Channel and Graphic Equalizers

Equalization for music

The Graphic Equalizer is designed not only for use in preventing feedback and equalizing uneven room frequency response to be flat, but also for equalizing frequency response to your tastes and producing favourable sound for you. Fig. 1 shows each frequency band and its corresponding auditory feeling. Fig. 2 and Table 1 show the relation between each musical instrument and its frequency band. They can be of great help in the equalizer operation. (They are referenced from a book entitled "Practical Guide for Concert".)

EQUALIZATION CHART

These sounds	The rhythm	Probably the most	Upper vocal region.	Presence range.	Sibilance
are felt more	section appears	important of all. Most	Too much here will	Great achievement	levels can be
than really	here. Either a fat	all instruments	cause great fatigue,	in overall level can	controlled
heard. They	or thin sound can	contain harmonics	and loss of speech	be had here. Too	here. Bright,
give a sense of	be heard by mis-	here.	intelligence. Reducing	little causes a "far	clean defini-
power. Too	EQ here. Too much	300Hz boosting can	3k can bring vocals	away" sound.	tion.
much produces	becomes boomy.	cause horn-like	on top.
a muddy	Bass guitar-Snare-	sounds. 1k to 2k
sound.	Toms.	sounds tinny. Too
		much here sounds	Figure 1
		like the telephone.	Figure 1

INSTRUMENT CHART

INSTRUMENT EQUALIZATION CHART

Acoustic guitar	Bass strings resonate between 70 to 120Hz, body around 300Hz.
	Avoid boosting these to stop feedback. 3kHz and 5kHz give great
	"clarity".
Electric guitar	Resonances differ—depending on type. Good full sounds around
	300 to 500Hz. Clarity at 3kHz.
Bass guitar	Extreme lows are at 60 to 90Hz. "Pick" or "pluck" sounds are
	around 800 to 1200Hz. Upper harmonics clarified about 3kHz.
Human voice	Good fullness at 150Hz. Watch for "boominess" around 250Hz.
	Mid-range 10kHz.
Piano (Acoustic)	Bass strings resonate around 100Hz. Watch for sub-harmonics at
	30 to 50Hz.
Piano (Electric)	Good mid-clarity at 3kHz to 5kHz thins out rapidly in high end. Be
	careful around 1.5kHz to 2.5kHz to avoid the "bar room sound."
Organ	Usually dies under 200Hz. Has great mid-sounds around 1200 to
	2000Hz. Top end cuts off at 6kHz.
Violin	Rich fullness at 400Hz. Natural raids around 1500 to 2500Hz.
	Avoid "scratch" sounds at 8kHz.
Brass instruments	Watch for "hot" mids around 2kHz. Low end boost around 400Hz.
	Top end clarity at 6kHz.
Bass drum	Great low "kick" at 40Hz. The mids at 2kHz gives the familiar

Snare drum

Tom Tom

Floor Tom

Hi Hat

Cymbal overhead

Talk Box

"punch."

Good fullness at 100Hz. The "crack" is boosted at 2kHz. The snares extend to above 4kHz.

The main fullness is around 200Hz. The mid punch extends to 4kHz.

Same as tom, but extends down to 80Hz.

Watch for the "gong" sound around 300Hz. Good "shimmer"

sounds are around 8kHz to 10kHz.

About the same as hi-hat but has more low end around 150Hz. Depending on the guitar sound driving it and the resonance of each

player's mouth, should have great "bite" around 1200Hz and dies above 6kHz.

Figure 2

Table 1

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