Sound harsh and you can't tell why? Tame the resonances

Harshness often comes from a few narrow frequencies that ring louder than the rest, usually between 2 and 6 kHz on vocals, guitars, synths and cymbals. Find them and turn down just those narrow spots, ideally only when they ring, and the sound stays bright without hurting.

How to do it

1. Put an EQ on the harsh track and boost a narrow band by 10 dB.
2. Sweep slowly through 1 to 8 kHz. The spots that ring or whistle are your resonances.
3. Cut each one by 2 to 6 dB with a narrow band.
4. If it only rings sometimes, use a dynamic EQ or a resonance suppressor so it only cuts when needed.
5. Compare at the same volume, so you don't just make it duller.

Why it works

Our ears are most sensitive between 2 and 5 kHz. A few dB of extra ringing there sounds harsh long before the rest of the sound is too bright.