Sound Quality, Sound Management
& Console Mastery

Zone A — Setup

Headphone Profile: Select your output device (studio headphones, earbuds, laptop speakers, phone speaker). The system stores your choice and warns if bass frequencies may be inaudible on small drivers.

Lesson Mode: Opens a step-by-step guided overlay with numbered checkpoints for first-time users.

Zone B — Player

Waveform Display: Visual waveform with click-to-seek. Shows playback position and total duration.

Transport Controls: Play, Pause, Stop, and Rewind to beginning. Play auto-resumes the AudioContext if suspended.

Track Info: Album art, title, artist, genre. BPM and musical key auto-detected on load. Mic BPM button for real-time tempo detection (disabled during playback).

Zone C — Listen (A/B Compare)

A/B Toggle Switch: Instantly compare Original (bypass — all EQ, compressor, and makeup gain disabled) vs Enhanced (298EQ processing active). This is your most important evaluation tool.

Use A/B every 20 minutes to counteract auditory adaptation — your ears adapt to whatever you're listening to.

Zone D — Analyse

Live Spectrum Analyzer: Real-time FFT showing frequency content as logarithmic bars. Status indicator: Live (green), Standby (gray), Offline (red).

VU Meter: Peak level (with hold) and RMS level in dB. Clip indicator turns red when signal exceeds 0 dBFS. Use this to verify gain structure.

Zone D2 — Console

Channel Strip: Gain (-12 to +12 dB), Pan (-1 to +1), Width (0=mono to 2=wide, 1=normal). Width uses mid/side processing to scale the stereo image.

Compressor: Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, Knee — all with enable/disable toggle. Gain reduction meter shows how much compression is happening in real-time.

Limiter: Ceiling threshold with enable/disable. Ratio fixed at 20:1 for brick-wall limiting. Separate GR meter.

LUFS Meter: Integrated loudness estimate with target at -14 LUFS (streaming standard). Color-coded: green (within 1 LU), amber (within 3 LU), red (off target).

Zone D3 — Reference Match

Benchmark Panel: Fetches genre-specific benchmark data for the loaded track. Shows target EQ curve and loudness profile.

Apply Corrections: One-click button to auto-adjust Low, High, 298EQ, and Gain to match the genre benchmark. Use as a starting point, then fine-tune by ear.

Zone D4 — Live Mode

Microphone Input: Connects your mic via getUserMedia to the audio chain entry point. Clip detector monitors for dangerous levels.

Scene Presets: Pre-configured console + EQ + FX settings for common scenarios (e.g., "Podcast Warm", "Music Bright", "Live Vocal"). Click to apply, click again to toggle off and return to flat.

Input Level Meter: Real-time mic level with -60 to 0 dB scale.

Zone E — Learn

Frequency Sweep: Plays a sine wave from 20 Hz to 20 kHz through the audio context. Teaches what each frequency band sounds like in isolation.

Noise Injection: Adds hiss (broadband), hum (50/60 Hz), or rumble (low-frequency) at adjustable levels. Demonstrates signal-to-noise ratio concepts.

Clipping Demo: Inserts a WaveShaperNode to demonstrate soft and hard clipping. Watch the VU meter hit red and hear the distortion.

Zone F — Adjust

EQ Presets: Library of saved EQ + FX configurations. Apply with animated 50ms transition. Save your own presets.

5-Band EQ Sliders: Low (100 Hz shelf), Mid (1 kHz peak), High (8 kHz shelf), 298EQ (298 Hz peak, Q=1.4), Gain (makeup). Range: -12 to +12 dB per band.

Macro Fader: Genre-aware one-knob control (0–100) that drives all 9 Advanced FX parameters simultaneously.

Advanced EQ Modal: Individual intensity faders for each of the 9 FX effects. Toggle between Basic and Advanced EQ views.

Quality Score Bar: Live 0–100 score based on EQ deviation from genre benchmark. Green (71+), Amber (41–70), Red (0–40).

Zone G — Practice

Ear Training Quiz: A random EQ problem is applied to the audio. You must identify and fix it by ear alone — no visual aids. Builds critical listening skills.

Advanced Training: Console and EQ matching drills. Match a target console configuration and EQ curve by ear.

Zone H — Studio Tools

6-Tab Panel: Pitch Shift, Time Stretch, HPSS (Harmonic/Percussive Source Separation), Denoise, and Project management. Advanced post-production tools.

Zone I — Complete

Save & Complete Session: Records your EQ settings, console configuration, A/B comparison data, and session analytics to the database.

Submit Submission: Sends your work to your instructor for review and grading.

Session Results: Displays a summary of your session including duration, EQ changes, and quality score.

Compressor

Reduces the dynamic range of signals above the threshold. Use it to:

• Control peaks: Set threshold just above average level, ratio 3:1
• Add density: Lower threshold, higher ratio, slower attack
• Preserve transients: Fast attack (1-3 ms) catches peaks; slow attack (10-30 ms) lets transients through
• Avoid pumping: Release should match the tempo (250 ms is a safe default)

Limiter

A limiter is a compressor with a very high ratio (20:1). It prevents any signal from exceeding the ceiling.

• Set ceiling at -1 dB to prevent inter-sample peaks
• Use as last stage before output — it is the safety net
• Watch the GR meter — if it's constantly reducing 3+ dB, your signal is too hot
• Enable/disable with the power toggle

Teaching Use

Enable one or more imperfection zones to inject a problem into the audio path before the EQ and dynamics. Students hear the degraded signal; the lecturer demonstrates how to diagnose and correct it with console tools.

Save & Track

Use Save Profile to store a specific simulation setup to the database. Use Reset to return all zones to neutral. Live metrics update every frame so you can see the response to each control change.

Spectrum Analyzer

Real-time FFT showing frequency content as logarithmic bars. Use it to:

• Identify problem frequencies (mud at 250-500 Hz, harshness at 3-5 kHz)
• Verify EQ changes are affecting the intended range
• Watch for bass energy buildup below 60 Hz
• Compare Original vs Enhanced spectrum

VU Meter

Peak and RMS levels in dBFS. Use it to:

• Verify gain structure (average around -18 dBFS)
• Watch for clipping (peak hitting 0 dBFS = red)
• Check crest factor (peak − RMS = dynamic range)
• A crest factor of 12+ dB means healthy dynamics

LUFS Meter

Integrated loudness estimate with -14 LUFS target. Use it to:

• Match streaming platform loudness (Spotify: -14 LUFS)
• Ensure broadcast compliance
• Compare perceived loudness between Original and Enhanced
• Green = within 1 LU of target; Amber = within 3 LU; Red = off target

Gain Reduction Meters

Two GR meters show how much the compressor and limiter are working:

• Compressor GR: Shows dB of gain reduction in real-time
• Limiter GR: Shows how hard the limiter is working
• If limiter GR shows constant 3+ dB, lower your channel gain
• Brief GR movement on transients is healthy; constant reduction is not

Frequency Balance

Question: Does the sound have too much or too little bass, mids, or treble?

Tool in UNEQWURL: Spectrum Analyzer + EQ Sliders

Score 1: Severe problem  Score 3: Acceptable  Score 5: Excellent

Dynamic Range

Question: Are the loud and soft parts controlled appropriately?

Tool in UNEQWURL: Compressor + LUFS Meter

Score 1: Severe problem  Score 3: Acceptable  Score 5: Excellent

Noise Floor

Question: How much unwanted sound exists beneath the signal?

Tool in UNEQWURL: Noise Injection + VU Meter

Score 1: Severe problem  Score 3: Acceptable  Score 5: Excellent

Distortion

Question: Is the signal changing shape unintentionally?

Tool in UNEQWURL: Clipping Demo + VU Meter

Score 1: Severe problem  Score 3: Acceptable  Score 5: Excellent

Spatial Quality

Question: Where does the sound appear to come from?

Tool in UNEQWURL: Width Control + Pan

Score 1: Severe problem  Score 3: Acceptable  Score 5: Excellent

Time Response

Question: Does the system react accurately over time?

Tool in UNEQWURL: Frequency Sweep + Spectrum

Score 1: Severe problem  Score 3: Acceptable  Score 5: Excellent

Gain Staging Reference

EQ Quick Fixes

Compressor Quick Start

Sound Class Color Map