EQ Ear Trainer

What it teaches

Identify frequency bands that have been cut from a musical signal.

How it works

1. Press Start activity — the synth pad plays only after you press it.
2. Each round plays the pad with ONE frequency band cut by 9 dB, like an engineer carving space with EQ.
3. Choose which of the four bands is missing. Replay as often as you need before answering.
4. Ten rounds per session. Cutting is harder to hear than boosting — expect the first rounds to feel difficult; that is normal.

The theory

Cutting is how professionals EQ: carve away what masks the music instead of boosting what you like. This trainer plays a synthesised chord pad with one band cut by 9 dB — exactly the move an engineer makes to clear boxiness at 250–500 Hz, harshness at 2–4 kHz, or hiss up top. Hearing the *absence* of a band is harder than hearing a boost, and it is the skill that separates fast, clean mixes from muddy ones.

Answer explanations

250 Hz cut

The pad loses weight and turns thin — the classic "remove the mud" move under guitars and keys.

500 Hz cut

The boxiness disappears; the sound gets clearer but can turn hollow if overdone.

1 kHz cut

The honk vanishes and the pad sits further back — a cut here pushes sources into the mix.

2 kHz cut

The edge softens; the pad sounds rounder and less aggressive.

4 kHz cut

Definition drops away — the sound dulls and loses its "expensive" clarity.

8 kHz cut

The air disappears; everything feels darker and more distant.

No audio / accessibility

Text version: a written guide to subtractive EQ with the six cut bands described in words, plus a self-test checklist.