Reprinted from
Blue Bear's site
1/3 Octave Frequency Charts **
Audio Octave Ranges
Frequency
Range
When Used Produces This Effect When Used Too Much
Produces This Effect
16Hz to 60 Hz Sense of power, felt more than heard makes music muddy
60Hz to 250Hz Fundamentals of rhythm section, EQing can change musical balance making it fat or thin makes music boomy
250Hz to 2KHz Low order harmonics of most musical instruments telephone quality to music 500 to 1KHz horn-like, 1K to 2KHz tinny, listening fatigue
2KHz to 4KHz Speech Recognition 3KHz listening fatigue, lisping quality, "m:, "v", "b" indistinguishable
4KHz to 6KHz Clarity and definition of voices and instruments, makes music seem closer to listener, adding 6db at 5KHz makes entire mix seem 3db louder sibilance on vocals
6KHz to 16KHz Brilliance and clarity of sounds sibilance, harshness on vocals
Key Frequencies For Instruments
Instrument Key Frequencies
Bass Guitar Attack or pluck is increase at 700 or 1KHz; Bottom added at 60 or 80Hz; string noise at 2.5KHz
Bass Drum Slap at 2.5KHz; Bottom at 60 or 80Hz
Snare Drum Fatness at 240Hz; Crispness at 1 to 2.5KHz; Bottom at 60 or 80 Hz
Hi-Hat and Cymbals Shimmer at 7.5 to 10KHz; Klang or gong sound at about 200Hz
Toms Attach at 5KHz; Fullness at 240Hz
Floor Toms Attach at 5KHz; Fullness at 80 or 240Hz
Electric Guitar Body at 240Hz; Clarity at 2.5KHz
Acoustic Guitar Body at 240Hz; Clarity at 2.5KHz; Bottom at 80 or 120Hz
Piano Bass at 80 or 120Hz; Presence at 2.5 to 5 KHz; Crispness at 10KHz; Honky-tonk sound at 2.5KHz as bandwidth is narrowed; Resonance at 40 to 60Hz
Horns Fullness at 120 or 240Hz; Shrill at 2.5 or 5KHz
Voice Fullness at 120Hz; Boominess at 200 to 240Hz; Presence at 5KHz; Sibilance at 2.5KHz; Air at 12 to 15 KHz
Harmonica Fat at 240Hz, bite at 3 to 5KHz
Conga Resonant ring at 200 to 240Hz; Presence and slap at 5KHz
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