Mudrange (slang)

Recording engineers often refer to the frequencies between 150Hz to 400Hz in the lower midrange as the “mudrange”. This range of frequencies contains fundamental notes of the rhythm section as well as lower order harmonics of most instruments. EQing in this range can change musical balance, making music sound either fat or thin. Too much boost in this range makes music sound boomy and undefined. Some say it introduces a telephone-like quality. Since most of the energy in a mix comes from the lower frequencies, too much boost in this area will overwhelm the higher frequencies, which is where intelligibility lives, causing a “muddy”, undefined sound; hence the mudrange.