Understanding Frequencies

Many bands neglect to understand the importance of frequency placement, in turn creating a recipe for a muddy mix. I am writing this piece to help further you understanding of its importance.

The human ear can distinguish multiple sounds played at the same amplitude as long as they are in their own distinguished range on the frequency scale. The human ear can usually hear up to 17-20 khz, and the lower frequencies can usually be felt as well as heard from the vibrations of the base. When mastering a track it is sometimes a good idea to go as high as 22 khz and cut any frequencies higher than that. There is no point in creating sound that only dogs can hear.

If you are unsure what range a sample is you may want to try using a spectrograph plug in or any EQ that shows real time frequency analysis.(The EQ in winamp is an example of being able to visibly see where a frequency lands)

One of the biggest problems in producing/mixing audio is having sounds that clash within there own frequency range. This will cause an undesired mudding of the mix, and neither sound will be heard clearly. This can be avoided by either dropping one of the sounds that is causing the mudding or with proper EQ work, you can eliminate certain frequencies (separating the clashing sounds in their own range). The draw back to having to use alot of EQ work is that you may be losing key sound characteristics of the sample.

When a song in compressed, the compressor is essentially amplifying your mix keeping the loud frequencies at the same amplitude but boosting the volume on the quieter frequencies. If you have to do a ton of compressing to hear the sound you are trying to bring out you may be more successful by isolating the sound and EQing it instead. There is much to be said about the art of when and where to use compressors but I did want to mention it, because it does play an important role (when used) in the level of certain frequency ranges.

I hope this article was able to help clear up any mixing problems you have had or to help you understand a little on the properties of sound mixing, and the use of frequency placement.