Jazz is in equal parts about its bass or upright bass, the live feel and crispness of the drums, the warmth of the guitar, and more importantly finding a way to balance it all. With that in mind, I put together this cheat sheet of sorts of jazz equalizer settings which will work in a macro level in a mix or dialed into your speaker settings at home.
Jazz Equalizer Settings
Here is a snapshot of the jazz equalizer settings which I’ve always found work well as a starting point for enhancing any jazz mix:
Note the scale of the adjustments as for demonstrative purposes each adjustment looks larger than it actually is. I included the rough decibel adjustments for each band which I recommend just the same, so let’s take a look at each move I recommend in these jazz equalizer settings to get it sounding its best as you listen back.
1dB Cut or Soft Rolloff at 50Hz
We’re not dealing with sub-bass or as thick a body with the kick as we do with other genres in jazz, so I find a small 1dB or so cut around 50Hz actually helps to attenuate a muddy sound.
You can alternatively just high pass filter, depending on what you’re working with, but given that these are meant to be macro level settings, you don’t want to get carried away because of the greater impact it will have.
Consider a 6dB/oct slope high pass filter around 40-50Hz if you go that route.
Boost 2-3dB Around 100Hz
The body of the bass or upright bass is right there at 100Hz, and a nice bump of 2-3dB can really bring out the heartbeat of any jazz song and substantially benefit the mix whether you’re working on a master or trying to achieve the perfect jazz equalizer settings on your stereo.
Most of these adjustments work best with a nice wide Q setting, as well, so if that’s an option, favor a wider Q for wider boosts and cuts which affect more neighboring frequencies (unless otherwise specified).
Cut 2-3dB at 400Hz
A bit lower down than I typically recommend, this 400Hz 2-3dB drop is a subtractive EQ cut to bring a little clarity by way of cutting out some unflattering boxy muddiness which isn’t enhancing the tone.
I recommend it a bit lower than normal because that 600-1000Hz range has a lot of character I like to preserve and even bring out (as is the case with the next adjustment).
Boost 1-2dB Around 800-1000Hz
I just mentioned 600-1000Hz, but by virtue of your Q width, I like to aim a bit higher in that 800-1000Hz range for a nice 1-2dB boost to bring out the character of the guitars, the mid-highs of the snare, and a bit of the body of the brass and/or cymbals.
This helps to keep the 400-500Hz range ducked while propping up those rich mid-high frequencies.
Boost 1dB Around 4kHz
A relatively small boost compared to everything else so far, I like to bring a little clarity out of the brass and drum kit with a 1dB or so boost around 4000Hz.
We don’t want to push this lest we introduce some harshness which wasn’t inherently in the song before, but one final prop up move will supplement this.
1-2dB High Shelf at ~7kHz
We’re bringing out the air and live feeling of the performance with a healthy high shelf around 7kHz. How much of a boost is very much to taste but I like a 1-2dB boost to prop up that entire top of the high end of the mix.
Give these jazz equalizer settings a try on a master/macro level the next time you’re working on a jazz composition, or when you’re simply looking to bring out the best sound of your jazz mix from your stereo – either way these adjustments will get it sounding its best.
