Ear trainer: guess the boosted band
Pink noise plays while you hold the button. One frequency band gets an 8 dB boost. Hear it, name the band, and do five rounds. The challenge is the same for everyone and changes every day.
Pink noise plays. While you hold the button, a +8 dB boost sits on a secret frequency. Let go and the sound is flat again. Find the frequency.
The LUFS checker shows the loudness and the true peak in numbers, where your ear is still unsure. Mastering then evens out what you heard.
Trained your ears? Test them on a real mix. Try free mastering →
Why train your ears on frequencies
Knowing which band sticks out is the difference between EQ with a purpose and turning knobs at random. An experienced engineer hears “boomy at 250” or “harsh around 3 kHz” and knows where to reach.
That skill grows only with practice. Memory for timbre develops like musical pitch: short, regular sessions work far better than one long session a month.
What each band does
60 to 120 Hz carries the weight and the body of a kick, the feeling of low end. 200 to 400 Hz is the boxy zone: too much of it makes a mix muddy and cardboard-like. 800 Hz to 1.5 kHz decides clarity and vocal presence.
3 to 5 kHz gives attack and definition, and it is also the main source of harshness; a little too much there tires the ears within a minute. 8 to 12 kHz gives air and sparkle, along with the sibilance that a de-esser tames.
How to practise
Five minutes a day beats an hour once a week. Listen on the headphones or monitors you mix on. Matching the skill to a sound you already know matters more than “correct” room acoustics.
Do not worry about mistakes on neighbouring bands. Confusing 2 and 3 kHz is normal even for working engineers. The point of the exercise is to learn to tell regions apart, not to guess an exact frequency.