The Vocal EQ Chart (Vocal Frequency Ranges + EQ Tips)

• Download and/or print our handy vocal EQ cheat sheet.
• Learn the crucial frequency areas of controlling vocals in a mix.
• Adopt a proper mindset of how to approach EQ in your mixdowns.
• Consider checking out our vocal compression cheat sheet and guitar EQ cheat sheets as well!

Before we jump into the vocal EQ chart below, let’s discuss some basic principles.

What is EQ In Music?

An EQ can be used in countless ways and varying applications, but its main function can be broken down into three main categories:

1. An EQ allows you to shape things tonally

Hang out with producers long enough, and you’ll likely hear the words ‘carve’ or ‘sculpt’ being used in conjunction with EQ. That’s because they are the perfect analogy to describe one of the primary functions: tonal shaping.

In sound design and music production, an EQ allows you to cut or boost frequencies to achieve the desired tonal balance. Typically, this will be done with software (or a ”plugin”) in a producer’s DAW. Many of these not only sound great but are completely free.

2. An EQ is a corrective/enhancement tool

If you’ve ever recorded a vocal in a space where environmental sounds are bleeding into the microphone, and re-recording is not an option, an EQ could be your saving grace.

So, in the instance of an unwanted air conditioner ‘hum’ making its way into what would’ve been an otherwise fantastic recording, an EQ becomes a corrective tool because it allows you to identify and pull out those unwanted frequencies.

3. An EQ is also a creative tool

While an EQ was originally intended as a corrective tool, its uses go far beyond that, and an entire book could probably be written on solely creative ways to use EQ as a way to color your songwriting and create interest in your sonic mix.

The world of equalization is both exciting and difficult to master. If you’re interested in learning about the different types of EQ, practices and common use cases then look no further, we break down everything you need to know here.

Vocal EQ Chart (Your Vocal EQ Cheat Sheet)

💡Important! This vocal EQ cheat sheet serves as a guideline for EQ’ing vocals in a mix. The keyword here is ‘guideline’, and hence should only serve as a rough guide to help you identify the important frequency areas to pay attention to.

Consider that these 3 factors will affect the approximation of the key frequency areas:

• The sex and age of your singer
• The singing style (alto, tenor, falsetto, screaming, whispers, etc.)
• The biological timbre of the vocalist’s vocal cords

Now, with that out of the way, here is your glorious vocal EQ chart/cheat sheet (click to zoom). Kudos to John Dobie Design for whipping this up for us!

Download The Vocal Cheat EQ Sheet In Full High-Res

Breaking Down The Vocal EQ Chart

Let’s break down the key frequency areas of the vocal EQ cheat sheet. Again, bear in mind that the chart is not meant to be taken as gospel, but instead to merely help you get in the ballpark.

Focus only on the frequency regions — the adjustments in the chart are only for illustration purposes.

So, what Hz do vocals occupy? Typically, the voiced speech of a typical adult male will have a fundamental frequency from 85 to 180Hz, and that of a typical adult female from 165 to 255Hz.

20Hz-80Hz

Vocals typically do not contain a lot of subfrequency energy, and they often add nothing valuable to modern mixes. In fact, it is common practice to roll off sub-frequency content off vocals as it clears up room for instruments that should occupy these lower frequencies, such as the bass guitar and kick drum.

Proximity effect, i.e., the increase in low-frequency response as one gets closer to the microphone, affects this region a fair bit, and is also where ‘plosives’ (words that have overly percussive phonetics, like ‘potato’) can become a problem here, especially if a pop filter is not used.

100Hz-300Hz

100Hz-300Hz is the zone where the vocal’s fundamental frequencies will often reside. As a result, this is an incredibly important frequency area to pay attention to, as it can easily make or break a sound.

It’s a troublesome zone for many, as things can get cluttered around here in busy mixes with full drum kits and distorted guitars.

As mentioned, a common technique is to roll off the low-frequency content of the vocals. That roll-off typically ends somewhere within the region of 80Hz-200Hz, depending on the context of the mix, and the intention.

The more this area is rolled off, the lighter and less ‘present’ the vocal will feel. Experiment to taste.

350Hz-600Hz

This is where the main ‘body’ of vocals occupies and is responsible for supporting the upper harmonics of the voice. It requires your utmost attention and can be a tricky area to manage. This is because too much in this region can result in a ‘boxy’ sound, and too little can result in a hollow sound.

Scooping out 350Hz-600Hz in your adlibs and backing vocals is a technique you can try to give the impression that the supporting vocals are sitting further behind in the mix. This could also help to clear up space for the main vocal.

1kHz-4kHz

We now enter the upper midrange frequencies, which are responsible for things like ‘bite’, ‘honkiness’, and ‘nasal’ qualities.

Careful attention should be paid to this region as it tends to be a busy area, particularly in heavier styles of music.

An excessive buildup in high-mid frequencies is common in amateur mixes, and can lead to an unpleasant, harsh, and brittle mix. This is especially true for tracks with many layered vocal takes, where resonant peaks develop if not controlled efficiently.

Conversely, a track with too little frequency content in this area will appear dull, ‘far away’, and muffled. If you are going for a 90s ‘shoegaze’ or ‘vaporwave’ sound, this could be ideal. However, for most modern ‘radio’ mixes, having clear, high-midrange gives the impression of modern presence. Again, it all depends on context.

5kHz-8kHz

This region is where the sibilance/brilliance of vocals can be effectively manipulated. For better or for worse, there has been a trend over time where vocals are given a bump in this area (and even above) to give the impression of a ‘larger than life’, bright sound.

If executed with precision and finesse, this can work wonders. Pushing this region gives a vocal ‘sheen’, but in the wrong context, it can sound disjointed from the overall mix, and harsh.

10kHz-20kHz

At this point, most vocal harmonics and overtones would have naturally rolled off by themselves. Similarly to the point I mentioned earlier, it has become ‘in-vogue’ to push this area a little to provide extra ‘sheen’ and ‘hi-fi’ presence. Compare recordings from the 70s to today — they’ve become much brighter in tone!

Conversely, it is not uncommon for some producers to roll this region off with a shallow high-cut or high-shelf. While sacrificing the ‘benefit’ of ‘air’ or ‘sheen’, many producers opt to clear the vocal of these frequencies to allow for other instruments to occupy it, such as cymbals or airy synthesizers.

Vocal EQ Tips

Remember that all the tips included above are just for example’s sake, and do not mean that the techniques will work 1:1 with your mixes. Every vocalist is unique, microphone frequency responses differ, and every track should be approached to serve the track, rather than a set of strict rules.

There are no “best equalizer settings”. Every mix decision you make should be with a specific intent that is independent of any set rules.

A lot of the time (and this applies to mixing in general), EQ decisions should be the result of making specific sacrifices to achieve the desired outcome. Ten full-frequency instruments and vocals are not all going to fit together right out of the gate, so EQ becomes a game of small compromises/sacrifices for the greater good of an overall mix.

This is why many argue that EQ’ing in solo (while useful) can lead to bad mix decisions. Those 10 full-frequency instruments could sound incredible by themselves, but terrible as an overall mix.

Lastly, no magical chart will turn you into a professional mix engineer overnight. It will take years and years of practice to get right, and hence why the best mix engineers in the world are paid handsomely for their time.