7 Vocal EQ Ranges
Equalizing a vocal properly can be time consuming and an overall nightmare. However, take a look at these 7 EQ ranges that can benefit the performance of your vocals.
That's why I'm going to explain how to EQ your vocals for the best possible performance in this blog post.
0-80Hz
Up to 60-80Hz is where you want to place your high-pass filter on vocals. Under this frequency range there's not really anything you need in your vocals. Rumbling frequencies are located there which occur due to possible noise from the floor while recording or other factors, so that's the reason you don't want them in your recordings. The goal is to make the vocals sound clean. In terms of slope, I wouldn't advise to go for 48dB/oct or even brickwall since those cuts won't sound anywhere close to natural.
100-200Hz
Around this frequency range, you can find resonant frequencies (ringing points) that usually "destroy" vocal takes. By gently attenuating them, you can reduce their impact on the quality and potential of your vocal recordings. Don't cut too much in terms of dB. Instead, stay within the safe zone. Slight cuts can make a lot of difference.
150-250Hz
Wide bell boost around this frequency range can enhance warmth to your vocals which will at the same time make them sounding much fuller. There's also a negative side of doing this in this frequency range. By boosting this area without any intentions, you can make the vocals sounding boomy (more low end and power than it's really needed). Be very careful with your decisions.
500Hz Range
Set your EQ filter around 500Hz and solo it. Now, monitor how that frequency range sounds in solo. If you can notice boxiness, that means you should gently attenuate this range. Now, switch back to regular and listen the whole frequency range while still partially soloing this range. It's very important to identify if the boxiness is really happening on the vocals. If it is, gentle attenuation can benefit the vocal and make it sounding much cleaner.
1-2kHz
Around 1-2kHz range is where you want to boost if you're missing clarity. However, sometimes it's best to leave this area untouched since it can also cause problems if not handed properly. A great trick that works for me is to gently attenuate around 200Hz and boost around 1-2kHz. By doing this, you compensate for clarity. But, don't do this without a purpose since it depends on the vocals you're working with. Experiment with your craft and think multiple times before taking action.
5-9kHz
If you enrolled to my EQ Masterclass, you probably listened me talking about this frequency range. This is where the sibilances and harshness occur. Esses, t's & more sibilant frequencies often happen here, so in order to eliminate them, we can either de-ess/compress them or use a dynamic eq cut as I did here to dynamically attenuate them and control them. Be very gentle with this range since overdoing can make your vocals sounding unnatural.
10kHz+
Air & Brightness can be achieved within this frequency range. Shelf filter works marvelously well when used around this frequency range. Positioning a shelf filter from 8-10kHz & up will give some decent results. Just make sure your vocals are not getting harsh when doing that. A great tip is to first de-ess and then boost around this frequency range.
Our EQ Masterclass features many different presets for microphones, preamps, reverb, podcasts, voiceovers etc. You get them for FREE by enrolling to our EQ Masterclass!
If you want to add a recommendation for the future blog post and get featured on, feel free to reach to our DM on Instagram or use our e-mail address: marko@md3sign.com
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