i found this article i thought it might be helpful for some of you.
"A WORD ON EQ: Use EQ to replace mssing bass or treble (by using the high and low shelving conrols), reduce excessive bass or treble, boost room ambience (high frequency shelf), improve tone quality (using al the controls), and help a track stand out in the mix (by using the parametrics).
An insruments sound is made up of a fundamental frequency (the musical note) and harmonics, even when plaing only a single note, and it is these harmonics that give the note its unique character. If you use EQ to boost the fundamental frequency, you simply make the instrument louder, and don't bring out in the mix.
It should be noted that a particular frequency on the EQ (say 440Hz) corresponds dirctly to a musical note on the scale (in the case of 440Hz, to the A above the middle C - hence the expression A - 440 tuning reference). Boosting the harmonic freuencies, on the other hand, boosts the instument's tone qualities, and can thereforegive it its own space in the mix. below are listed useful frequencies for several instruments:
Voice: presence (5kHz), sibilance (7.5 - 10 kHz), boominess (200 - 240 kHz), fullness (120 Hz)
Electric Guitar: fullness (240 Hz, bite (2.5 kHz), air / sizzle (8 kHz)
Bass guitar: bottom (60-80 Hz), attack (700 - 1000Hz), string noise (2.5kHz)
Snare: fatness (240Hz, crispness (5kHz)
kick drum:bottom (60 - 80 Hz), slap (4 kHz)
Hi Hat & cymbals: sizzle (7.5 - 10 kHz) clank (200 Hz)
Toms: attack (5kHz), fullness (120 - 240 Hz)
Acoustic Guitar: harshness/ bite (2 kHz), boominess (120-200 Hz), cut (7-10 kHz)
i found this sooooo handy when mixing.
