Critical Listening

Train the only tool you cannot buy.

Hearing what is actually there rather than what you expect. The skill that separates people who improve from people who plateau.

Hearing frequency

Putting a number on what you hear.

1. The frequency ranges, and what lives in each
2. Ear training: sweep and identify
3. Recognising resonance and harshness
4. What "muddy", "boxy" and "brittle" actually mean

Hearing space and dynamics

Depth, width and movement.

1. Near and far: what makes a sound seem distant
2. Width: how to hear the stereo image
3. Hearing compression
4. Reference listening without fooling yourself

Describing what you hear

Turning an impression into an instruction.

1. Feedback that helps the next version
2. Listening on bad speakers on purpose
3. Critique three tracks
4. Listening final