Frequency Masking

Instrument frequency ranges

bars = fundamental / secondary / attack regions · scroll right on narrow screens

Kick Bass E. Guitar A. Guitar Snare Vocals Keys Cymbals

Common masking conflicts

Kick vs Bass guitar

60–120 Hz

Cut bass around kick's fundamental. HP bass below 40Hz. Side-chain compress bass to kick for automatic pocket carving.

Electric guitar vs Keys

200–800 Hz

One instrument owns the mid — the other steps aside. Scoop guitar at 400–600Hz if keys carry the pad, or vice versa.

Vocals vs Electric guitar

1–4 kHz

Most common mix problem. Cut guitar 2–3kHz where vocal presence lives. Cut vocals 300–500Hz to remove chest mud that clogs guitar body.

Snare vs Vocals

1–3 kHz

Snare crack at 1–2kHz masks vocal consonants. Duck snare with compression or notch snare at 2kHz when vocal is present.

Bass vs Kick — mud zone

200–400 Hz

Neither instrument is supposed to live here but room/body resonance fills it. Cut both instruments 200–400Hz — you'll miss it less than you think.

Quick cuts by problem

Muddy mix

Cut 200–400Hz on everything except kick and bass fundamentals. Narrow Q, 2–4dB.

Honky / boxy

Cut 400–800Hz on guitars and keys. Most common on close-mic'd guitar amps and upright piano.

Harsh / fatiguing

Cut 2–4kHz on guitars. Cut 3–5kHz on overheads and cymbals. Narrow Q, scan for the exact offender.

Thin / no body

Boost 100–200Hz on guitar bus. Shelf, not bell — keep it broad and low-gain (1–2dB).

No presence / buried

Boost 1–3kHz on lead vocal or lead instrument. Check nothing else is competing — cut rivals first.

Sibilance

De-ess at 5–8kHz on vocals. Broad dynamic cut — static EQ usually overshoots on transients.

No low end

Check all HP filters — overzealous HP on kick, bass, or mix bus kills weight fast. Lower HP to 20–30Hz on bass/kick.

Congested high-mid

Every track has buildup at 1–4kHz. Small cuts (0.5–1dB) across 4–6 tracks add up — you don't need one big cut.