Master Frequency EQ for Professional Mixing

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90 minutes

5 steps

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After 90 min: You can identify frequency problems by ear and use surgical EQ cuts to fix any mix issue.

What you need

DAW with parametric EQHeadphones or monitorsMixing reference tracks

The 90-Minute Plan

Learn the frequency spectrum0–15 min

Bass (20-250 Hz): kick, bass guitar. Mids (250 Hz-2 kHz): guitars, vocals body. Highs (2 kHz-20 kHz): vocals presence, cymbals. Each frequency range does a different job. Memorize this.

Identify problem frequencies by ear15–35 min

Listen to a vocal track. Does it sound muddy (problem in mids)? Tinny (problem in highs)? Boomy (problem in lows)? Use a spectrum analyzer to confirm your guess. Train your ear by analyzing 10 tracks.

Master surgical EQ cuts35–55 min

Find a problem frequency (say 400 Hz is making vocals dull). Use parametric EQ: set center frequency to 400 Hz, reduce by 3 dB. Listen. If better, you've found and fixed a problem. If worse, move frequency.

Apply EQ philosophy: subtract, don't add55–75 min

Always try cutting before boosting. Cut unnecessary frequencies from each track so they don't mask others. Kick: reduce mids (don't need). Vocal: reduce 200 Hz (mud). This gives clarity without harshness.

EQ for mix glue and clarity75–90 min

Mix 3+ track together using only subtractive EQ. Make each instrument clear without boosts. Use high-pass filters (remove unnecessary lows from everything except kick/bass). Your mix should sound clean and professional.

Pro Tip

Most amateur mixes are too much stuff fighting for space—before adding effects, remove what doesn't belong using EQ.