Drum EQ cheat sheet
This drum EQ cheat sheet covers the whole kit in five bands: kick thump at 50 to 80 Hz, snare body at 150 to 250 Hz, boxy tone at 300 to 600 Hz, attack at 2 to 5 kHz and cymbal air at 8 to 14 kHz. Fix single drums first, then shape the drum bus.
Drums EQ
Send & Return Audio| Band | Range | When it's wrong | The move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kick thump | 50 to 80 Hz | The kit has no weight | Boost the kick, not the whole bus |
| Snare body | 150 to 250 Hz | The snare sounds thin | Boost on the snare track |
| Box | 300 to 600 Hz | The kit sounds boxy or cardboard | Cut of 2 dB on the bus |
| Attack | 2 to 5 kHz | Hits are soft and lost | Boost of 1 dB on the bus |
| Air | 8 to 14 kHz | Cymbals sound dull | High shelf of 1 to 2 dB |
How to read this sheet
This sheet lists 5 bands for drum kits, from 50 to 80 Hz up to 8 to 14 kHz. Each row gives the range, what you hear when that band is wrong, and the move that fixes it.
Drum kits change from track to track, so treat every number as a place to start sweeping, not a rule. Print it on one page and keep it next to your screen.
Using this sheet
This sheet is for a drum bus, the group track where the whole kit comes together. Fix the single drums on their own tracks first, then use this sheet for small moves on the bus. Two rows on it say exactly that, since the kick thump and snare body belong on the kick and snare tracks, not on the whole kit.
Play the full kit with the bass and the rest of the mix. Listen for one problem at a time, find the matching row, and make the smaller move first. Bus moves should be gentle, around 1 to 2 dB, because every change affects every drum at once. A small cut in the box range and a little air on top are often all a bus needs.
Switch the bus EQ off and on at the same level to check it. If you can't hear a difference, leave it off.
When the sheet is wrong
A kit recorded in a small or boxy room may need more than a gentle cut in the box range, but that usually means the problem is in the overhead or room mics. Cut it there first, and keep the bus move small.
Bright cymbals or a crisp electronic kit can break the air row. If the hi hats already sound sharp, leave the air shelf flat or ease it down, since boosting it only makes them harsher.
A drum machine kit made of separate samples may need almost no bus EQ at all, because each sample was shaped before you got it. Use the sheet to check, not to change things by default.
Questions people ask
What is the best EQ setting for drums?
On a drum bus, the best setting is usually a small one, such as a 2 dB cut in the 300 to 600 Hz box, a 1 dB lift at 2 to 5 kHz for attack, and a 1 to 2 dB high shelf for cymbal air. Fix single drums on their own tracks first.
What are the best EQ plugins for drums?
You don't need to buy one. Live's own EQ devices can make every move on this sheet. Channel EQ comes with every edition of Live 12, and EQ Eight comes with Standard and Suite. A plugin can't fix a drum that was badly recorded or a sample that doesn't suit the track.
How do you EQ drums for live sound?
Use the same bands, but cut more and boost less, because a live room adds spill and ringing that a recording doesn't have. High pass every mic that isn't on the kick, cut the box and ring firmly, and add attack and air only after the kit is clean and nothing is feeding back.