Vocal EQ Cheat Sheet: Frequencies for Every Vocal

Where mud, boxiness, harshness, esses and air live, and what to do about them. A practical EQ map for male and female vocals, plus de-essing.

EQ is where most vocal mixes are won or lost. This cheat sheet maps the frequency ranges that matter on a vocal, what problems live there, and what to do about them. Use it as a map, then trust your ears: every voice, mic and room is different.

The vocal frequency map

Below 80 to 120 Hz: rumble. Traffic, handling noise, plosives. Almost always high-pass it.
100 to 250 Hz: body and warmth. Lower for deeper voices (around 120 to 200 Hz), higher for brighter ones (around 200 to 250 Hz). Too little sounds thin; too much sounds boomy.
200 to 500 Hz: mud and boxiness. The most common problem area in home recordings. A small cut here often cleans up the whole vocal.
500 Hz to 1.5 kHz: honk and nasal tone. If the vocal sounds like it's through a cardboard tube or "in the nose", look here.
2 to 5 kHz: presence and clarity. Where words cut through. Also where harshness lives, so boost carefully.
5 to 9 kHz: sibilance. S, SH and T sounds. De-ess rather than EQ if it's only the esses.
10 to 16 kHz: air. The breathy, expensive shine on modern vocals.

How to find the right spot

Set a narrow bell boost of 6 to 8 dB.
Sweep slowly through the range while the vocal plays.
When the problem jumps out, stop. That's the frequency.
Turn the boost into a cut of 2 to 4 dB, and widen it until it sounds natural.

Rule of thumb: cut narrow, boost wide.

Common moves by problem

Sounds muddy: cut 2 to 3 dB around 250 to 400 Hz.
Sounds boxy or roomy: cut around 300 to 600 Hz, and check your recording space (see how to record vocals at home).
Sounds nasal: cut around 800 Hz to 1.2 kHz.
Gets lost in the beat: wide boost of 1 to 3 dB around 3 to 5 kHz.
Sounds dull: high shelf from 10 to 12 kHz, 2 to 4 dB.
Sounds harsh: cut a few dB around 2.5 to 4 kHz, or use a dynamic EQ there.

Vocal EQ curve in Instinct — A typical vocal curve: low cut, a small mud cut, presence and air.

Male vs. female vocals

The ranges shift with the voice. As a rough guide:

Deeper voices: body around 120 to 200 Hz, mud around 200 to 350 Hz, sibilance nearer 4 to 7 kHz.
Higher voices: body around 200 to 250 Hz, a lower high-pass is less needed, sibilance nearer 6 to 9 kHz.

Always listen rather than relying on labels; the voice in front of you decides.

Dynamic EQ: fix problems only when they happen

Some problems only show up on certain notes or loud moments, like a harsh ring on high notes. A dynamic EQ band cuts only when that frequency gets too loud, and leaves the rest of the vocal alone. It's more transparent than a static cut.

De-essing: the right way

Put the de-esser after any EQ boosts and compression, since both make esses louder.
Set the frequency to where the S sounds sit (usually 5 to 9 kHz).
Lower the threshold until only the esses trigger it.
Aim for 3 to 6 dB of reduction. More, and the singer starts to lisp.
On very bright vocals, a second, gentle de-esser at the end of the chain catches what the rest added.

EQ order in the chain

Before compression: cleanup (high-pass, mud and honk cuts), so the compressor reacts to the voice, not the rumble.
After compression: tonal polish (presence and air), then de-essing.

Let Instinct find the curve

Instinct measures your vocal's tone across the whole range and compares it with how professionally mixed vocals sound, then sets an EQ to move it towards that: a low cut under the voice, cuts where it's muddy, and presence and air where it needs it. You can see every point on the curve and drag it, and its de-esser learns what's normal for that singer before it reacts. Read how Instinct analyses a vocal, or download the free beta.

FAQ

What frequency should I cut on vocals?

Common cuts are below 80 to 120 Hz (rumble), 200 to 500 Hz (mud or boxiness) and 800 Hz to 1.5 kHz (nasal honk). Only cut what you actually hear as a problem, and sweep to find the exact spot.

Where is sibilance in vocals?

Usually between 5 and 9 kHz, a little lower for deeper voices and higher for brighter ones. A de-esser set to that range, reducing only the S sounds by a few dB, is the cleanest fix.

Should I EQ before or after compression?

Both are common. Cleanup EQ (high-pass and mud cuts) usually goes before compression so the compressor doesn't react to rumble; tonal boosts like presence and air can go before or after.