EQ Guidelines for Acoustic bands playing Live

BenringerX32 Mixing EQ

Here are some EQ guidelines for mixing live performances of acoustic style instruments. Every gig is different and requires unique EQ settings - it depends on how large the band is, what instruments are playing, and making spaces for instruments/vocals to produce balanced and clear audio.

VOCAL MIXES

100 Hz and below: Rumble: Mostly wind, mic-handling noise, stage/floor vibrations. Cut this out.
200 Hz Boom: This frequency is usually where you'll find the "head cold" sound. The female voice may run a little higher, but this is the ballpark.
400Hz Honk: Honky or Boxy sound. Sometimes you need to cut this slightly.
800 to 1,000 Hz   Word Clarity/Nasality: Not enough and intelligibility of some lyrics may be unintelligible, too much and you get the teacher from Peanuts
5,000 Hz Presence: Use to lift the vocal above in the mix. Adds some energy, or some "buzz" to a vocal. Not enough, and the vocal may sound deflated, flat, and dull.
4,000 to 8,000 Hz Sizzle/Sibilants: Typically this is the range a de-esser is handling – the "sss" sound. Male sibilance is typically 3-7k Hz and female sibilance is typically 5-9k Hz.
10,000 Hz and up Air: Apply a light shelf boost here to open up the vocal a little.

BASS MIXES

40 to 80 Hz  Bottom: Especially with five-string variations, this is where the bottom resonances of most basses live
80 to 200 Hz Fundamentals: The primary fundamental of the bass. Right around 180 to 200 Hz is where you can try to cut in on a bass that is too "boomy" to clean it up while preserving fundamentals
200 to 600 Hz Overtones: These are the upper harmonics of most bass tones, depending on the sound you're interested in. Lift these for more tonal carlity/definition.
300 to 500 Hz Wood: Particularly in upright basses, it's that distinctive, woody bark
800 to 1,600k Hz Bite: The growl and attack of most basses can be either emphasized or toned down around here
2,000 to 5,000 Hz String noise: Sound of the strings – normally cut this out.

KICK

 40 to 60 Hz Bottom: The tone of the reverberation in the shell, sometimes too rumbly, can be undefined/indeterminate depending on the mic'ing/speakers
 60 to 100 Hz Thump: The "punch you in the chest" range of the kick
 100 to 200 Hz Body: This is the "meat," if you will, of the kick sound
 200 to 2,000 Hz Ring: Typically cut these frequencies in a large band if you have issues with ringing and muddy sounds
 2,000 to 4,000 Hz Beater Attack: This is the range to look for the "thwack" sound of the beater, critical for getting that "basketball bouncing" kick sound

WHISTLES

150 Hz and Below  

Rumble: Wind and breathe. Low shelf cut all this out.
 3,000 Hz This is the screaming baby frequency - feels like being poked in the ear canal with a chopstick. Generally cut this for those high piercing notes. Wider band, -10dB

VIOLIN

150 Hz and Below 

     Rumble: Usually can hear the body shell noise and bumps. Cut all this out.

 
450 Hz Honk / Boxy: Might need to cut this. Narrow band – or you may lose the wood.
3,000 Hz This is the screaming baby frequency - feels like being poked in the ear canal with a chopstick. Generally cut this for those high piercing notes. Wider band, -10dB

Feedback Frequencies

Feedback frequencies can vary depending on room acoustics and microphones. Its best to ring out your mics before the gig to find these exactly.

Generally you may need to cut 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz for the high end feedback. Sometimes you may need to cut the low end hum at 500Hz.

 

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