Quick EQ

GUIDE
The following pages of this PDF contain my tried and true, go-to EQ settings for all of the typical instruments
within a metal production.

I want you to keep in mind that you should not limit yourself to just these EQ settings, but use them only as
starting points to refer to. Recording and mixing is an art just as much as it is a science and I fully believe that
it's important to never let yourself get too caught up in the exact numbers.

Sometimes these presets work out perfectly and I barely have to tweak them.

Other times the instrument I'm working on sounds best completely flat. In these cases I simply bypass all of the
filter bands and adjust the high pass filter to where it sounds best (every instrument will require, at least, a high
pass filter within a professional mix).

After recording, mixing and mastering metal bands professionally for over a decade, these are the EQ settings I
always call up when starting a mix from scratch.

Happy Mixing!

Bobby Torres

www.frightboxrecording.com
 Kick Drum

I high pass everything below 30 Hz on a kick drum due to

the fact that those super low frequencies tend to take up
a lot of headroom and usually add nothing musical to kick
drums.

With your bell filter set fairly wide (i.e., low Q), try dipping
out a few dB of lower mids to clear up the boxiness that's
almost always present within raw kick sounds. Slightly
reducing this range will make the drum sound brighter
even without having to boost top end.

If your kick drum is still not bright enough, experiment

with subtly adding high end. I prefer to use a wider bell
filter and to not get too caught up in super specific
frequency ranges.

Snare Drum

Frequencies below 100Hz rarely add anything musical to

snare drum sounds, so I tend to start by filtering out
everything below this range. Experiment with this. I
sometimes set the high pass slightly lower for low-tuned
snares.

Slightly dip out some lower mids if the snare sounds

boxy. Don't get carried away with this. Most of a snare's
warmth, punch and fatness comes from the lower mids.

Slightly boost top end if your snare is sounding too dark.

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 Snare Bottom

My philosophy is that the snare top mic is for the meat

and punch of the snare and that the snare bottom is for
the sizzle and snap.

Don't be shy with your high pass filter. The lows are
already being covered with the snare top mic.

Use a subtle high shelf EQ for extra top-end sizzle.

Toms
I high pass everything below 50Hz on toms. The higher
tuned or smaller the tom is, the higher the frequency I set
the high pass cut off frequency to. Experiment and find
what sounds best to you. If it sounds good, it is good.

Slightly cut some lower mids to remove boxiness. Be

sure to not overdo it. The tom's warmth and punch lives
in this range.

Boost some high end with a fairly wide bell filter for some
extra top end if needed.

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 Cymbals

When it comes to mixing metal, I want as little of snare,

toms, kick and room as possible in my cymbal mics as
possible. Because of this, I filter out everything below
300-500Hz.

Try cutting some lower mids with a wide bell or low shelf
EQ to help remove snare and toms in your cymbal mics.

Pro Tip: For metal, always mic your cymbals as close

as possible and avoid traditional overhead mic'ing
techniques when recording your drums.

Drum Room Mics

Utilize a high pass filter on your drum room mics in order

to remove unwanted super low frequencies from the kick
drum.

Low pass your rooms in order to remove the super top

end splashiness of the cymbals.

Experiment with the cut off frequency of both the high

and low pass filters and stick with what sounds most
musical to you. Don't become too obsessed with the
exact numbers. The drum room track is there to glue the
sound of the overall kit together within your mix.

My goal is usually to zero in on the sound of the shells

and to remove as much of the cymbals and kick drum as
possible from the room mics.

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 Bass

I high pass everything below 50Hz to make room for the

punch of the kick drum.

I almost always roll off everything above 5Khz to make

room for the high end of the guitars, vocals and cymbals.
Most frequencies above this range are usually noise on
bass guitar tracks.

Try boosting around 1Khz for extra pick attack if needed.

Heavy Rhythm Guitars

I'm a firm believer in "less is more" when it comes to
guitar EQing.

Roll off everything below 60-70Khz. I sometimes have to

roll off a little higher if the playing isn't the tightest. The
tighter the playing, the more low end you can get away
with.

Roll off everything above 12Khz. All frequencies above

this range are usually top end noise.

I only cut and boost small frequency ranges between

these filters if the guitar sound absolutely needs it.

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 Clean Guitars
Much like heavy rhythm guitars, I prefer to keep my clean
guitar EQing extra simple.

The main difference is I usually high pass a little more

aggressively and roll off everything below 150Hz.

Slightly cut some lower mids with a wide bell filter to

remove boxiness.

I rarely low pass clean guitars unless I want the sound to

be a background element that sits behind the heavy
guitars.

Lead Guitars
Don't be afraid to go nuts with your high and low pass
filters.

At this point in the mix, much of the extreme low and high
end is being eaten up by other instruments. Experiment
with your low and high pass filter settings and don't
overthink it.

Pro Tip: If your lead guitar is more of an overdub and

less of a guitar solo, low pass more aggressively. This
will help blend the guitar into the track without having
to rely on reverb or delay.

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 Clean Vocals
Most frequencies below 150Hz add nothing musical to
vocal sounds. Get rid of it and adjust your high pass filter
to taste. Even if your vocal track sounds thin in solo, it'll
usually sound great within the context of a busy metal
mix.

Cut some lower mids to remove any cloudiness in the

midrange.

Boost top end with a high shelf EQ to add extra

brightness and "air" to your clean vocal sound.

Scream Vocals
Much like clean vocals, frequencies below 150Hz add
nothing musical to scream vocals. Get rid of those
extreme lows and adjust your high pass filter to taste.

Cut some lower mids to remove cloudiness in the

midrange. Be sure to not overdo it.

There's usually a lot of junk happening in the extreme top

end of screaming tracks, cut top end with a high shelf EQ
to reduce the noise in the high end that's usually
extremely unpleasant.

Unless I'm going for a lo-fi effect, I often opt to use a high
shelf instead of a low pass filter in order to keep the
vocals sounding present. Low passing vocal tracks
usually make the vocals sound like they're covered in a
film or sitting behind something else.

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 Dull Strings And Synths

Synths, strings and other electronic elements are usually

pre-EQ'd and often require very little EQing in the mix.

Simply high passing everything below 100Hz is often

sufficient enough. Depending on how much low end is
needed from the source sound, adjust your cut off
frequency to taste.

If it's a duller sounding track, I'll simply boost a high shelf

filter to brighten up the sound if needed.

Bright Strings And Synths

Depending on how much low end is needed from the
source sound, adjust your cut off frequency to taste.

If the track is too trebly and bright, I'll often cut high end
with a high shelf to mellow out the sound if needed.

Low pass only if you want the sound to be perceived as a

background element.

Low passing is a great way to push elements towards the

back of your mix without having to rely on reverb or
delay.

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