Figure 6 – ALESIS M-EQ230 User Manual

Page 10

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Voice

Fullness at 120Hz; Boominess at 200 to 240Hz; Presence at 5KHz;

Sibilance at 7.5KHz; Air at 12 to 15KHz

Harmonica

Fat at 240Hz, bite at 3-5kHz

Conga

Resonant ring at 200 to 240Hz; Presence and slap at 5KHz

Whether used to alter the timbre of an instrument, control
feedback, or improve speech intelligibility, it's important to know
what effect each portion of the frequency spectrum has on the
sound.

In summary, the frequency spectrum can be divided up into six
important sections.

FIGURE 6

AUDIO OCTAVE RANGES

FREQUENCY RANGE

WHEN USED PRODUCES

WHEN USED TOO MUCH

THIS EFFECT

PRODUCES THIS EFFECT

16Hz to 60Hz

sense of power,

makes music muddy

felt more than heard

60Hz to 250Hz

Fundamentals of rhythm

makes music boomy

section, EQing can change
musical balance making it
fat or thin

250Hz to 2000Hz

Low order harmonics of

telephone quality to music

most musical instruments

500 to 1KHz horn-like,

1K to 2KHz tinny,
listening fatigue

2KHz to 4KHz

Speech Recognition

3KHz listening fatigue,
lisping quality, "m", "v",
"b" indistiguishable

4KHz to 6KHz

Clarity and definition of

sibilance on vocals

voices and instruments,
makes music seem closer to
listener, adding 6dB at 5KHz
makes entire mix seem 3dB
louder

6KHz to 16KHz

Brilliance and clarity of sounds

sibilance, harshness on vocals

As with any signal processor, the

M-EQ 230

should be used with

discretion since too much of a good thing can make the sound
worse instead of better. Although it is a wonderful device and will
help your sound a lot, remember that a little goes a long way.
If you're using the

M-EQ 230

for tonal contour of an instrument or

voice, Figure 5 will help you zero in on the key frequencies of
some popular instruments.

Remember: The chart serves only as a starting point. Ultimately,
you must use your ears as a guide.

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