7 Vocal EQ Curves

1. Vocal Dialogue EQ
2. Vocal Performance EQ
3. API 512c Vocal EQ
4. M7 Capsule EQ on Vocal
5. K47 Capsule EQ on Vocal
6. LoFi Vocal EQ
7. C Major Vocal

Vocal Dialogue EQ

Here’s how to EQ Vocal Dialogue – cut the lows with a high pass around 85Hz.  Dip the fundamental with a wide Q band centered on 120Hz.  Dip 800Hz by 2-3dB to remove aggressive mids, then boost 2.7kHz by 2dB to add clarity.  Dip sibilance around 5kHz and 8kHz with narrow bands by 2dB.  Lastly boost some air by 1dB.

Vocal Performance EQ

This is a good quick vocal EQ for singing – cut up to 80Hz with a high pass, dip 200Hz with a bell by 3dB, and boost 500Hz with a bell by about 1.5dB.  Dip 700Hz by 1.5dB to remove nasal tones and unwanted mids, then boost 3kHz by 2dB to add clarity.  Lastly, add air with a high shelf centered on 14kHz.

API 512c Vocal EQ

Let’s use EQ to emulate an API 512c preamp – to start we’ll boost sub-frequencies with a low-shelf filter.  Then we’ll center a tilt filter at 600Hz, with a value of .2dB to amplify highs.  Lastly, we boost air with a high shelf centered on 30kHz with a Q of .6

M7 Capsule on Vocal

Let’s emulate an M7 capsule with EQ – first, we’ll center a 12dB/octave high pass on 20Hz – then dip lows by .5dB at 53Hz.  We’ll very subtly boost the low mids, before dipping 700Hz by .8dB.  1000, 2000, and 3000Hz are boosted .5dB, while 12kHz is boosted 2.5dB, and a high shelf attenuates frequencies directly above that.

K47 Capsule EQ on Vocal

Let’s emulate a K47 capsule with EQ – first cut 20Hz and below with a high-pass, boost 30Hz by 1dB, and bring the signal to unity at 55Hz with another bell.  Boost at 133Hz by .3dB, and 212Hz by .7dB with 1.8 and .9 Q values respectively – then amplify 550Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, and 2.7kHz all by roughly 1.5dB.

Dip 5kHz by 1.3dB, boost 10.2kHz by 5dB, and center a high shelf on 24kHz, with a .3Q and dip 11dB.

LoFi Vocal EQ

Let’s create a lo-fi vocal with EQ.  We’ll start by centering a 6dB per octave high pass filter on 350Hz – then boost 1.5kHz by 1.5 to 2dB, with a narrow Q value.  On 4kHz, amplify 2.5dB, and use an octave bandwidth Q value, before centering a 12dB per octave low-pass at 5050Hz. 

C Major Vocal

Let’s amplify in-key vocal notes – for example if our vocal is in the key of c major, I’ll boost C, F, D, A, E, B, and G, and dip G#, F#, C#, D#, and A#, not exactly in that order.  I typically do this to the mid frequencies when working on a vocal – this will emphasize in-key aspects, making the vocal sound more musical.

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