When I was a kid I discovered some knobs on my dad’s Hi-Fi system that seemed to change the sound of the music. I used to sit for hours ‘DJing’ and remixing my dad’s collection of 70s rock. In the end, the only thing I really learned was that my dad hated it when I touched his Hi-Fi.
Since then I’ve discovered that what I was actually doing was adjusting (ruining) the equalizer (EQ).
You’ve probably seen one of these before, whether it was on a physical Hi-Fi system or in the settings menu of a music player on your phone or computer. You might know that it does something to the sound, but what exactly are you doing when you move the sliders up and down?
The numbers along the bottom (and top on in the picture above) denote frequencies. Sounds with a low frequency (the numbers towards the left) are bass sounds, high frequencies (towards the right) are treble. As you move a slider towards the top, the system will increase the volume of sounds at this frequency. Conversely, moving a slider downwards will reduce the volume.
Perhaps the most common preset EQ setting that we see is ‘Bass Boost’. To recreate that on an equalizer like the one above, you can just shove the sliders on the left-hand side to the top. A ‘Treble Boost’ would be the same on the right-hand side, and ‘Balanced’ would mean that no sliders were moved at all.
Got it?
So the natural question is, why would anyone want to change that stuff? Here are a few reasons:
- Personal taste: Maybe you prefer your music with a touch more bass.
- To suit audio equipment: Do you have some new headphones that you really love, but they lack a touch of treble? Add it yourself!
- To suit the music: If you’re into hip-hop or EDM, an EQ setting that emphasises bass could enhance the beat.
Something important to bear in mind is that when you’re adjusting sound levels at such an intricate level, the results are often very subjective. What sounds good to you may sound like complete garbage to someone else. With that being said, there are some fairly well standardised preset EQs for specific types of music. At Soundcore we even have some special presets made by our Grammy award-winning producers.
What about you guys? Which EQ settings are you using in the Soundcore app? Or are you adventurous enough to adjust things specifically for your own taste?
If you’re lucky enough to have a set of Liberty 2 Pro or Liberty Air 2, you have the opportunity to use HearID which will intelligently adjust the EQ specifically for your hearing profile. Have you found big improvements in your music?
If you’re feeling especially adventurous, show us a screenshot of your personal EQ settings!
