The Frequency Table

binger0 wrote:heres a good reference from
http://hometown.aol.com/motionizer/page28.html

FREQUENCIES




20 kHz - Not much of musical value happening up here, except the very highest overtones of treble instruments. Some extremely high-pitched noise lives here, too. The average person can't hear anything above this frequency, and many adults can't even hear this one. Some engineers prefer to filter everything from here up completely out of a mix.


around 16 kHz - Very high overtones. This region is the key to a sense of "air" and "liveness" in your music. It also helps your ears detect exactly where things are placed in a mix. Sampled instruments (such as drum machine sounds, keyboard tones, etc.) usually don't contain frequencies this high, due to technical limitations. That partly explains why they sound so artificial; however, a device called the Aphex Aural Exciter can be used to generate extra overtones on them, making them sound more realistic. It works by examining the frequencies which are already present in the sound, and then creating new, mathematically-correct harmonics over them, to replace the ones that are missing. The result is an instrument sound that is very much like the original. I describe this device more fully on the MY STUFF page. There are other enhancing tools on the market; however, to my knowledge, the Aphex is the only one that actually generates new overtones. The other ones use different techniques to brighten sounds.


around 12 kHz - High treble. Most quality-brand stereos can handle overtones at least this high. This region contains the "shimmer" and "sparkle" of a mix. In the interest of reducing hiss and other high-frequency noise, a few engineers will roll off everything above this range, although doing so robs the mix of the "live" sound quality mentioned above.


around 10 kHz - The sizzle of high hats and cymbals is mainly found here. Also, the vividness of guitars, pianos and vocals. A very important range for treble response in consumer audio equipment -- this frequency is often used as a benchmark to determine whether a piece of gear is good enough to be considered high-fidelity. However, a music program that cuts off everything above 10k won't necessarily sound "lo-fi"; in fact, the average person won't even notice anything is missing, especially after listening for a while.


around 9 kHz - A little lift here gives detail and seperation to individual voices in a vocal ensemble. Also useful for enhancing the expressive raspiness of some lead singers.


around 8 kHz - Try boosting here to accent phasing and flanging effects. Can also be used to shine up your brass instruments.


around 7 kHz - The brightness of toms; the buzz of string ensembles and sawtooth- wave keyboard sounds. Cut slightly to cope with excessive finger noise on stringed instruments, or sibilance (edgy "s" sounds) on a vocal.


around 6 kHz - The brightness of a kick drum or bass guitar; the whispery quality of a vocal (don't go overboard boosting here...it can lead to thin-sounding voices!).


around 5 kHz - The buzz of a snare drum; the presence of high-hats, guitars and female or child vocals. ("Presence" refers to how close to the listener things in a mix appear to be.) Solo piano, whether acoustic or electric, sounds more luxurious with this region raised up a bit (perhaps 4 dB), along with 250 Hz. Also, a slight dip here helps with surface noise problems on your old phonograph records.


around 4 kHz - Probably the best spot to boost for presence on a male vocal. Start with 4 - 6 decibels (fairly wide Q) and experiment from there.


around 3 kHz - The presence of a kick drum; the string noise on a bass guitar; the edginess a guitar solo needs to cut through a mix. A piano can gain independence from the rest of the band with a gentle boost in this area. A mild dip here controls screeching notes from a female or child singer.


around 2 kHz - The sharpness of a snare drum. A key region for dealing with the ear-grating harshness that may occur on guitars and vocals. (Dabble around until you pinpoint the exact frequency that's irritating you, because cutting too much here can make it hard to understand the lyrics in your vocal...or zap the life out out your guitar. If you're not sure about what you're doing, it's probably best to leave this region alone -- there's too much at stake!)


around 1 kHz - The noise of a pick used on any stringed instrument; the honking quality of most instruments; the telephone-like quality of vocals; the attack and pitch definition of a bass guitar or upright bass. Dip here to tame piercing notes on a male vocal.


around 500 Hz - The body tone of a guitars (acoustic or electric), organs, and many orchestral instruments like violins, woodwinds, and brass. Too much energy here can make a mix sound "boxy"...as if your speakers were made of cardboard.


around 450 Hz - The chest-voice of female and child singers.


around 400 Hz - The chest-voice of male singers.


around 350 Hz - The body tone of toms.


around 300 Hz - The general sense of warmth and fullness in a mix. If you boost here, use a Q setting that's not wide enough to pick up 200 Hz -- he's a troublemaker, as you'll see below.


around 250 Hz - The warmth of things like electric guitar, synth pad, string pad and (solo) piano.


around 200 Hz - The body tone of a snare drum. A slight cut here will help deal with muddiness on just about any instrument, voice, or mix, and will prevent any competition with the snare.


around 150 Hz - Here's a useful secret: cut a few decibels in this area to make the bass sound more punchy on a mix or individual instrument. If your EQ is sweepable, experiment to find the exact spot that sounds best. (Of course, this only applies to instruments that actually have something happening down here -- not a tambourine, for instance.)


around 100 Hz - The bass energy of a kick drum. Also, the low end of an electric guitar, piano or musically-acceptable synth tone. You probably don't need anything below this on a non-bass instrument, so filter out the lows to keep them from fighting the bass guitar. Put a big boost here if you want to imitate the voice of a radio DJ.


around 50 Hz - The lowest notes of bass instruments. This range is the key to powerful-sounding mixes; boosting it a couple of dB can give your music a sense of "phatness" (weightiness) as long as you don't overdo it. You can clarify your rhythm section by adding a few dB anywhere from here to 80 Hz on your bass guitar, while cutting a few from your kick drum. Cut here if you're having trouble with AC hum and you have no other way of getting rid of it.


10 - 20 Hz - The extreme lower range of hearing for most adults. You are usually advised to filter out everything from here down when you're recording onto analog tape; doing so often improves the results. You can leave this range alone for digital recordings, or remove it -- whichever sounds best to you. Keep in mind that, in most cases, anything this low is probably just taking up valuable recording space, forcing you to compromise the volume level at which you can record the more important things in your mix. (Suggestion: get rid of it.)