Hearing Effects

Audio FX Effects Ear Training

  • Hearing Effects: Introduction - Welcome back to the ongoing series that began with Frequency Fundamentals. I trust and hope it has been as helpful for you as it was fun for me to write. Moving along, this is the start of a new series that will dovetail with the frequency series. Consider it the second suite of a broader […]
  • Hearing Effects: Dynamics, Part 1 – Compressors - Missed the start of the series? Catch up here. Compressors, limiters, single band, multi band, soft knee, hard knee, ratios, attack, release… on and on and on. These terms sound more like medical tools/procedures used in gastrointestinal bypass surgeries! Despite some of their more gruesome sounding names, these are all terms related to, and describing […]
  • Hearing Effects: Dynamics, Part 2 – Even more dynamic… - Missed the start of the series? Catch up here. Last time around we looked at the basic controls of the compression effect, a core part of dynamics control in audio. This week we’ll look at some specialised variants: Limiters, Expanders, Gates, and Multi-Band compressors. Then… more listening! Limiters Limiters are in essence compressors with very […]
  • Hearing Effects: Distortion Effects, Part 1 - Missed the start of the series? Catch up here. Ahh, it’s time for all things filth! Overdrive, distortion, fuzz, soft clipping, hard clipping, and limitless other descriptions to describe one of the most dramatic sound effects ever! If dynamics effects are to claim the prize of being the most controversial and misunderstood effects; then the […]
  • Distortion audio effects Hearing Effects: Distortion Effects, Part 2 - Missed part one? Catch up here. Last time around we talked about the basics of amplifier distortion: What it is, where it came from and what it sounds like. Now it’s time to discuss the non-amp distortion gizmos out there that claim to be able to replicate the dirty sound of amplifier crunch. Bold claim! […]
  • Hearing Effects: Echo… (echo… echo…) - Bonus Question answer Last time around, our bonus question was this: Where was the first echo (or delay) effect first manufactured? If you have been following the Hearing Effects series so far, then you’ll know by now that nothing has a clear-cut answer. There is always too much debate about who really did what, and […]
  • Hearing Effects: Listen for that Reverb - Reverb can create a subtle sound environment or have a strong impact on your tone. Learn more about reverb audio effects and how to train your ears for them.
  • Hearing Effects: Modulation (rotary speaker, chorus, flanger, phaser) - Modulation effects, including chorus and flanger effects, are among most popular and noticeable audio effects. Learn about each type and how to hear them.
  • Hearing Effects: Modulation 2 (tremolo, vibrato, pitch shift, wah-wah) - Modulation audio effects are among the most popular, so train your ears for tremolo, vibrato, pitch shift, wah-wah. Learn how in this FX ear training tutorial.