elements, make things sound different, and create space in the mix through range allocation.

What are common EQ mistakes to avoid?

Avoid using EQ without intention, using only subtractive EQ, applying EQ in unnecessary solo workflows, over-applying hi-pass to every track, and neglecting bypass and plugin-order learning.

Oct 13, 2026

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