Introduction

Ear training certainly doesn't seem that appealing at first glance.

Why even do it? How will it help me?

The first need there has to be is a "need for audio equalization". We assume that you are part of one or of several of the target audiences EQdrill has been created for, which in essence means that in some form or another you are interacting with audio equalizers (hardware or software) to alter audio material that you are hearing. Otherwise, while EQdrill could still serve as a nice hearing challenge, getting good at it won't have the kind of rippling effects beyond itself as your skills improve.

Let's say you're into mixing.

Will doing the kind of ear training EQdrill provides by itself make me great at mixing?

Sadly no! Reason being that mixing audio requires many, many more skills than "just" being able to perceive frequencies finely by ear. Things like mix preparation, dynamics control, resolving masking, spatial control, automation, optimizing crest factor, ... , to name just a few. As with many things, there's not that one skill that will make you great by itself, but rather it's the sum of many relevant skills that add up to greatness. That being said, there's still plenty to be gained to justify doing supplementary ear training with EQdrill.

But first, let's answer another question for a minute.

Why are professional soccer players (same as many other professional athletes) not just spending their whole time on playing soccer games (or doing their respective sport)?

Why for instance are they "wasting" their time on doing additional strength, speed, mobility, etc. training?

While it's likely the case that one could keep improving soccer skills by just playing more soccer when given enough time, one can actually get quicker, higher quality results by focusing on doing targeted, complementary strength, speed, mobility, etc. training, which will build up certain muscles and ingrain various movements quicker than "mere soccer playing". As a result, the actual playing will improve sooner and potentially even further.

Similar could be said about equalization in mixing. Of course one likely will see improvements in being able to perceive frequencies better, simply by spending more time on mixing and doing equalization "as it comes up". But one can argue that's not as effective as it can get. Anyone having experience with mixing songs "start to finish" knows, that equalization, while it certainly is a core part of any mixing, usually from early on in the mix to the final stages of it, by far is not the only thing one spends time on during a mixing sessions. Therefore, if one's goal is to improve perception of frequencies to speed up, but also to overall improve one's equalization skills, it simply isn't a targeted approach.

But on top of that, it's not the mixing engineer that does dictate what kind of equalization the mix needs, but rather the mix dictates its own needs and the mixing engineer reacts to it to the best of their abilities. Therefore, in a sense, the kind of ear training one gets during "real world mixing" is somewhat random. In theory, it can be highly varied and make one practice most frequencies, but in reality it can also be a lot less varied, somewhat repetitive (esp. when it's about mixing similar arrangements / productions). A given mix simply doesn't care about the mixing engineer's current weakspots and training needs per se.

So wouldn't it be nice to have something that actually cares about the mixing engineer's needs, something that provides a chance to practice the whole frequency spectrum, something that focuses in on the weakspots and that offers a way to progressively work on improving them so that no matter what kind of equalization demands the later mixing session states, the mixing engineer is well equipped to understand and therefore fulfill them?

Coming full circle, what would be the supplementary conditioning for the professional soccer player or athlete, can be considered the supplementary ear training for the mixing / mastering engineer.

Target audiences

Apart from mixing and mastering engineers, no matter the skill level, those who already focus on their respective craft on a regular basis, ear training can be even more advantages for anyone that needs equalization on a non regular basis.

How so?

Let's assume you are an independent music creator, one that actually prefers to do their own mixing. Assuming it's just you (or you and someone else, or you and your band, etc.), chances are that it will take quite a while until you have new material fully ready (from scratch) before mixing becomes relevant again. Let's say it takes you 3 months. That's potentially 3 months without any practical mixing and therefore any practical honing / maintaining your frequency perception skill as would be needed during actual mixing. That's enough time to make you lose some of that "mixing momentum" you've built up the last time around and enough time to make you feel like you've gotten rusty when getting back to mixing again. Maybe getting noticeably worse when it comes to your ability to perceive frequencies and small EQ moves is one of the things you dread the most about this.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could avoid or, at the very least, offset that "rustiness" effect as if your break away from mixing never actually occurred to that extent?

In our experience, engaging in a form of "maintenance ear training" can help here. Depending on your skill level, something as short as 20 minutes, once or twice a week could already have noticeable benefits. That amount of time is certainly a lot less than the respective amount of mixing that would be required to let you stay in shape regarding frequency perception and certainly a lot more doable while not getting in the way of all your other music related tasks.

Actually, it doesn't even have to be continuously either. Maybe, after months of song writing, recording, producing, etc., it's becoming clear that four weeks from now or so, the new material will be ready for mixing. You could just as well use those four weeks to "ramp up" your hearing skills by incorporating some ear training in advance. As a result, once the actual mixing starts, you might feel a lot less "rusty" during the initial mixing sessions.

In a sense, the same applies to anyone that wants to go on an extended break from mixing/mastering and already dreads having to "ramp up again" thereafter. Maybe doing some supplementary training with EQdrill after returning can shorten this "ramp up phase" somewhat, all without the pressure of "having to perform" right away in the context of an actual mix.

Outlook

The remaining documentation will make most sense when read front to back, as terminologies and concepts will be introduced and then referenced freely thereafter.