// Free Tool · Ear Training

EQ Ear Trainer

A frequency chart tells you where to look. This trains you to hear it. Identify mystery boosts and cuts by ear — starting on pink noise, working up to a full mix.

EQT-01 EQ Ear Trainer Standby
Level1/10
Question–
Score0
Streak0
SourcePink Noise
Level 1 · First Contact
Ready to train your ears?

Press start. You'll hear pink noise with one frequency band boosted. Flip between EQ IN and BYPASS, then pick the band.

20Hz1005002k8k20k

Space play/stop   B a/b compare   1–9 answer

Correct

Level Complete
6/8

// Levels 4–10

Unlock the rest — free

You've beaten the noise levels. From here it gets real: drums, bass, a full mix, and cuts instead of boosts. The remaining seven levels are free — drop your email and keep training. I'll also send you the EQ cheat sheet.

No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

// Why This Works

Stop Memorising Frequencies. Start Hearing Them.

Every producer has looked up "what frequency is muddiness" — that's why frequency charts are some of the most-searched references in audio. But the chart is a substitute for a skill. The engineers you're trying to sound like don't look anything up: they hear boxiness and know it's 400Hz, hear harshness and go straight to 3k. That's not talent. It's training.

This trainer works the same way the classic critical-listening courses do. You start on pink noise, because it has equal energy in every octave — a boost at 250Hz is exactly as audible as one at 4kHz, so the playing field is level while your ear learns the bands. Then the material gets musical and the moves get smaller: drums, bass, a full mix, then cuts, which are famously harder to hear than boosts and exactly what you use most when you actually mix.

The A/B button is the whole secret. Flip between EQ IN and BYPASS and ask "what appeared, and where does it live?" That before-and-after comparison is the same judgement you make on every EQ decision in a real session — you're not learning a party trick, you're rehearsing the exact move mixing is made of.

Ten minutes a day for a few weeks and you'll feel the change in your next mix: less sweeping, less guessing, faster decisions. Keep the EQ frequency chart open while you learn — it's the map. This is the driving practice.

Built by Dan Murtagh — Melbourne-based mix engineer and audio educator. All training audio is generated in your browser: pink noise and synthesized loops, nothing to download.

// ASK DAN

Stuck on a band you keep missing? Ask how to hear the difference between 250 and 500.

Ask Dan →
// FAQ

Ear Training FAQ

What is EQ ear training?
EQ ear training is practising the connection between what you hear and where it lives on the frequency spectrum. A trainer boosts or cuts a mystery frequency band and you identify it by ear. With regular practice you stop needing to sweep an EQ to find problems - you hear "that's boxiness around 400Hz" and go straight there. It's the single highest-leverage listening skill in mixing.
How does the EQ ear trainer game work?
Press play and you'll hear audio with an EQ boost applied at a mystery frequency. Use the EQ IN / BYPASS button to compare against the unprocessed sound, then pick the band you think was boosted. Early levels use pink noise with big, obvious boosts. Later levels move to drums, bass, and a full mix with subtler moves and cuts instead of boosts - the same progression professional ear-training methods use.
Why does ear training start with pink noise?
Pink noise has equal energy per octave, so every frequency band is equally represented - a boost at 250Hz is exactly as loud as a boost at 4kHz. That makes it the fairest possible training signal and the industry standard starting point. Music is harder: each instrument only has energy in some bands, so the same boost can be obvious or nearly invisible. Master noise first, then graduate to music.
How long does it take to learn to hear frequencies?
Most people can reliably identify octave-band boosts on pink noise within a couple of weeks of short daily sessions - ten minutes a day beats an hour once a week. Hearing subtler moves in a full mix takes longer, typically a few months of regular practice. The skill compounds: every mixing session you do after training reinforces it, because you're now labelling what you hear.
Do I need studio monitors or headphones for ear training?
Use whatever you mix on - the point is to calibrate your ears to your own listening setup. Decent headphones are ideal because they remove the room from the equation. Laptop speakers are the one thing to avoid: they physically can't reproduce anything below about 200Hz, so the low-band questions become guesswork.
Is the EQ ear trainer really free?
Yes. The first three levels are open to everyone, and the remaining seven unlock free with your email address. There's no paid version, no subscription, and no time limit - it runs entirely in your browser.

Get the EQ Frequency Cheat Sheet

The map to go with the training — the seven bands, a "translate what you're hearing" problem-solver, and sweet spots for 24 instruments in a printable PDF.

// The map

EQ Frequency Chart

See where all 24 instruments live on the spectrum, spot masking conflicts, and diagnose mix problems with genre presets. The interactive chart is the reference this trainer teaches you to outgrow.

Open the chart