2. Corrective EQ: removing mud, fizz and resonances

Corrective EQ (or subtractive) is the step where you remove what’s in excess, before adding anything. On rock/metal guitar almost every mixing problem is solved by cutting three things: the mud in the low-mids, the fizz in the highs and some punctual resonance that annoys. The golden rule: cutting sounds more natural than boosting.

The three cuts you almost always make

The sweep technique (to hunt what annoys)

1. Create a band with a strong boost (+10 to +15 dB) and a narrow Q.
2. Sweep it slowly across the spectrum while the guitar plays.
3. Where something sounds worse / more annoying, that’s where the problem is.
4. Invert that boost into a cut and ease off until only the ugly part is gone.

Try it: 3-band EQ with analyzer

Load your guitar (or use the pink noise) and experiment. Bring the mids down to remove mud, touch the highs to tame the fizz, and watch the spectrum analyzer to see where the energy is. Then use the A/B to compare with and without your EQ.

Playground · 3-band equalizer

▶ Play

No EQWith EQ

↺ Reseti

• •▶ Play — plays the audio in a loop.
• •No EQ / With EQ — switch between the sound with and without the EQ to compare, at the same volume. The segment with the lit border is the one you're hearing (the classic studio “A/B” comparison).
• •↺ Reset — returns the controls to 0.

🔊

🎧 Audio to processiChoose which sound goes through the effect:

• •🎸 Bass — a synthesized riff with dynamics: ideal for hearing compression.
• •📢 Pink noise — an even sound across the whole spectrum: ideal for “seeing” the EQ.
• •🎵 Load your audio — your own file (MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, M4A…); it's processed locally in your browser and isn't uploaded anywhere.

🎸 Bass📢 Pink noise🎵 Load your audio

Each control changes one zone of the sound. Move it and listen (and watch the spectrum above move):

LOWS

FrequencyiSets how high the low shelf reaches.

• •Higher (≈200 Hz) — also includes the low mids in the adjustment.
• •Lower (≈50 Hz) — affects only the sub lows.

FREQUENCY chooses WHERE it acts; GAIN, how much.100 HzGainiRaises or lowers the lows below the Frequency you chose.

• •↑ Raise (≈80–120 Hz) — more body and weight.
• •↑ Raise (≈40–60 Hz) — sub and rumble; too much muddies and covers the kick/bass.
• •↓ Lower — cleans up rumble and mud, clears up the sound.

On metal rhythm guitar it's worth lowering it a bit to leave room for the bass.0 dB

MIDS

FrequencyiChooses the center of the bell to boost or cut.

• •200–500 Hz — body and warmth (too much sounds “boxy”).
• •800 Hz–1.5 kHz — nasal / “honky”.
• •2–5 kHz — presence and attack (makes something “come forward”).

Together with the Q it defines how wide the affected zone is.1.0k HzGaini

• •↑ Raise 3–5 kHz — more presence and definition.
• •↑ Raise 300–600 Hz — more body, but it muddies.
• •↓ Lower — removes nasality or a “boxy” sound.

It's the band where instruments fight the most: adjust it thinking about the whole.0 dBQ (width)iHow wide or narrow the bell is.

• •High Q (narrow) — affects few frequencies: ideal for CUTTING a specific problem (surgical).
• •Low Q (wide) — affects a large range: more musical for BOOSTING.

With a lot of Gain, a narrow Q sounds more aggressive.1.0

HIGHS

FrequencyiSets where in the highs the “air” begins.

• •8–12 kHz — air and openness.
• •5–7 kHz — edge and presence (too much is harsh).

With GAIN you decide how much of that zone you add.6.0k HzGainiRaises or lowers the highs above the Frequency you chose.

• •↑ Raise (≈8–12 kHz) — air, brightness and clarity; too much is harsh/sibilant.
• •↑ Raise (≈5–7 kHz) — presence and edge.
• •↓ Lower — darkens and smooths (useful if it got strident).

Raising the highs also brings out background noise, breaths and “ss” sounds.0 dB

An easy experiment: choose 📢 Pink noise, lower the LOWS Gain (it clears up) and raise the MIDS gain at 3–5 kHz (it gets more present). Switch the EQ on and off to compare with and without.

Common mistakes

What you should NOT chase yet

Quick path — clean the guitar

Expected result