From Cluttered to Clear: How Understanding Frequencies Can Transform Your Music

Photo by Ben Collins on Unsplash 

I was recently asked, 'How important is it for musicians to understand frequencies and EQ?’  

For anyone working in music, whether writing, performing, producing, or mixing, recognizing and understanding frequencies in audio and music production is a vital skill.

Every sound we hear is made up of frequencies.  

Music is sound, and at its core, every sound is made up of frequencies. For example, the middle A on the Piano is 440 Hz.  

Sound is the product of a wave, which is produced when something vibrates, like when you strike a drum, pluck a guitar string, or when your breath vibrates your vocal cords to produce speech or singing. The vibrations travel through the air at various speeds, and when they come in contact with our eardrums, they are perceived as sounds. 

The speed at which they travel is their frequency, and the frequency of the vibration over a period of time determines the pitch of the sound. Hertz (abbreviated Hz) is the unit of measurement used to describe the number of complete cycles of the sound wave over one second.

All objects produce sound waves at different frequencies.

Low-frequency waves are longer; they travel more slowly than high-frequency waves. 

Low-frequency waves are perceived as bass tones, and high-frequency waves are perceived as treble tones.

High frequencies are more directional and can travel further than low frequencies before they disperse.

Humans can hear frequencies typically ranging from 20 to 20,000 Hz; the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch. The intensity or amplitude of the wave determines its volume.

Frequency and amplitude give us both pitch and loudness.

Why do I need to know about frequencies? 

Understanding the frequencies and frequency ranges of different instruments, voices, and sounds, as well as how they interact with each other, is crucial when writing and arranging a song.  It helps in decision-making with:

• Which instruments to use for the song
• The tones of the instruments
• What instruments and sounds should be playing in which parts of the song
• What frequency range should the instruments occupy

The key to making a song sound professional versus amateur is how you manage frequencies and space.

A tell-tale sign of an amateur production is a song where all of the instruments are in the same frequency space.  For example, multiple guitars with the same tone, playing in the same range, with keyboards and an organ on top of that, and all of it sitting in the lead singer's vocal range.  This makes a song sound small and crowded. 

The best composers, arrangers, songwriters, and producers understand that they need to leave space in the frequency spectrum for each individual instrument and vocal in the song. Doing so results in a mix that sounds big and polished like a hit, as opposed to cluttered and unfinished.  

Knowing what frequencies do and how they work in the mix  

-Gives you the ability to hear the difference between various instruments and amplifiers.

-Allows you to identify issues with the sounds that are coming from specific instruments rather than just thinking there's a problem with your overall mixing process. 

-Lets you quickly find and fix he source of problems in your mix rather than just trying different things at random.

-Makes it easier to create a balanced mix. 

-Helps you dial in an appropriate tone for instruments like guitars.

Another indispensable reason to know about frequencies is that it helps you make fast decisions about what to do with EQ.   

EQ is simply the manipulation of frequencies and is an important part of mixing. Properly applied EQ will create space in a crowded mix, and clean up problems like muddiness, vocals not cutting through the mix, and feedback in live performances.

Frequency and EQ knowledge allows you to: 

-Pull a band's sound together into something that is easy to mix and make sound professional.

-Identify problem frequencies and address them quickly, which is very important when performing live. You need to be able to eliminate feedback so you aren't stuck in a screeching mess for an entire show.

-Have better-sounding live shows. For example- If you are a singer and can’t hear your voice in the monitors because it’s too muddy, when you can identify the specific frequency that needs to be adjusted and ask the sound engineer to take some 315Hz out of the EQ on your mix rather than telling them it just sounds bad, will give you much better results.

When you understand frequencies, you can communicate better, and suddenly your voice is crystal clear, much easier to hear, and now your performance is better.

These are just a few reasons why musicians should understand frequencies and EQ.  Even if you don't have any experience with EQ, knowing about frequencies will help you understand why certain sounds might not fit together well and how to fix mix problems quickly. 

Music and music production at their core are all about frequencies.  Frequencies play a part in every part of the process, from song writing and arranging to instrument choice, from crafting professional, polished mixes to giving your best life performance.

EQ is an incredibly useful tool in the mixing process that can create space and solve problems in the mix.  Frequencies and EQ go hand in hand, and having an understanding of both will make you a better musician.  I teach both frequencies and EQ techniques in my course LISTEN! to learn more click HERE  

By: Michelle Sabolchick