Audio equalization — Settings and quality

Worked example

The only control is a preset menu with four choices.

Balanced passes the audio through unchanged, which is useful as a control; Voice clarity applies a high-pass at 80 Hz, a 2 dB cut at 180 Hz and a 4 dB lift at 2.8 kHz; More bass adds 6 dB at 100 Hz and 2 dB at 250 Hz; More detail adds 4 dB at 5 kHz and 3 dB at 10 kHz.

Match the preset to the job. Spoken-word recordings from laptop or phone microphones usually benefit from Voice clarity, thin acoustic guitar or a small-speaker mix may like More bass, and a dull, over-compressed song may open up with More detail.

Every preset has a cost. The 2.8 kHz lift in Voice clarity makes consonants easier to follow but also brings out sibilance and hiss on a bright microphone, the 6 dB in More bass can turn a small speaker boomy or clip loud peaks, and More detail raises noise along with sparkle.

Sample rate matters here. Exporting at 22.05 kHz limits the content to about 11 kHz, which makes the 10 kHz lift in More detail almost pointless, so leave Sample rate on Keep source or choose 44.1 kHz when you use that preset.

For export, 192 kbps MP3 or M4A is a reasonable default, 256 kbps if the track has a lot of treble detail, and WAV if you will keep editing. Apply EQ once, as the last tonal step, rather than stacking presets.

Voice or music source

Frequency-adjusted export

There are no sliders, so if a preset is close but too strong, lower the file volume before and compare instead of looking for a custom curve.