Frequency Ranges
Every sound occupies a range of frequencies, from deep rumbles to piercing highs. Knowing where instruments sit in the spectrum helps you identify overlap and masking. Separation can come from arrangement, register, level, panning, or selective EQ; spreading parts across the spectrum is only one possible solution.
The Frequency Spectrum
Human hearing ranges from roughly 20 Hz (very low) to 20,000 Hz (very high). Music producers divide this range into six bands, each with its own character.
What Lives Where
Different instruments occupy characteristic frequency ranges, though their register can change with playing technique, arrangement, and sound design. Knowing those ranges helps you decide which parts can share an octave and which need separation.
Sub (20-60 Hz)
More felt than heard. 808 kick drums, sub-bass synths, the rumble of a massive speaker system. Too much makes a mix muddy; too little makes it feel thin on big systems.
Bass (60-250 Hz)
The foundation. Bass guitar, kick drum body, low piano notes, low synth pads. This is where your track gets its warmth and weight.
Low-Mid (250-500 Hz)
Body and fullness. Guitar body, vocal warmth, snare weight. This range can get crowded quickly - too many instruments here makes a mix boxy and muddy.
Mid (500 Hz - 2 kHz)
Where hearing is most sensitive. Vocals, lead instruments, and much of the piano melody range sit here, so this band needs the most care.
High-Mid (2-6 kHz)
Brightness and definition. Vocal consonants ("s", "t"), guitar pick attack, hi-hat body. Boosting here makes things cut through; too much causes listener fatigue.
High (6-20 kHz)
Air and sparkle. Cymbal shimmer, vocal breathiness, synth brightness. Gives a track that open, professional-sounding quality.
Instruments Across the Spectrum
Most instruments span multiple frequency bands, but each has a fundamental range where its core sound lives and a harmonic range where its overtones add character.
Each bar shows the approximate range where that instrument's energy sits.
Why This Matters for Arrangement
When two instruments fight for the same frequency space, neither sounds clear. It's like two people trying to talk at the same volume in the same room - you can't hear either properly.
Crowded
Bass guitar + low piano + pad in the same octave = muddy low end. Everything blurs together.
Spread Out
Bass guitar low, piano in the mid range, pad up high = each part has room to breathe and be heard clearly.
Production Tip
If something sounds muddy, before reaching for EQ, try moving one of the clashing parts to a different octave or replacing it with an instrument that occupies a different range. Arrangement changes can solve overlap before processing is needed.
Try it
Tap each voicing and compare how register placement changes clarity.
Same pitch classes, different spacing across the frequency spectrum.
Key takeaway
Every instrument naturally sits in a frequency range - sub, bass, low-mid, mid, high-mid, or high. Good arrangement means spreading instruments across these ranges so each part has room to be heard clearly.
Next: how to stack parts on top of each other without creating a mess - the art of layering.
Build frequency-aware arrangements
Starts generates multi-instrument MIDI arrangements with parts spread across the frequency spectrum.