How to EQ piano in a mix
To EQ a piano in a mix, high pass around 40 to 80 Hz, cut 2 to 3 dB of mud between 200 and 400 Hz, and add 1 to 2 dB of presence between 2 and 5 kHz so the notes stay clear. Add a small shelf above 8 kHz only if the hammers sound dull.
Pianos have 5 bands worth knowing, from rumble (below 60 Hz) to air (8 to 14 kHz).
The starting point on this page makes 1 cut, 2 boosts and uses 1 filter. The other 1 band stay flat until you hear a problem there.
Work through the bands in order from the bottom. Cuts come first because they clear space; boosts come last and stay small.
The 5 piano bands
| Band | Range | When it's wrong | The move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rumble | below 60 Hz | Pedal thumps and room rumble | High pass at 40 to 80 Hz, higher in a busy mix |
| Mud | 200 to 400 Hz | Muddy, clashes with guitars and the vocal | Cut of 2 to 3 dB |
| Honk | 800 Hz to 1.5 kHz | Boxy or honky middle | Narrow cut, only if it sticks out |
| Presence | 2 to 5 kHz | Notes lose their edge in the mix | Boost of 1 to 2 dB |
| Air | 8 to 14 kHz | Dull hammers, no sparkle | High shelf of 1 to 2 dB |
The moves, in order
Rumble, below 60 Hz
Pedal thumps and room rumble. It lives below 60 Hz. High pass at 40 to 80 Hz, higher in a busy mix. The starting point is a high pass at 60 Hz. Raise it until the part starts to thin out in solo, then back it off a little.
Mud, 200 to 400 Hz
Muddy, clashes with guitars and the vocal. It lives between 200 and 400 Hz. Cut of 2 to 3 dB. The starting point is a 2.5 dB cut at 300 Hz with a Q of 1.0, narrow enough to leave the rest alone.
Honk, 800 Hz to 1.5 kHz
Boxy or honky middle. It lives between 800 Hz and 1.5 kHz. Narrow cut, only if it sticks out. This band stays flat in the starting point; touch it only when you can hear the problem in a piano.
Presence, 2 to 5 kHz
Notes lose their edge in the mix. It lives between 2 and 5 kHz. Boost of 1 to 2 dB. The starting point is a 1.5 dB boost at 3 kHz with a Q of 1.0, narrow enough to leave the rest alone.
Air, 8 to 14 kHz
Dull hammers, no sparkle. It lives between 8 and 14 kHz. High shelf of 1 to 2 dB. The starting point is a 1.5 dB boost at 10 kHz with a Q of 0.7, wide enough to sound natural.
The settings in Live 12
Channel EQLite, Intro
- Highpass On
- On
- Mid Freq
- 300 Hz
- Mid Gain
- -2.5 dB
- High Gain
- 1.5 dB
The fixed high pass near 80 Hz is fine for piano in a band. For a solo piano, switch it off so the low notes keep their weight.
EQ EightStandard, Suite
- 1 Filter Type A
- High Pass 12dB
- 1 Frequency A
- 60.0 Hz
- 2 Filter Type A
- Bell
- 2 Frequency A
- 300 Hz
- 2 Gain A
- -2.5 dB
- 2 Resonance A
- 1.00
- 3 Filter Type A
- Bell
- 3 Frequency A
- 3.00 kHz
- 3 Gain A
- 1.5 dB
- 3 Resonance A
- 1.00
- 4 Filter Type A
- High Shelf
- 4 Frequency A
- 10.0 kHz
- 4 Gain A
- 1.5 dB
Raise the high pass toward 100 Hz in a busy mix where the bass and guitars already fill the low end.
In short: low cut at 60 Hz, 2.5 dB cut at 300 Hz, 1.5 dB boost at 3 kHz and 1.5 dB boost at 10 kHz. Then listen in the full mix, not in solo, and undo anything you can't hear.
Piano alone and piano in a band
The biggest question with piano EQ is what the piano is doing in the song. A piano can cover almost the whole range of a mix on its own, from deep bass notes to bright top notes. That is great when it plays alone and a problem when it plays with a band.
A solo piano, or piano with only a voice, is the whole track. It needs its low notes, its warmth and its natural tone. Keep the high pass very low, or switch it off, so the left hand keeps its weight. Make only small cuts, and only where you hear a problem, such as pedal thumps or a muddy room. The aim is a piano that sounds like a piano in a good room.
A piano in a band is one part among many. The bass covers the low end, the guitars and the vocal crowd the middle, and the cymbals fill the top. Here the piano usually needs less low end and a cleaner middle. Raise the high pass toward 100 Hz in a busy mix, cut the mud firmly, and let the presence band carry the notes. In solo it may sound thin. In the song it will sound clear.
Most piano parts in pop and rock sit somewhere in between. Listen to the left hand. If it doubles the bass line, the piano can lose more low end. If it plays chords the bass doesn't, keep a little more.
Grand, upright and electric pianos
A recorded grand piano is big and full, with a long low end and a lot of room sound. It often needs the mud cut most, because the body of the instrument and the room build up between 200 and 400 Hz. Close mics also pick up the hammers and the pedal. The rumble cut takes care of the thumps, and a small shelf can bring back a little hammer sparkle if the mics were far away.
An upright piano sounds smaller and often a little boxy or honky in the middle. Sweep the honk band between 800 Hz and 1.5 kHz, and cut it with a narrow band only if it sticks out. Uprights often need less mud cutting than a grand, because there is less low end to start with.
Electric pianos, such as the classic tine and reed sounds, have a softer top and a rounder middle. They rarely need the air shelf and can sound harsh if you add it. Their bark lives in the presence range, so a small boost there helps them cut through, while a cut there makes them softer and more distant. A sampled piano in Live behaves like the instrument it copies, so treat it the same way.
Clearing space for the vocal and guitars
Piano and vocal share a lot of space. Both are strong in the low mids, and both carry melody in the upper mids. If the words get lost when the piano plays, start with the mud cut on the piano rather than any change to the vocal. Taking 2 to 3 dB out between 200 and 400 Hz often gives the voice room without anyone noticing the piano got smaller.
Guitars cause the same clash. A strummed guitar and a piano playing chords in the same range blur into one thick sound. Decide which part leads in each section. Cut the low mids on the one that supports, and keep the presence boost on the one that leads. In Live you can open EQ Eight on both tracks and keep their boosts at different points, so they don't fight.
Arranging helps more than EQ here. A piano playing chords an octave higher, or a guitar playing fewer notes, can clear more space than any filter. If you keep cutting and the parts still clash, look at the notes.
Mistakes that make a piano muddy or thin
Leaving the full low end on a piano in a band is the most common one. The left hand and the bass fight, and the low end of the mix turns to mud. If the bottom of the song feels thick, check the piano high pass first.
Cutting too much in solo is the opposite mistake. A piano that sounds clean on its own can disappear in the song. Make the final moves with the whole mix playing.
Boosting the top to make a dull piano bright often brings up hammer noise, pedal squeaks and hiss. Try the presence band first, and add the air shelf only if the hammers still sound dull.
Using one setting for the whole song can hurt too. A soft verse and a loud chorus may need different amounts of low end. Automate the EQ, or use two piano tracks, if the part changes a lot.
Last, don't forget the pedal. Sustain pedal noise and thumps live in the rumble band. A high pass clears most of it, and what is left is often easier to fix by drawing clip gain or volume automation down over each thump than with EQ.
Questions people ask
What is the best EQ for piano?
For a piano in a mix, start with a high pass at 40 to 80 Hz, a cut of 2 to 3 dB of mud between 200 and 400 Hz, and a boost of 1 to 2 dB between 2 and 5 kHz for presence. Add a small high shelf above 8 kHz only if the hammers sound dull. In Live 12 Standard or Suite, EQ Eight does all four moves in one device. In Lite or Intro, Channel EQ handles the mud cut and the shelf.
How do I EQ my piano to make it sound better?
Decide first what the piano is doing in the song. A solo piano needs its low notes, so keep the high pass low or off. A piano in a band can lose more low end, toward 100 Hz, so the bass has room. Then cut the mud near 300 Hz and judge every move with the whole song playing.
How do you stop a piano sounding muddy?
Sweep a boost between 200 and 400 Hz with the full mix playing, find the spot where the piano sounds thickest, and turn that boost into a cut of 2 to 3 dB. Check the guitars and other keys too, because a muddy piano is often three parts sharing the same low mids. A higher high pass also helps in a busy mix.
Should you high pass a piano?
In a band mix, yes. A high pass at 40 to 80 Hz clears pedal thumps and room rumble, and in a busy mix you can raise it toward 100 Hz. For a solo piano, keep it low or switch it off so the lowest notes keep their weight. Channel EQ's fixed high pass sits near 80 Hz, so it suits the band case.