#Aural training for audio engineers full
#Aural training for audio engineers professional

This may be slightly different in each song, but learn to put a number to rumble, boom, thickness, mud, forward mids, harsh mids, clear high-mids, harsh high-mids, silky top end, and harsh top end. Analyze each instrument to see what frequencies define its character. “How can you bake a great-tasting cake if you’ve never tasted a great cake?” Put Labels on ItĪs you work on music, isolate sounds and learn what frequencies exist in each sound.

You’ll start to notice how different speakers and rooms present familiar music differently and you’ll start to recognize exactly what is different in each case. This training will not only remind you what music should sound like, but it will also highlight what is different about different playback systems. I spend a few minutes each day listening to one or two new songs and going through this exact exercise. You should repeat this exercise for the rest of your life. Once you’ve gotten this far, you will have gained a sense of how this music fits together. What is creating the lowest rumbling? What creates the feeling of bass? What is punching you in the gut? Where does the lead instrument sit in the frequency spectrum? Where is the acoustic guitar? What instruments are playing chords and in what frequency ranges? What is playing counterpoint to the lead instrument/voice and in what range? What sounds are creating ambiance?

Next, break down the song into musical frequency ranges-without defining the numerical frequencies of the ranges. When do new instruments enter and when does the arrangement thin out? What is the dynamic arc of the song? How loud is the loudest section and how quiet is the softest section? Listen to it over and over and analyze what instruments are playing. Choose a song that really appeals to you and study it. The genre doesn’t really matter, as almost all great recordings will provide a similar experience. I suggest that audio engineers start by listening to well-performed and well-recorded music. Engineers don’t have to specialize in arranging harmony, but we should specialize in understanding how the frequency balance of a sound or mix relates to the impact and emotional feel of a musical event.

#Aural training for audio engineers full

This is a great exercise for musicians, however audio engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers need to develop a sense of how frequency content is presented by an instrument or full mix. The ability to identify pitches and musical relationships is very important when transcribing and arranging music, and especially when conducting an orchestra or producing musicians.įor musical ear training, the teacher plays two or more notes on the piano while the student tries to name the notes or intervals based on a reference pitch.

#Aural training for audio engineers professional

Professional musicians study ear training to teach their ears and brain to decode music-allowing them to listen to music and recognize notes and chords in order to transcribe the music or play it back on their instrument. Learning to recognize and put a name (or number) to frequency ranges or individual frequencies will aid us in production, mixing, and mastering. Every audio enthusiast has some ability to judge audio and recognize pleasant and dissonant sounds, but professionals need to go further and actually train their ears to quickly identify areas of interest and problem frequencies.

Much like professional athletes train their bodies and stretch their muscles, audio professionals should hone and fine-tune their auditory skills.