A couple of ground rules...
One, you should try to cut about five times as often as you boost, especially with shelves. High and low shelves were designed to remove hiss and rumble, respectively.
Two, I like to leave the low end to low end instruments - bass and drums. We all know that the human ear hears about 20 to 20k. Well, the first octave, (20 to 40hz) is generally made up of stuff like thunder and trains. So dont boost it, ok?
Three, be VERY careful about boosting anything around 200 hz. This makes your whole mix sound muddy. A little can fatten things up, but hopefully you wont have to use this.
Four, take all this with a grain of salt. This is meant to be a guideline to help get you started. This is NOT meant to be a cookie cutter solution to everything. Remember, if it sounds good, it IS good.
------------------------
Kick Drum - Boost at 80hz, cut around 350-400hz, (removes "cardboard" sound) and beater smack is around 2-4 k.
Snare Drum - Fatness at 240 hz, crispness at 5k
Hats/Cymbals - Gong sound at 200hz, shimmer/air between 8-12k.
Toms - Boom between 60 and 200 hz, scoop out 100hz to 4 khz, attack at 5k.
Bass - Boost between 80 and 150 hz. To make a passive bass sound active, scoop around 350hz. Boost 800hz for clarity or punch and the slappin' poppin' thing is around 2.5k.
Electric Guitar - Rolloff at 80hz, cut at 800 hz to remove "cheap" sound, and edge is around 2.5k
Acoustic Guitar - Bottom at 120hz, body at 240hz, clarity at 2.5 to 5k
Piano/Organ - Just like acoustic guitar except piano might need a little boost around 10k.
Vocals - Scoop at 240hz. if muddy, boost at 4k for presence and anywhere above 8k to brighten (sibilance is between 8 and 10 k).
-------------------
Good Luck, hope it helps ;]
Smoove
One, you should try to cut about five times as often as you boost, especially with shelves. High and low shelves were designed to remove hiss and rumble, respectively.
Two, I like to leave the low end to low end instruments - bass and drums. We all know that the human ear hears about 20 to 20k. Well, the first octave, (20 to 40hz) is generally made up of stuff like thunder and trains. So dont boost it, ok?
Three, be VERY careful about boosting anything around 200 hz. This makes your whole mix sound muddy. A little can fatten things up, but hopefully you wont have to use this.
Four, take all this with a grain of salt. This is meant to be a guideline to help get you started. This is NOT meant to be a cookie cutter solution to everything. Remember, if it sounds good, it IS good.
------------------------
Kick Drum - Boost at 80hz, cut around 350-400hz, (removes "cardboard" sound) and beater smack is around 2-4 k.
Snare Drum - Fatness at 240 hz, crispness at 5k
Hats/Cymbals - Gong sound at 200hz, shimmer/air between 8-12k.
Toms - Boom between 60 and 200 hz, scoop out 100hz to 4 khz, attack at 5k.
Bass - Boost between 80 and 150 hz. To make a passive bass sound active, scoop around 350hz. Boost 800hz for clarity or punch and the slappin' poppin' thing is around 2.5k.
Electric Guitar - Rolloff at 80hz, cut at 800 hz to remove "cheap" sound, and edge is around 2.5k
Acoustic Guitar - Bottom at 120hz, body at 240hz, clarity at 2.5 to 5k
Piano/Organ - Just like acoustic guitar except piano might need a little boost around 10k.
Vocals - Scoop at 240hz. if muddy, boost at 4k for presence and anywhere above 8k to brighten (sibilance is between 8 and 10 k).
-------------------
Good Luck, hope it helps ;]
Smoove