How to EQ Electric Guitar:
EQ is a fundamental part of mixing. Through the use of parametric EQ, pass filters and shelving filters, you can manipulate the frequency response of the instruments in your session. Doing so allows you to alter the character of an instrument, increase separation, create effects, and more.
In this lesson, we’ll focus on the key frequencies that you need to know when equalizing electric guitars. Electric guitar recordings can exhibit a number of different characteristics at different frequencies. These characteristics, and the frequencies that they occur at, can be quite different depending on whether you’re working with a clean electric guitar sound or a distorted electric guitar sound. By learning the kinds of characteristics that occur at various frequencies in both clean and distorted electric guitar tracks, you can use electric guitar EQ to achieve your desired sound. If you want to increase a particular characteristic, then you boost its related frequencies. If you want to lessen a particular characteristic, then you cut the relevant frequencies.
Each of the following electric guitar frequencies comes from the free Mixinglessons.com EQ Settings Cheat Sheet. The EQ Settings Cheat Sheet gives you a breakdown of the key frequencies that you need to know to EQ drums, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, and vocals.
Click here to download your free copy of the EQ Settings Cheat Sheet.
Clean Electric Guitar EQ:
50-60Hz: Mains hum
80-250Hz: Muddiness
100-400Hz: Boominess
150-250Hz: Warmth
240-500Hz: Fullness
2-5kHz: Bite
6kHz and up: Sizzle
8kHz and up: Noise
8kHz and up: Brittleness
Distorted Electric Guitar EQ:
50-60Hz: Mains hum
100Hz: Muddiness
150-250Hz: Warmth
240-500Hz: Fullness
400-1000Hz: Crunch
2-5kHz: Bite
6kHz and up: Sizzle
8kHz and up: Noise
Using EQ:
Cutting or boosting these key areas can help you to tailor the frequency response of the electric guitar tracks in your mix. Of course, no two recordings are the same. The instruments, the mics, the room, and the player all play a role in making your electric guitar recordings unique. So use these frequencies as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to experiment to achieve the sound you’re looking for.
What are the key frequencies that you like to focus on when you EQ electric guitar tracks? What character are you looking to get out of each track, and what EQ moves do you feel have the biggest impact on your mixes? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Don’t forget to download your free copy of the EQ Settings Cheat Sheet to kick-start your EQ for drums, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, and vocals.
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