PreSonus ADL 700 - Manual (Page 22)

• Your memory is not what you think it is. Comparing a flat EQ and the
curve that you’ve created allows you to see and hear exactly what you’ve
done. So be honest with yourself. Sometimes that EQ setting you’ve
been working on for 15 minutes is not the right choice, so move on.
• Never be afraid of taking a risk. The best EQ tricks were found by mad scientists
of sound. With every instrument, there are frequencies that can be attenuated or
boosted to add clarity or fullness. Altering the wrong frequencies can make an
instrument shrill, muddy, or just downright annoying. The following two charts
suggest frequency ranges that should be accentuated or downplayed for the
most common instruments. These are just suggestions; the frequencies may need
to be adjusted up or down depending on the instrument, room, and microphone.
Table 1
Instrument What to Cut Why to Cut What to Boost Why to Boost
Human Voice 7 kHz Sibilance 8 kHz Big sound
2 kHz Shrill 3 kHz and above Clarity
1 kHz Nasal 200-400 Hz Body
80 Hz and below Popping P’s
Piano 1-2 kHz Tinny 5 kHz More presence
300 Hz Boomy 100 Hz Bottom end
Electric Guitar 1-2 kHz Shrill 3 kHz Clarity
80 Hz and below Muddy 125 Hz Bottom end
Acoustic Guitar 2-3 kHz Tinny 5 kHz and above Sparkle
200 Hz Boomy 125 Hz Full
Electric Bass 1 kHz Thin 600 Hz Growl
125 Hz Boomy 80 Hz and below Bottom end
String Bass 600 Hz Hollow 2-5 kHz Sharp attack
200 Hz Boomy 125 Hz and below Bottom end
Snare Drum 1 kHz Annoying 2 kHz Crisp
150-200 Hz Full
80 Hz Deep
Kick Drum 400 Hz Muddy 2-5 kHz Sharp attack
80 Hz and below Boomy 60-125 Hz Bottom end
Toms 300 Hz Boomy 2-5 kHz Sharp attack
80-200 Hz Bottom end
Cymbals 1 kHz Annoying 7-8 kHz Sizzle
8-12 kHz Brilliance
15 kHz Air
Horns 1 kHz Honky 8-12 kHz Big sound
120 Hz and below Muddy 2 kHz Clarity
String section 3 kHz Shrill 2 kHz Clarity
120 Hz and below Muddy 400-600 Hz Lush and full
18
3.0 Tutorial
3.2 Equalizers
ADL 700
Owner’s Manual