When something is out of balance we often blame what stands out most. For example, if music sounds overly bright we naturally pin the blame on that area of frequencies.
We might be completely wrong.
Imagine the treble regions being perfect but the midrange and midbass areas a bit repressed. It’ll sound bright.
Over the years, one of the tricks I’ve learned is to pay close attention to the quality of the area under question. If it sounds “too bright” I first focus my attention on the problem region by switching to music that naturally emphasizes it: cymbals, brushes, sibilance, upper harmonics. If these are intact and perfect, then I know to look elsewhere.
It’s easy to jump to conclusions and point a finger at what’s obvious.
But it often pays to look a little deeper to see if the balance between frequencies might just be off.
PAUL MCGOWAN
