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About The Core Frequency Guide

The Core Frequency Chart is a tool designed to help mix engineers understand and manage frequency ranges occupied by different instruments to prevent masking and enhance clarity in mixes. It emphasizes the importance of EQ in shaping sound by boosting or cutting specific frequencies to create space for each instrument. The chart aims to accelerate learning for students by providing a clear reference for where instruments should sit in the frequency spectrum.

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reyaanmusic7
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39 views2 pages

About The Core Frequency Guide

The Core Frequency Chart is a tool designed to help mix engineers understand and manage frequency ranges occupied by different instruments to prevent masking and enhance clarity in mixes. It emphasizes the importance of EQ in shaping sound by boosting or cutting specific frequencies to create space for each instrument. The chart aims to accelerate learning for students by providing a clear reference for where instruments should sit in the frequency spectrum.

Uploaded by

reyaanmusic7
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ABOUT THE CORE FREQUENCY CHART

EQ (or Equalisation) is a very important mixing tool. It allows us to fix frequencies that are popping
out of a mix, to remove unwanted noise and to shape the sound by adding brightness, presence and
fullness as well as removing boxiness, mud and sibilance.

The human listening range is 20Hz - 20kHz which is why most EQ plugins will have a frequency
spectrum within this range. Our job as a mix engineer is to ensure that all instruments in a mix have
space so we can hear them, but are also not clashing with other instruments that sit in the same
frequency range.

When judging which frequencies to treat in a mix, we often consider what instruments/sounds we
need to boost or cut to give us a certain sound, such as ‘clarity’, ‘ punch’ or ‘ bite’. However, to be able
to decide this, we must first understand what instruments occupy the same frequency ranges.

For example, the kick and the bass commonly occupy the same space in the frequency spectrum
between 100Hz - 250Hz. Now that we know this, we can use mixing tools (EQ plugins/hardware) to
carve out space in the frequency spectrum so that both of these important instruments have space to
shine. This could be achieved by cutting frequencies around 100Hz on the bass to create some
space for the kick to pop out of the mix. Otherwise, the kick and bass may mask each other; causing
loss of separation and a lack of clarity in the low end.

THINK ABOUT EQ DIFFERENTLY...


This ‘Core Frequency Guide’ will help you to quickly identify what instruments occupy the same space
in the frequency spectrum. Use it when mixing to see where your piano and acoustic guitar tend to
clash, for example. Then reach for your EQ tools to carve out space in the mix so these two
instruments are no longer competing for space. It’s all about preventing something called ‘masking’.
Once you have treated the clashing instruments, you can now return to your EQ tool to further
enhance the instruments, such as adding a bit of pluckiness to the acoustic guitar or adding a bit of
click to the kick.
When learning mixing, I would research how to add brightness to vocals, and I could easily find that
information online. For example ‘boost the vocals between 2-4kHz for added brightness’. But when it
came to understanding where each instrument group sits in the mix so I could carve out space and
prevent masking, I couldn’t find anything online.

So I asked myself ’ how can I possibly learn where to boost/cut to get results, if I first don’t know
where that instrument should be sitting in the mix?’ So when I started teaching mixing courses, I
realised that my students need to first understand where each instrument should be sitting in the mix.
This will accelerate their learning and ensure that they are using EQ correctly.

And so....this Core Frequency Chart was born! I hope it supports you in reducing frequency masking
and to further your understanding of the frequency spectrum.

Aub rey Whitfield

Share a picture or video of you using this chart and tag me in it. I will re-share it to my Instagram story!

Tag me:

@aubreywhitfield (instagram)

@aubreyproducer (TikTok)

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