How to read the frequency chart
Each bar is the span of fundamental frequencies an instrument can play, from its lowest note to its highest, at A4 = 440Hz. The axis is logarithmic, so every octave takes the same width, which is how the ear hears pitch. Light bars are full ranges and dark bars practical ranges, the same as on the instrument range chart.
A fundamental is the pitch of the note. Every acoustic instrument also produces harmonics at whole-number multiples of it, and those decide its tone. So a cello playing A3 has its fundamental at 220Hz and its harmonics at 440Hz, 660Hz, 880Hz and up, well into the range where it competes with violins and horns.
Why the orchestra gets muddy between 200 and 400Hz
Within their practical ranges, 20 of the instruments on the chart have fundamentals in the 200 to 400Hz band. Add the harmonics of everything below it and the reverb each library already carries, and that band fills up first in a dense mockup.
Our EQ strategies for virtual orchestras guide treats it the same way: decide which section owns the band in each passage and cut it from the others. When the horns carry the tune, the cellos give up some 300Hz, not the other way round.
The 2 to 4kHz brass band
The second shaded band is not about fundamentals at all. No brass fundamental reaches 2kHz. Harshness in sampled brass at loud dynamics comes from harmonics in the 2 to 4kHz region, and it is usually narrow, which is why a tight cut on the fortissimo layers works better than a broad shelf.
Using it as an EQ cheat sheet
- Find the band where two sections both have fundamentals in the passage you are mixing.
- Decide which one carries the line. Cut that band from the other, narrowly.
- Leave room below each instrument's lowest fundamental free with a gentle high-pass, since nothing musical lives there.
- Treat the chart as a map, not a prescription. How much to cut depends on the library and the room.
For the EQs suited to this work, see the orchestral EQ roundup. For strings in particular, read mixing cinematic strings.
Fundamental frequency ranges, instrument by instrument
| Instrument | Full range | Practical range |
|---|---|---|
| Piccolo | 587Hz to 4.19kHz (D5 to C8) | 587Hz to 3.52kHz |
| Flute | 262Hz to 2.35kHz (C4 to D7) | 262Hz to 1.76kHz |
| Oboe | 233Hz to 1.57kHz (B♭3 to G6) | 262Hz to 1.24kHz |
| Cor anglais | 165Hz to 1.05kHz (E3 to C6) | 165Hz to 880Hz |
| Clarinet in B♭ | 147Hz to 1.86kHz (D3 to B♭6) | 147Hz to 1.4kHz |
| Clarinet in A | 139Hz to 1.76kHz (D♭3 to A6) | 139Hz to 1.32kHz |
| Bass clarinet | 58.3Hz to 587Hz (B♭1 to D5) | 73.4Hz to 466Hz |
| Bassoon | 58.3Hz to 659Hz (B♭1 to E5) | 58.3Hz to 523Hz |
| Contrabassoon | 29.1Hz to 294Hz (B♭0 to D4) | 29.1Hz to 196Hz |
| Horn in F | 61.7Hz to 698Hz (B1 to F5) | 87.3Hz to 523Hz |
| Trumpet in B♭ | 165Hz to 932Hz (E3 to B♭5) | 175Hz to 831Hz |
| Trumpet in C | 185Hz to 1.05kHz (G♭3 to C6) | 196Hz to 932Hz |
| Tenor trombone | 82.4Hz to 698Hz (E2 to F5) | 82.4Hz to 466Hz |
| Bass trombone | 29.1Hz to 466Hz (B♭0 to B♭4) | 58.3Hz to 392Hz |
| Tuba | 36.7Hz to 349Hz (D1 to F4) | 43.7Hz to 262Hz |
| Timpani | 73.4Hz to 262Hz (D2 to C4) | 73.4Hz to 220Hz |
| Glockenspiel | 784Hz to 4.19kHz (G5 to C8) | 784Hz to 4.19kHz |
| Xylophone | 349Hz to 4.19kHz (F4 to C8) | 349Hz to 4.19kHz |
| Marimba | 65.4Hz to 2.09kHz (C2 to C7) | 110Hz to 2.09kHz |
| Vibraphone | 175Hz to 1.4kHz (F3 to F6) | 175Hz to 1.4kHz |
| Tubular bells | 262Hz to 698Hz (C4 to F5) | 262Hz to 698Hz |
| Harp | 30.9Hz to 3.32kHz (B0 to A♭7) | 65.4Hz to 2.09kHz |
| Celesta | 262Hz to 4.19kHz (C4 to C8) | 262Hz to 4.19kHz |
| Piano | 27.5Hz to 4.19kHz (A0 to C8) | 27.5Hz to 4.19kHz |
| Violin | 196Hz to 2.64kHz (G3 to E7) | 196Hz to 1.76kHz |
| Viola | 131Hz to 1.32kHz (C3 to E6) | 131Hz to 880Hz |
| Cello | 65.4Hz to 880Hz (C2 to A5) | 65.4Hz to 659Hz |
| Double bass | 41.2Hz to 294Hz (E1 to D4) | 41.2Hz to 196Hz |