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

Clarinet

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

Fundamentals 27Hz - 4.2kHz
Fullness 80 - 120Hz
Prescence 2 - 5kHz
Resonance ~40 - 60Hz
Honkey-Tonk ~2.5kHz