I found this incredible app a few days ago and I just had to share my findings. It's only accessidble on on Google Play, so you'll need an Android device or an emulator to use this technique. The gist of the app is that it neutralizes the sound response of your headphones. Depending on what pair of headphones/in-ears you are using, and the shape of your ear canar, you will hear certain frequencies more intensely than others at the same amplitude. Ideally, you want a flat frequency response from your headphones while mixing.
The app contains ten frequency bands, which are all octaves of each other, starting from 32 Hz (deep sub bass) to 16,000 Hz (if you can't hear this one see a doctor, lmao). For each band, there is a volume knob. Adjust each band until you can barely hear it. You might have to increase the volume of a few. Take your time with this. When you're done, scroll through the frequencies and make sure they all sound equally loud to your ears.
You can also do some A/B testing with the equalizer with some well-produced music. If the EQ makes your music sound clearer, then you're on the right track. :D
The app will give you a frequency chart with your custom EQ curve. This is the curve that you want. Install an equalizer on your computer (not the Android device or emulator). If you're on Windows, I reccomend Peace, as that is the one I'm using for this tutorial. You might have to fidget with some settings in order to get it to work when you are installing it. When you first open Peace, select the Advanced option.
Here are some images for you to reference: https://imgur.com/a/one9IFW
You can find a link to Peace here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/peace-equalizer-apo-extension/
Neutralizer app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.javeo.android.neutralizer&hl=es
Click on the graphic EQ preset, and change the frequency bands to the ones from the Neutralizer app. (32 Hz, 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz, 8000 Hz, 16000 Hz). Use the neutralizer graph as a reference to adjust the gain for each band. Look for the 'show graph' button on your console and confirm that it looks identical to the Neutralizer graph. You probably will be off by a few dBs, but this will still improve your sound quality significantly. Save the preset and enjoy your better sound response!
Shoot me a message if you have questions or complaints.
Comments (8)
Note:
The changes can be really subtle. If you're not hearing a difference, test your equalizer while listening to white noise, and turn it off and on a few times.
Frequencies beyond 15 kHz are hard to hear for most people over 40. I've even seen commercial tracks capped at that frequency. Also, you have to be careful with this method because perceiving different frequencies of the same pressure level (dB SPL) as having different loudness is part of the normal human hearing response (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour). Sure you want a neutral response in your monitoring equipment (loudspeakers, headphones) meaning, all frequencies of equal pressure level are reproduced accurately. But this response is usually measured with special microphones and meters because your human loudness perception will always be irregular (and slightly different from everyone else), following the curves linked above. If you mix through such an app, you risk creating a mix that sounds good to you but where frequencies are totally out of whack for everyone else.
The comment about 16,000 Hz was meant as a joke. I know a lot of the users of Audiotool are around my age (early 20s) or younger, and they should be able to hear that frequency assuming they have healthy hearing. I agree with you that its not that important, but I included it in my EQ because it sounds good to my ears. By boosting this frequency in my EQ, I feel less tempted to do so in my actual mixes.
I did forget to mention that any EQ is only effective at the amplitude that it was created at, so thanks for pointing that out. Anyone who wants to use this process needs to do it at a constant volume that is comfortable to listen to.
In my case, I set up my EQ on my computer with 20 percent volume. When I enable my EQ, I make sure to also set my laptop's volume to 20 percent.
I've played around with the Neutralizer app and created EQs at different volumes, and noticed the differences. Its not a perfect solution. This post was aimed at young producers (like myself) who don't have access to professional audio equipment. For someone mixing with cheap earbuds, the benefits of mixing with an EQ outweigh the harms, as long as they use a determined volume setting and also rely on reference tracks. It also helps to listen to your mixes on different systems. (Speaker, different pair of headphones, headphones with no EQ, etc)
I don't think that using a cheap pair of earbuds is equivalent to referencing with studio monitors in a soundproofed room. But by changing the sonic profile of a cheap pair of earbuds, it can give young producers a good alternative in the meantime. I still think that a lot of users can benefit from trying this out.
The app uses the hearing threshold of the user, and improves the quality of cheap gear.
I agree with you, some listening devices (especially cheap earbuds that boost the low end like crazy) definitely need compensation if you want to use them for producing. My main problem is that you have to build that "flat" response subjectively, and that will necessarily include the non linearity of human hearing (in completely ideal conditions -device giving you a totally flat response- 1,5 kHz will sound several dB quieter than 3 kHz at the same pressure level). I'd still try and get budget studio headphones. Some models are really affordable. They'll give you a more authentic flat response than an EQ made by ear, and include other advantages like a wider dynamic range (more detailed sound, earbuds tend to squash it). But in the meantime, yes, go for it. Just make sure you also check your mix without the correction (for everyone else) and compare how commercial, well produced reference tracks sound with and without correction. Let me know how it goes! :)
i can hear up to 20kHz but my mom swears im going deaf
Thanks for the awesome feedback! I feel like I've definitely improved my mixing skills. Last year, I bought myself a pair of DT 1990 Pro headphones and a Scarlett 2i2 audio interface. My headphones are rated at 250 ohms, and the Scarlett 2i2 is recommended for headphones with a max impedance of 200 ohms, so they may not be fully driven. Regardless, my new headphones sound way better than the cheap in-ears I used to mix with. The only form of equalizing I apply on my headphones is a notch filter around 8000 hz to get rid of a treble spike, and a boost around 40 hz to compensate for the bass rolloff. (My headphones are semi open back, but I also think they're not fully driven by my audio interface)
isn't a notch a little extreme?
I used this as a source to base my EQ decisions, as well as my own ears.
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-a-i/dt-1990-pro/
I used a notch filter with a Q of 8 (really narrow bandwith) just to target that 7 db spike.