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Mix, edit and finish

How to use the EQ to fix a muddy mix

Say what sounds wrong: “it sounds muddy” or “too harsh”. The chat sets the 10-band EQ on the mix, such as a cut around 250 Hz for mud, and you hear it right away.

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Free: the EQ works on every plan.

The audioworker chat after the message “It sounds muddy, clean up the low mids.”: I cut 250 Hz by 4 dB and 500 Hz by 2 dB, and lifted 8 kHz by 2 dB. The mix should sound clearer now. The audioworker chat after the message “It sounds muddy, clean up the low mids.”: I cut 250 Hz by 4 dB and 500 Hz by 2 dB, and lifted 8 kHz by 2 dB. The mix should sound clearer now.
The chat after “It sounds muddy, clean up the low mids.”

Step by step

  1. Play the track and listen for what bothers you.
  2. Describe it: muddy, boomy, thin, harsh or dull.
  3. Fine-tune by asking for more or less, or set the bands by hand.
  4. Say “flat EQ” to start again.

Say it your way

  • It sounds muddy, clean up the low mids.

  • A bit more air on top.

  • Too much bass, take some out.

Good to know

The EQ has ten bands, at 31, 62, 125 and 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 kHz, each boosted or cut by up to 12 dB. It shapes the whole mix; to change one part, change that stem’s level or mute it where it clashes.

Small moves work best: a few decibels is usually enough. Mud lives around 250 to 500 Hz, harshness around 2 to 4 kHz, and air above 8 kHz. The EQ is kept in your browser and rides your downloads of the mix.

Plan Free: the EQ works on every plan.

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Try it on your own song.

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