EQ cheat sheet: what to cut and boost by instrument

By Tongkit Leong · September 6, 2026 · 8 min read

Every instrument in a mix has a frequency range where it needs room to breathe and a range where it mostly just gets in another instrument's way. This cheat sheet lists the ranges that matter for kick, snare, bass, guitar and keys, vocals, and pads or synth leads, and how to apply each cut or boost with the parametric EQ in Tracks.

How to read this cheat sheet

Every number below is a starting point, not a rule. The right EQ move always depends on the actual recording or synth patch in front of you, so treat every frequency here as a place to start listening, not a setting to dial in blind. Two habits make every entry below more useful:

• Cut before you boost. Set a narrow band (high Q) and sweep it slowly through the frequency range while the track plays solo. When you land on something harsh, boxy, or nasal, cut it 3–6 dB. Only reach for a boost once the obvious problems are gone.
• Boost wide, cut narrow. A cut aimed at a specific problem frequency works best narrow and precise. A boost meant to add character works best as a wide, gentle bell curve — a narrow boost usually just sounds like a whistle.

Open the per-track parametric EQ in Tracks from any track's effects chain to follow along — it gives you several bands you can each set as a high-pass filter, a shelf, or a bell curve.

Kick drum

• Cut: boxiness around 200–400 Hz if the kick sounds hollow or cardboard-like.
• Boost: +2–3 dB around 60–80 Hz for sub weight, +2–3 dB around 3–5 kHz for the beater click that lets the kick cut through on small speakers.
• Watch out for: the same 60–100 Hz range the bass wants. If the kick and bass are both boosted there, carve a small notch out of one of them so the other has the space.

Snare and hi-hats

• High-pass: snare around 80–100 Hz, hi-hats and cymbals around 200–300 Hz. Neither needs meaningful low-end energy, and removing it frees up room for kick and bass.
• Cut: a harsh ring on the snare often sits at 1–2 kHz — a narrow notch there tames it without dulling the hit.
• Boost: +2–3 dB around 200 Hz for snare body, +3 dB around 5–8 kHz for snap and air on both snare and hats.

Bass

• Cut: mud around 200–300 Hz to let the kick's attack come through instead of getting buried under a thick low-mid bass tone.
• Boost: a gentle lift in whatever range carries the note fundamentals for your specific bass sound — this varies more by patch than any other instrument here, so sweep and listen rather than guessing a number.
• Watch out for: the kick fighting for the same sub-60 Hz space. See how to write a bassline that locks with the kick drum for arranging the two so they share rhythmic space instead of just frequency space.

Guitar and keys

• High-pass: around 150–200 Hz on chord and comping parts so they don't crowd the bass.
• Cut: boxy midrange, commonly 300–500 Hz on acoustic guitar and piano, if the part sounds muffled or distant.
• Boost: a wide, gentle lift around 3–5 kHz for pick or hammer attack and definition when the part needs to cut through a busy arrangement.

Vocals

• High-pass: 80–100 Hz as a baseline, higher (up to 120–150 Hz) if the voice sounds boomy or was recorded close to the mic.
• Cut: a nasal quality often lives around 800 Hz–1 kHz; a narrow cut there cleans the tone up without thinning the voice.
• Boost: +2 dB around 10–12 kHz for air and presence, and a modest boost around 3–5 kHz if the vocal needs to sit further forward in a dense mix.
• Also relevant: harsh sibilance sitting around 5–8 kHz is better handled with a dedicated de-esser than with static EQ — see de-esser explained — since a static cut there dulls consonants across the whole take, not just the harsh ones.

Pads and synth leads

• High-pass: 100–150 Hz, since pads rarely need real low-end weight and that range is better left to bass and kick.
• Boost: +2 dB around 10 kHz for shimmer on pads that need to feel airy and wide rather than sit forward in the mix.
• Watch out for: a lead synth and the vocal both wanting the same 2–5 kHz presence range. When they collide, cut the lead slightly in that range during vocal sections rather than fighting it with volume alone, or automate the cut in and out — see how to use automation to make your mix move.

When two instruments fight for the same space

The single most useful EQ move isn't listed above, because it isn't tied to one instrument — it's carving a pocket. When a bassline and a synth lead both have energy at the same frequency, or a kick and a bass guitar both want the same low end, the fix is rarely to boost either one further. Instead, decide which instrument matters more in that range and cut a small notch out of the other one there. A kick that owns 60–100 Hz and a bass that's gently scooped in that same range will sit together far more cleanly than two full-range sounds both fighting to be loudest at 80 Hz.

Common mistakes

• Boosting instead of cutting. A track that sounds thin or buried is often not missing a frequency — it's being masked by something else that has too much energy in that same range. Try cutting the competing track before boosting the one that sounds weak.
• EQ-ing in solo only. A boost that sounds great with the track soloed can disappear or clash once the rest of the mix comes back in. Make final EQ decisions with the full arrangement playing.
• Skipping the high-pass filter. Nearly every instrument except kick and bass carries low-end energy it doesn't need. Leaving it in is one of the most common causes of a muddy, undefined low end.
• Chasing a number instead of a sound. Every frequency in this guide is a starting point for a specific recording or patch. If a boost at the "right" frequency doesn't fix the problem you're hearing, move the band and keep listening instead of forcing the number to work.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a different EQ for every instrument, or can I reuse settings?

Tracks gives every track its own parametric EQ instance, so settings never carry over between tracks automatically — which is what you want, since even two kick drums from different sample packs often need different treatment. Use this cheat sheet as a starting point for each track and adjust by ear.

What's the difference between a high-pass filter, a shelf, and a bell curve?

A high-pass filter removes everything below a chosen frequency and is the main tool for clearing unneeded low end. A shelf boosts or cuts everything above or below a frequency by a flat amount, useful for broad tonal moves like adding overall brightness. A bell curve boosts or cuts a specific range centered on one frequency, which is what most of the cuts and boosts above use.

Should I EQ before or after compression?

Either can work, but a common approach is a light corrective EQ first — removing an obvious problem frequency or high-passing unneeded low end — followed by compression, then a second EQ pass afterward for tonal boosts once the dynamics are under control. See vocal chain order explained for the specific order Tracks uses on a vocal chain.

Can I follow this cheat sheet in the free Tracks studio?

Yes. Every track in Tracks has a built-in parametric EQ with multiple bands you can set as high-pass filters, shelves, or bell curves, right in the browser with no plugins to install. Open the studio, load the EQ on a track, and start from the ranges above. See how to mix a track: EQ, compression, and reverb basics for how EQ fits into a full mixing pass, and how to use group buses and sends to organize a mix once you're EQ-ing groups of tracks rather than one at a time.