EQ in the Mix: Five Decisions That Change Everything

EQ isn’t about making every track sound amazing on its own—it’s about making them all fit together. These five decisions solve most of the problems in a home mix.

1. Filter out lows that don’t add anything

Vocals, acoustic guitars, cymbals, and keys often carry information below 80–120 Hz that doesn’t come across as music but still takes up space. A gentle high-pass filter cleans up the mix instantly.

2. Cut before you boost

If something sounds dull, instead of boosting the highs, try pulling down the low mids (200–500 Hz). A lot of the time the brightness was already there, just buried.

3. Make room between the kick and the bass

Decide who owns the deep lows. If the kick’s punch sits at 60 Hz, dip that area a bit on the bass and boost its definition higher up.

4. EQ in context

A track that sounds thin on its own can be perfect inside the mix. Always listen with everything playing.

5. Compare at the same volume

Boosting highs or lows raises the perceived loudness and fools your ears. Before deciding whether a change actually sounds better, match the levels.

Harmony mixes too

An arrangement with several instruments playing the same notes in the same register will never sound clear, no matter how you EQ it. Thinking about voicings and registers while you write saves you half the mixing work.