The frequency map
Where every instrument lives. The faint bar is its full range; the bright core is the band it dominates — the part you protect for it. Filter by family, tap any instrument for its EQ tip and a tone you can hear.
Each row shows where that sound sits in the mix. Tap one to see its key range, its job, and how to EQ it — and hear a tone at the centre of its range.
Pairing lab — will these clash?
Pick any two sounds. If their cores overlap you'll see the clash zone shaded in red, with exactly what to do. If they don't, they pair naturally — that's how you build a full, clean arrangement.
The method: make room
Mud isn't a volume problem, it's a real-estate problem — two sounds in the same band. These are the five moves to give every element its own space, in the order you should reach for them.
Choose, don't fix arrangement
The best EQ is picking sounds that already live in different bands. Before you layer two pads or two basses, ask: do they fight? Use the map — a sub-heavy 808 + a bright pluck fill the space; two mid-heavy synths clash.
High-pass everything clear the lows
Only the kick and bass need the sub. High-pass every other track up to where its core begins (see each instrument's range) — pads, guitars, vocals. Instantly removes 80% of mud.
Carve & complement EQ trade-off
When two sounds must share a band, cut that band on the less-important one and let the other own it. Classic move: dip the bass where the kick thumps, dip the pad where the vocal sits. One boosts, the other dips — they interlock.
Pan & octave the other dimensions
Clashing in frequency? Separate them in space (pan one left, one right) or in pitch (move one up an octave). Two guitars panned hard apart stop fighting without any EQ.
Sidechain the overlap dynamic space
For unavoidable low-end clashes (kick vs 808), sidechain so one ducks when the other hits — they share the band by taking turns, not at the same time.
The "fill the spectrum" checklist
A full-sounding track usually covers: sub (kick/808), low (bass), low-mid (body — keys, guitars), mid (the lead/vocal), high-mid (presence, snare), highs (hats, air). If a band is empty the mix feels thin; if a band is crowded it feels muddy. Use the map to see which bands you've filled and which are empty.
What lives where
A quick map of the spectrum by band — what each region does and the one move to remember.
| Band | Lives here | The move |
|---|---|---|
| Sub 20–60 Hz | Kick thump, 808/sub-bass, the rumble you feel | Only one thing here at a time. High-pass everything else. Check on speakers that have real low end. |
| Low 60–200 Hz | Bass, kick body, low toms, warmth of pads & guitars | The "weight" zone — and the #1 mud zone. Trim 200–300 on anything that isn't bass. |
| Low-mid 200–600 Hz | Body of guitars/keys/snare, vocal chest, fullness | Boxiness lives here. A broad cut around 300–400 cleans almost any mix. |
| Mid 600 Hz–2 kHz | The heart of most instruments & the vocal's intelligibility | Most crowded band — the one the lead/vocal must win. Carve room for it here. |
| High-mid 2–6 kHz | Attack, presence, snare crack, consonants, pick noise | Presence and "forward". Boosts here cut through — but get harsh fast. Watch sibilance. |
| Highs 6–12 kHz | Hi-hats, cymbals, sibilance, sparkle | Detail and shimmer. De-ess vocals here; don't pile every track's highs on top of each other. |
| Air 12–20 kHz | Sheen, "expensive" sparkle, room sense | A gentle high-shelf adds polish. Mostly cymbals, vocal air, and reverb tails. |