The zones
- Sub (20–60 Hz): fundamental of 808s and kicks, felt more than heard. Leave only what is needed here.
- Bass (60–250 Hz): body of the kick (60–100 Hz) and bass, warmth of male voices.
- Low mids (250–500 Hz): the zone of “mud” and “boxy” sound; cuts between 200 and 400 Hz on guitars, pads and vocals clean up the mix.
- Mids (500 Hz–2 kHz): body and presence of almost all instruments; around 1 kHz the nasal sound.
- Upper mids (2–5 kHz): intelligibility and aggressiveness; the ear is most sensitive here, so it is also the zone of harshness (2.5–4 kHz).
- Presence and brilliance (5–10 kHz): sibilance (5–8 kHz), attack of cymbals and picks.
- Air (10–20 kHz): openness, breath, sparkle.
Practices
- Cut first, then boost: narrow cuts for resonances, wide and gentle boosts.
- High-pass on everything that is not bass or kick (from 80 to 200 Hz depending on the source).
- Complementary EQ: if the kick has its peak at 60 Hz, the 808 yields it and vice versa.
- Always EQ in the context of the mix, not in solo.
- Dynamic EQ for problems that appear only at times (sibilance, boominess on certain notes).
Example in A minor
808 on A1 (55 Hz): kick with a slight boost around 60 Hz and a cut on the 808 in that narrow zone during the hit, or a higher kick (80–100 Hz) to leave the sub to the 808. Vocal: HPF at 100 Hz, cut at 300 Hz, presence at 3 kHz, air at 12 kHz, de-esser at 6–7 kHz.
Real-world example
“bad guy” by Billie Eilish (2019, produced by Finneas) combines a very powerful sub with an intimate, close vocal: an example of a clean division among frequency zones.