Vocal EQ Cheat Sheet
Vocal EQ Cheat Sheet
Choose the voice and tick what is wrong with it. You get the exact EQ moves: cut or boost, frequency, Q and amount. Then check the full vocal frequency map below.
| Problem | Move | Frequency | Q | Amount | Why |
|---|
Start with cuts. Sweep a narrow boost to find the ugly spot, then cut there. Boosts are wide and gentle. Re-check with the whole mix playing, not solo.
Vocal frequency map
| Range | What lives here | Typical move |
|---|---|---|
| Below 80 Hz | Rumble, stand noise, plosive thumps | High-pass 80-120 Hz (higher for female) |
| 100-250 Hz | Warmth, body, chest | Boost 1-2 dB for thin voices, cut if muddy |
| 250-500 Hz | Mud, boxiness | Wide cut 2-4 dB around 300-400 Hz |
| 800 Hz-1.5 kHz | Nasal honk, telephone tone | Narrow cut 2-3 dB if nasal |
| 2-4 kHz | Presence, intelligibility, edge | Boost 1-3 dB for clarity, cut if harsh |
| 5-8 kHz | Sibilance, S and T sounds | De-esser rather than static EQ |
| 10-16 kHz | Air, sparkle, breath | Wide shelf +1-3 dB |
How to EQ vocals
Vocal EQ is subtractive first. Almost every problem people describe (muddy, boxy, nasal, harsh) is an excess at a known frequency range, and a moderate cut fixes it more cleanly than boosting everything else. This cheat sheet maps each complaint to the move engineers reach for, scaled for the voice you pick. Female and higher voices shift the same problems up by roughly a fifth.
The order of operations
High-pass first to remove rumble. Then cut the mud and any resonance you find by sweeping. Only after that, add presence and air with wide, gentle boosts. Sibilance is handled by a de-esser rather than a static cut, because S sounds move with every word.
Check in context
A vocal that sounds perfect in solo is often too bright or too thin in the mix. Make the final judgement with the full track playing, and remember that compression after EQ will bring back some of what you cut.
FAQ
Where should I high-pass a vocal?
80 to 100 Hz for most male voices, 100 to 140 Hz for female voices. Go higher if the arrangement is dense; the ear fills in the fundamental.
What frequency makes vocals sound muddy?
Usually 250 to 400 Hz. A wide 2 to 4 dB cut there cleans most vocals without making them thin.
How do I make a vocal cut through the mix?
A gentle 1 to 3 dB boost around 2 to 3 kHz adds presence. Also carve a small dip at the same frequency in guitars and synths so the vocal has room.
Should EQ come before or after compression?
Both is common: a corrective EQ (high-pass and cuts) before the compressor, then a tonal EQ (presence and air) after it.
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