There are so many words used to describe sound quality - "muddy", "tinny", "warm",
"harsh"... The list goes on forever and while we each have an idea of what these words mean,
relying on subjective words like these can be really limiting.
In this video, I'll focus on the biggest limitation that words like these have on
us as audio engineers. I'll also teach you a trick that completely revolutionized my ability to hear,
identify, and correct problems when mixing and tuning systems. But if we're just meeting,
my name is Kyle. You can learn audio production online by checking out the weekly videos I post
to the Audio University YouTube channel. You can learn more at AudioUniversityOnline.com.
I won't lie. I use words like "muddy", "boxy", and "tinny" to communicate about sound quality
with colleagues and clients every day. I think it's important that we have an
understanding and a feel for what these words mean, especially if you're going to be working
in the audio production industry. However, our job as audio engineers isn't just to be able
to communicate about sound. It's also to be able to use the tools we have available to us
to achieve a desired goal, and that's where these subjective words really start to lose their value
because most of the tools we have available to us (such as compressors and equalizers)
they don't speak in subjective terms. When was the last time you saw a "muddy" knob
on an equalizer? Our job is to translate the subjective listening experience
into objective terms so that we can do what's necessary to achieve the end goal.
Like I said, it's important to familiarize yourself with the words that most people will
use to describe sound quality. We can't expect everyone to communicate in objective technical
terms. So let's take a look at some of the most common words used for describing sound quality
and after that I'll show you the trick that you can use to start to train yourself
so that you can hear more objectively, so that you can identify frequencies which are
objective and which do translate to the tools you have available to you.
For the purposes of this video, let's divide the range of human hearing into six sections:
sub bass, lows, low-mids, mids, high-mids, and highs. For this demonstration,
I'll be using a plug in by Leapwing Audio, called DynOne. It's a very powerful multiband compressor.
You can learn more with the link in the description.
In the lowest ranges of human hearing from 20 Hz up to 60 Hz, you'll find the sub bass frequencies.
"Rumbly" is a common word for a build up of sub-bass frequency energy. Some
problems in this range result in "sloppy bass" or "loose bass".
Above the sub bass range, between 60 Hz and 200 Hz, is the low frequency range. You may hear the
quality of this range described with words like "boomy", "tubby", or even "punchy" in some cases.
The low-mid frequency range spans from 200 Hz to 700 Hz. Excessive energy in this frequency
range is often described with words like "muddy", "boomy", and "boxy".
Mid frequencies include the range of 700 Hz to 3 kHz. If a mix contains
too much energy in this range, it might sound "nasally", "honky", or "hollow".
The high-mid frequencies range from 3 kHz to 7 kHz.
This range is sometimes described with words such as "tinny", "bitey", or "airy".
Finally, the high frequencies,
from 7 kHz to 20 kHz, are found at the upper limits of human hearing.
You'll often hear words like "articulate", "airy", or "shimmery" used to describe this range.
You may disagree with the way I define some of these words, and if you do disagree,
well that's sort of the point of this video. We all have different ideas of what these words mean,
which makes them a source of confusion more times than not. There are also many reasons
why a mix could sound "muddy", for example. In some situations a "muddy" mix is the result of
too much low-mid energy in a certain instrument, but in other situations it could just be a lack
of high mid energy. Getting caught up in these subjective words is a good way to leave yourself
feeling frustrated, and that's exactly how I felt when I first started mixing. I felt frustrated
and powerless, until I found a simple ear training method that changed everything for me.
A new professor came to my university and he brought with him an ear training method
that really helps audio engineers develop their ability to listen critically. After
just a few months, I noticed that it was so much easier to identify problems
because I could hear which frequencies were over represented
and which frequencies were underrepresented. Not only that, but I noticed that my classmates and I
stopped using words like "muddy" and "tinny" and instead started communicating
in more objective terms, like "That mix has too much 2k", "That guitar has too much 250 Hz".
A few weeks ago, I made a video that goes through the basics of this ear training method.
You can watch that video here. However, you've been warned. Once you start to develop your
ability to critically listen, there's no turning back. If you got value out of this video,
hit the "Like" button to help the audio university channel grow and if you want to
learn more about that ear training method, watch the video that's on your screen now.