Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part #19

By now a cliche, but still a very effective one, you can use EQ to create an AM radio or telephone vocal effect: Cut high frequencies, frequencies below 700Hz, and dramatically boost frequencies around 1.5kHz. Another trick to making vocals stand out is by EQing the formants of the voice. Formants are the resonant properties of a voice based on the physical characteristics of the singer. The main formant range for men is around 2.5 to 3kHz and roughly 3 to 3.5kHz for women. There are also low formant ranges: 500Hz for men and 1kHz for women.