Equalizers are one of the key audio-editing tools to carve out space for each instrument in your mix, and to boost or cut certain frequencies. Each guitar type—classical, acoustic, electric, and bass—has its own sonic flavors, and EQ edits should adjust them accordingly.
However, there are certain EQ practices and tips that you should bear in mind for your guitars. Just remember to follow your ears on a case-by-case basis, rather than use a one-size-fits-all approach to EQ edits.
Why You Should EQ Your Guitars
If you’re still unsure whether your guitars need EQ edits, there are two sonic phenomena you should be aware of: frequency masking and harsh (ringing) resonances. We’ll look into fixes for these areas further on, but some general knowledge onhow EQs, the frequency spectrum, and filter sweeps workcould help you out.
Aside from these two problematic areas, EQs let you bring to the fore the good of your guitar sounds by sculpting out unnecessary portions. Then, you can add subtle touches to embellish certain characteristics that could be lacking.
Conversely, you should be careful not to overuse EQs when other mixing tools may be better suited. For example, a bass guitar clashing with a bass synth may be better resolved via panning edits instead of EQ edits.
Get the Foundations Right Before EQ Edits
The effective use of EQs can transform washed-out and unclear guitars into the crisp and defined tones you’re after. However, if you don’t get the foundations of your guitar sound right, no amount of fancy EQ edits or gear will fix your sonic issues.
So, ensure you’ve recorded your guitars to the best of your ability before EQ edits. Also, choose your amps and microphones in line with your desired tone and character.
Subtractive EQ
Before you rush into boosting all the frequencies that sound good in your guitars, remember that people’s ears are often tricked into thinking louder equals better. Industry professionals bring out the best of their audio principally by applying subtractive (cutting) EQ edits.
If the gain of your audio drops below your desired rate, most EQs offer a gain slider to make up for any gain reduction. Let’s look into some subtractive EQ practices to consider for your guitars
Apply Low- and High-Pass Filters
These two filter types should be among your first EQ edits for your guitars and most, if not all, of your diverse instrumental parts.
First, you’ll want to apply a high-pass (low-cut) filter. The best way to do so is to initiate playback on your guitar and increase the cutoff frequency of your high-pass filter until it affects the tone of your guitar. Then, move it back a little.
Typically, the cutoff frequency for classical, acoustic, and electric guitars will be around 80-100 Hz. For bass guitars, it can be around 40-60 Hz. This filter will help remove rumbling and electrical equipment sounds that can accumulate in the background and negatively impact your mix.
Apply the same practice with a low-pass (high-cut) filter, and back off when it affects the tone of your guitars. You may find the sweet spot around 11-12 kHz for acoustic and electric guitars, even higher for classical guitars, and around 6 kHz for bass guitars.
Remember to be careful with the low-pass filter as you’re able to easily cut off the airy sonic quality that lies around this upper-frequency range. Again, play it by ear!
Remove Mud if Needed
A term you’ll see crop up a lot in music production is mud and muddiness. It refers to a washed-out, lack of clarity in the low-end of the frequency spectrum (typically around 200–350 Hz). This usually occurs due to a buildup of frequencies in this area.
Making subtle cuts to your guitars in this range of frequencies is a good idea. Alternatively, you may want to cut other instruments so your guitars cut through a little clearer.
Bear in mind that deep cuts to guitars in this area can remove the core low-end of their sound. Therefore, subtle touches are recommended if you encounter muddiness in your mix.
Remove Ringing Resonances
Guitars will usually produce harsh and ringing resonances around 1 kHz. They are natural phenomena, typical of most acoustic instruments, which can, fortunately, be fixed up.
The best way to do so is to perform a filter sweep with a bell filter (boost gain intensively with a very narrow Q). Try starting around 1-2 kHz and sweep through the frequency spectrum. Once you’ve identified unpleasant resonances, use surgical cuts to remove them.
Additive and Corrective EQ
Now, we’ll look at the different characteristics unique to guitars that you’ll want to either emphasize or tame with EQ edits. For distinct sonic coloration when applying EQ changes, consider usingdifferent types of EQs.
Add Body and Depth
One way to add depth and solidity to your bass guitar is to boost the frequencies between 100–200 Hz. 150 Hz is often a particular sweet spot, but each bass part will vary.
you may do the same with your classical, acoustic, and electric guitars between 300–500 Hz. Too much here can make your guitars sound boomy, so a subtle touch is often all you need.
Remove Boxy or Honky Sounds
In classical, acoustic, and electric guitars, too much gain between 400-700 Hz can lead to a honky sound; while too little can lead to a boxy (hollow, out-of-a-box) sound. If you hear either of these characteristics, boost or cut accordingly.
Add Punch and Definition
For bass guitars, you can add an edge to their low-mid frequencies by boosting between 600-1000 Hz. Similarly, between 800-2000 Hz, subtle boosts can add some clarity to your bass parts. Too little in these areas can lead to a hollow sound while too much can produce an unpleasant emphasis.
Adjust Attack and Harshness
You can add or take away from the attack of your guitars by boosting or cutting the frequencies around the plucking/strumming sound. This lies around 2-5 kHz on bass guitars and around 3-5 kHz on acoustic and electric guitars. The pick sound on classical guitars can be found around 600–800 Hz.
Use a filter sweep to identify the bite of the strings and add or take away some of their emphasis. Bear in mind that these frequencies also dictate how harsh a guitar sounds, so try to balance these characteristics according to your sonic objectives.
Add Presence and Air
To help your non-bass guitars cut through your mix, you can elevate their presence by boosting between 2-6 kHz. This will make them seemingly move forwards in your mix.
Lastly, you can use a high shelf filter in the high-end (5–10 kHz) to add in some air and sparkle; this often combines well with clean-sounding guitars.
Use Other Corrective EQ Techniques
In certain situations, you will need your EQ to move dynamically without impacting your whole guitar track. Knowinghow to use automationto fix the odd squeak with EQs can work best.
Similarly, you may want to use a dynamic EQ and/oruse sidechain compressionso that only certain frequencies duck down when clashing instruments play simultaneously.
Get the Best Out of Your Guitars
Once you’ve made some high-quality guitar recordings, it’s time to analyze their individual and collective sound in your mix. Start off with a low- and high-pass filter to remove unnecessary lows and highs. Then, remove mud if there’s a lack of clarity in your low-end.
Apply additive and corrective EQ edits to bring out the best characteristics of your guitars, and tame those that stand out too much. Remember to use automation and dynamic EQs if needed, and you’ll be one step closer to that perfect guitar sound.
