why is the tonal balance looks like this in most songs?

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by samsome, Dec 1, 2019.

  1. samsome

    samsome Guest

    I'm talking about tonal balance in terms of volume and EQ...
    [​IMG]
    why the lows are usually higher in volume with a slight decline towards the highs?

    is it because lows are harder to hear?
     
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  3. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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  4. Lieglein

    Lieglein Audiosexual

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    Edit: Sorry, misunderstanded something.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2019
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  5. 5teezo

    5teezo Audiosexual

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    The actual real reason for this is frequency dependant loudness perception of human hearing.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

    And a freuency distriution like the one shown in the picture is something humans therefore find "balanced" or mixed well. That's why most curves look similar to this one.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2019
  6. 5teezo

    5teezo Audiosexual

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    The reasoning for this explanation is wrong.
     
  7. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    Set the slope of the analyzer to 4.5db. Then you will see why!
     
  8. CosmicStorm

    CosmicStorm Member

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  9. samsome

    samsome Guest

    thanks for the links but can you please also summarize why the low's need to be louder? i'm sorry for being too bored to read it but its also kinda tough for me right now
     
  10. 5teezo

    5teezo Audiosexual

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    I disagree. grey noize is just noise based on a certain mathematical formula, which in result has a simnilar frquency distribution than the one of equal loudness curves.
     
  11. samsome

    samsome Guest

    i don't think i understand what i need to do, i don't know how to do that
     
  12. 5teezo

    5teezo Audiosexual

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    Start learning to read the acutal loudness curve und you understand why. it's all in tere
     
  13. tzzsmk

    tzzsmk Audiosexual

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    depends on way you measure it
     
  14. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    On the top of span is a box called "Slope". Enter the value 4.5db in the box to tilt the displayed frequency response.

    Human hearing is not linear (see fletcher munson). Low frequencies need far more energy to be perceived by humans as equally loud as high frequencies. If you tilt the slope of the analyzer by 4.5db, the frequency response will be displayed as the human ear/brain perceives it.
     
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  15. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    It doesn't need to be louder, it just sounds better when it has more energy. From wiki:
    'In pink noise, there is equal energy in all octaves ... of frequency. In terms of power at a constant bandwidth, pink noise falls off at 3 dB per octave.'

    This drop of 3dB per octave results in a falling curve.

    And since 'normal' songs sound good when their freq response is close to a pink noise...
     
  16. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    They meanwhile adopted their maiden names and are now called Robinson-Dadson. :winker:
     
  17. Sinus Well

    Sinus Well Audiosexual

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    right, but that doesn't matter at all here. because this is not about the loudness in the sense of dynamics and sound pressure level, but about the logarithmic balancing of sound energy over the audible frequency spectrum.
     
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