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"Perfect" iTunes equalizer setting

Perfect

I noticed a lot of people are favoriting this screen grab of the "Perfect" iTunes equalizer setting (I posted it to Flickr, so I won't keep forgetting it when I need it).

Perfect

Ever since I saw this in that Mac OS X Hints article, I've used it as my default equalizer in iTunes -- it seems to give a nice pop to MP3 tracks in particular.

HOWTO and specific settings from the original article:

Open the equalizer, and from the pop-up menu, select "Make Preset." Call it "Perfect," because it is, and set the following levels, from left to right (skip the Preamp section):

db +3, +6, +9, +7, +6, +5, +7, +9, +11, +8 db

JoeB's picture

Grrr - this is the...

Grrr - this is the exact equivalent of the 'smiley face' home stereo graphic that everyone was doing in the 80s. Basically it boosts 100Hz ('high bass') and 8kHz ('low treble') - meaning that you get a mix that is more flattering to cheaper mid-heavy systems and small laptop speakers.

Why does this make me so maaaad?!!! Well, because mixing and mastering engineers spend their entire professional lives devoted to making final recordings sound as beautiful as possible on a 'flat' stereo system, and are paid megabucks for this talent, then we consumers come along and mess it all up with brutal domestic graphic EQs.

The reason this setting is perceptually pleasing BTW is partly that the boosted frequencies are more easily heard on cheap speakers, and secondly that it makes everything louder (note that everything is boosted - nothing is cut). This increase in loudness is perceived by our brains as 'more' (='better').

 
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