EQ Cheat Sheet by Grammy Engineers

These tips can be helpful as a place to start your search, but are not gospel by any means.

1. Bass Guitar

50 – 80 Hz: Bottom

700 Hz: Attack

2.5 kHz: Snap

2. Kick Drum

50 – 60 Hz: Bottom

400 Hz: Hollowness

3 – 5 kHz: Beater attack

3. Snare

120 – 240 Hz: Fatness

900 Hz: Point/Attack

5 kHz: Crispness

10 kHz: Snap

4. Rack Toms

240 – 500 Hz: Fullness/Body

5 – 7 kHz: Attack

5. Floor Toms

80 Hz: Fullness/Boom

5 kHz: Attack

6. Hi-Hat and Cymbals

200 Hz: Clang

6 – 10 kHz: Sparkle/Sizzle

7. Electric Guitar

80 Hz and below: Muddiness

240 – 500 Hz: Fullness

1.5 – 2.5 kHz: Presence

3 – 8 kHz: Brilliance

8. Acoustic Guitar

80 Hz: Fullness

240 Hz: Body

2 – 5 kHz: Presence

9. Organ

80 Hz: Fullness

240 Hz: Body

2 – 5 kHz: Presence

10. Piano

80 Hz: Fullnes

s2.5 kHz: “Hony Tonk”

3 – 5 kHz: Presence

11. Horns

120 Hz: Fullness

500 Hz: Honk

5 kHz: Piercing

12. Vocals

120 Hz: Fullness

240 Hz: Boominess

4 – 7 kHz: Sibilance

5 kHz: Presence

10 – 15 kHz: Air

13. Strings

240 Hz: Fullness

7 – 10 kHz: Scratchiness

14. Conga/Percussion

200 Hz: Ring

5 kHz: Slap