Perfect Vocal EQ settings for Live Events

Perfect Vocal EQ settings are one of the most important things in sound mixing. Whether you are at a wedding, DJ, party, or live event, you should eq vocals properly. Because vocals are the most prominent instrument your audience hears. Therefore, you must spend time to eq vocals correctly according to the venue setup, size, and nature.

Understanding EQ Basics - Perfect Vocal EQ settings

EQ or equalization means that you adjust a range of frequencies of a specific instrument or more to achieve a more balanced and clean sound. This process also helps to avoid unwanted noises, feedback, and unwanted frequencies.

This is crucial for vocals. Because your audience mainly focuses on vocal sounds when someone is singing or talking to the microphone. This article will discuss the six tips you should follow to achieve the best vocal EQ settings.

First, we will discuss the main frequency ranges for the vocals. Understanding these frequency ranges will help you gain more natural and polished vocal sounds.

Main frequency ranges of vocals

Sub-Bass (20Hz - 80Hz) - You should cut these frequencies as they do not contribute to vocals. Never boost these frequencies, as they can create unnecessary issues.
Bass (80Hz - 250Hz) - For male vocals, this range can give a bit of warmth, but remember, boosting it too much can create a muddiness.
Low-Mid (250Hz - 500Hz) - You can boost this range a bit, but too much can destroy the beauty of the voice.
Mid (500Hz - 2kHz) - This is one of the important ranges for vocals. You can cut down nasal tones when reducing frequencies between 800Hz and 1Khz.
Upper Mid (2kHz - 5kHz) - By adjusting these frequencies, you can enhance the presence of the vocals.
Highs (5kHz - 12kHz) - When boosting these frequencies, you can add some brightness to the vocals.
Ultra Highs (12kHz - 20kHz) - You can add some boost to open and wide vocal sounds, but do not add too much to avoid unnecessary noises.

6 Important Tips for Perfect Vocals

High-pass filter
Cut muddiness
Enhance clarity
Improve presence
Reduce harshness
Air and shine

High-Pass Filter

This is mainly between 80Hz and 100Hz. It is commonly known as HPF or Low-cut. By doing this, you can remove low frequencies to avoid unnecessary sounds.

Cut Muddiness

If the vocal sound is too thick, you can reduce frequencies between 250Hz and 400Hz to avoid muddiness.

Enhance Clarity

The primary purpose of adjusting the vocal frequencies between 1kHz and 3kHz is to improve the clarity. You can bring the vocals a bit forward in your mix when properly boosted.

Improve Presence

This range falls between 4kHz and 6kHz, when you boost these frequencies, you can add more definition to the vocals.

Reduce Harshness

If you notice that vocals are too sharp, you can lower the frequency ranges between 5kHz and 8kHz.

Air and Shine

When you add a slight boost between 10kHz and 12kHz, you can gain crispness in vocals.

Frequency range settings for male and female vocals

Male Vocals: Adjust and boost between 100Hz and 250Hz to gain warmth in vocals. On the other hand, you can adjust between 3kHz - 5kHz to gain more clarity.

Female Vocals: Try boosting between 200Hz and 500Hz to gain fullness in vocal sounds.

Why Choose Star Sounds Limited for All Your PA Hire Needs?

At Star Sounds, we have over 15 years of experience in the sound equipment hiring industry. So, we know what we do and how to balance the sound and set EQ properly.

Whether you are planning a live concert, wedding, party, or any other similar event, our qualified staff and sound engineers will ensure you get the perfect vocal settings.

We hire a range of professional microphones like Shure, Sennheiser, etc. We can set the EQ levels according to the event size and setup to achieve the best results.

How to Contact Star Sounds?

You can reach us anytime, our 24/7 contact number is always on! Alternatively, you can send us a message using our contact form or email. Once we receive your inquiry, we will respond to it as soon as we can.

Below are our contact details:

Phone - 021 091 78 190

Email - [email protected]