Blog Reference : Identifying Frequencies In Your Recording



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Identifying the proper frequencies of the instruments in your mix can help you create more width and clarity in your final mixdown. Unfortunately, finding the pesky frequncies that make you cringe can be somewhat of a guessing game if you don't have the frequency ranges of all of your instruments memorized. So we've put together a reference guide you can use when mixing to help you get the best sound out of each and every one of your mixes. Although every recording will be different depending on a variety of factors, you can still get a good sense of where to work by referring to the figures below.

Full Mix

Sub Bass 16 - 60Hz Bass 60 - 250Hz Midrange 250Hz - 2kHz High Midrange 2 - 4kHz High 6 - 20kHz

Vocals

Male Vocal

Fullness ~120Hz Boominess ~240Hz Prescence 2kHz - 4kHz Breath/Air 10kHz - 16kHz

Female Vocal

Fullness ~240Hz Prescence 2 - 4kHz Breath/Air 10 - 16kHz

Percussion

Kick Drum

Bottom Punch 50 - 100Hz Fullness 100 - 250Hz Attack 3 - 5kHz Hollowness ~400Hz Muddiness < 800Hz

Tympani

Fundamentals 125 - 150Hz Primary Modes 145 - 360Hz Attack ~3kHz

Floor Tom

Fullness 80 - 120Hz Attack ~5kHz

Rack Toms

Fullness 240 - 400Hz Attack 5 - 7kHz

Snare Drum

Ring ~900Hz Fullness 120 - 240Hz Attack 2.5 - 5kHz Snap ~10kHz

Congas

Ring 200 - 240Hz Prescence 4 - 5kHz

Cymbals

Clang ~200Hz Prescence ~3kHz Shimmer 7.5 - 12kHz

Brass

Tuba

Low Fundamental 29Hz Overtones 1.5 - 2kHz

French Horn

Fundamentals 55 - 700Hz Formants ~340Hz, 750Hz - 3.5kHz

Bass Trombone

Fundamentals 58-400Hz Overtones < 4kHz Overblow < 8kHz

Tenor Trombone

Fundamentals 82-520Hz Overtones < 5kHz Overblow < 10kHz

Trumpet

Fundamentals 165Hz - 1.2kHz Formants 1 - 1.5kHz, 2 - 3kHz Piercing ~5kHz

Woodwinds

Contrabassoon

Fundamentals 29-200Hz Overtones < 4kHz

Bassoon

Fundamentals 55 - 575Hz Overtones < 9kHz

Tenor Sax

Fundamentals 120 - 725Hz Overtones < 8kHz Breath < 13kHz

Alto Sax

Fundamentals 139 - 785Hz Overtones 8kHz Breath < 13kHz

Clarient

Fundamentals 139Hz - 1.6kHz Overtones Soft < 1.5kHz, Loud < 12kHz

Oboe

Fundamentals 250Hz - 1.5kHz Overtones < 12kHz

Flute

Fundamentals 247Hz - 2.1kHz Overtones < 3 - 6kHz Overblow < 8kHz

Piccolo

Fundamentals 630Hz - 4kHz Overtones < 16kHz

Strings

Bass

Fundamentals 41 - 343Hz Bottom 50 - 80Hz Attack / Pick 700Hz - 1kHz String Noise 2.5kHz Harmonics < 4kHz

Cello

Fundamentals 56 - 520Hz Fullness 240Hz Overtones < 8kHz

Viola

Fundamentals 125Hz - 1kHz Overtones < 6.3kHz Fullness 220 - 240Hz Scratchiness 7 - 10kHz

Violin

Fundamentals 200Hz - 1.3kHz Fullness ~240Hz Formants 300Hz, 1kHz, 1.2kHz Overtones < 16kHz Scratchiness 7 - 10kHz

Guitar

Fundamentals 82Hz - 1.2kHz Fullness (acoustic) 80Hz Fullness (electric) 240 - 500Hz Body (acoustic) ~240Hz Prescence 2 - 5kHz

Piano