This video is an introduction to the most powerful ear training method for audio engineers.
With just 30 minutes a few times a week, you'll be able to identify frequencies by ear,
which will dramatically improve your ability to mix. Rather than sweeping
through the frequency spectrum with an EQ to find the frequency you're looking for,
you'll be able to identify immediately the frequency that needs to be boosted or cut.
But if you're new to this channel, my name is Kyle.
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Learning to associate a vowel sound to each octave frequency band was a game changer
in my audio career. Before learning this method, I had a lot of trouble
finding the correct frequency when using an equalizer. I usually had to sweep across the
spectrum to find the frequency band I wanted to adjust, and sometimes that didn't even work!
With a little bit of practice associating vowel sounds to frequency bands, it didn't take long
for me to notice a dramatic improvement in my ability to EQ. I found myself intuitively
knowing which frequencies needed to be boosted or cut just by listening. It became second nature!
Okay, so I've already said that the premise of this ear training method
is to associate vowel sounds with frequency bands. You may be asking,
"What does that even mean?". To hear this for the first time, let's listen to some pink noise.
Humans are capable of hearing 10 octaves. The ISO (or International Organization for
Standardization) has defined a set of standard octave frequencies. You'll become very familiar
with these frequencies, as they'll become your anchor for identifying frequency bands by ear.
Now that we see the frequencies on this chart, let's listen to how each band sounds.
I'll turn on a parametric EQ set to boost by 12 decibels, with a Q of 2.
As soon as I engage the EQ, you hear the difference instantly. Let's listen closely
to the difference again, trying to hear the vowel sound this time. I'll turn it off,
and back on. Do you hear the "oo" sound? Let's try a different frequency: 1 Hz. Before, and After.
Which vowel sound do you hear? I hear an "ah" sound. Let's try it again. Before, and After.
Each of these frequencies between 250 Hz and 4 kHz has a corresponding vowel sound.
We'll move on to the lower frequencies and higher frequencies in a future video.
I know this method might seem overly simplified. You may be asking, Okay, but how does knowing this
help me to improve my mixes?". The primary benefit is that, over time, you'll learn to speak the
language of the tools that you have available to you. You may currently be able to identify
a "muddy", "boxy", or "tinny" mix, but rarely will you find a "muddy" knob on an equalizer.
The equalizer speaks in objective terms. You need to tell it which frequency you'd
like to boost or cut and by how many decibels you'd like to boost or cut it.
If you hear too much "oo", then you know you might need to cut
250 Hz. If you could use a little more "ee", then you might find yourself boosting 4 kHz.
There's currently a tool that is perfectly designed for training with this method
and it's 100% free to use. The tool can be found at webtet.net. I'll include a link in
the description of this video. Use this software to test yourself. You can start with pink noise,
but it also allows you to upload your own audio files as reference tracks so that you can practice
using music that you're familiar with already. If you stay consistent, you're going to notice
dramatic improvements in just a few weeks. But if you really want to see huge improvements,
I'd recommend checking out Jason Corey's book Audio Production and Critical Listening. I'll
put a link to that in the description of the video. You can also find more resources,
including a free Quick Start Frequency Guide, that will walk you step-by-step through the process of
setting up this tool for the very first time at audiouniversityonline.com/ear-training-guide/.
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Audio University for more content like this. Thanks for watching.