With it, you could pull out the distinctive shimmer of high-hat cymbals otherwise drowned by a dominant vocal track, or even help mellow out the narrator’s voice in an audiobook. With these variables in play, an EQ serves an invaluable role for anyone serious about their jams. Not only do the natural sounds of the track respond uniquely to different EQ levels, but in the case of digital music, you may also need to cover imperfection introduced by certain file compression formats that can affect the overall audio quality.

The music you’re listening to also plays a factor. Many of us listen to music while commuting or exercising, where the shape of the room or ambient noise can each have a nasty effect on how our music sounds. Also, we don’t always get to listen to music in ideal environments. Browse related topicsĮlectronics manufacturers have their own ideas about what a piece of gear should sound like, but EQ lets you have your say. But it can be intimidating, so we’re here to help with our top-to-bottom guide to mastering your equalizer for the perfect sound. Understanding how exactly an EQ works and using it properly will put the power of sound-sculpting at your fingertips and can get you closer to the sound you want from your gear. The equalizer, or EQ, has come a long way since your dad’s graphic EQ with the tiny little sliders that you never quite understood - but somehow messing with them made his Zeppelin records sound “rad.” But for most devices you’ll encounter these days, it’s all done digitally.ĮQ settings can now be found in everything from phones and wireless speakers to home theater soundbars and streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, but often in the form of safe presets such as “Rock,” Hip-Hop,” or “Bass Booster.”

Mac sound settings equalizer