M-AUDIO EQMan - Manual (Page 24)

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Once again, the EQMan automation features can enable you to add
just a little and change it back before your listeners start yawning.
7. Use your ears! Some engineers will automatically set up a particular
EQ for an instrument without listening to the specific instrument
first. Listen first. Not all acoustic guitars sound the same; that's why
some are worth thousands of dollars and others are good for
emergency umbrellas. EQ for the specific instrument you are
recording, not for the memory of some instrument you recorded in
the past.
8. Cut some of the EQ bands that are out of the frequency range of the
source material. In other words, if you are recording an electric bass
only, you can usually reduce the gains on the upper frequencies,
which are out of the frequency range of a bass. This will also serve
to take out any upper frequency noise that might be recorded as part
of the bass track. For vocals, reduce the low end gain to avoid pops
and other annoying wind- and pressure-related vocal sounds.
9. Nothing is written in stone, including these rules. Once you've
learned to use them, feel free to break them if it makes your final
mix sound better. After all, isn't that the reason we're doing this in
the first place?