No matter how good your audio reproduction system is, there's no denying that some recordings just have a poor spectral balance. It can really take away from the enjoyment of listening to some otherwise good music. Since there isn't consistency, these have to be corrected individually. I will briefly explain my process for identifying my desired "corrective equalization", and saving the results for future listening. (Since you don't want to have to re-identify the proper EQ every time you listen.)
I primarily use Audacity to do this, because it gives me an interface that is efficient. I start by using "plot spectrum" in the analyze menu. Often times I can identify issues with the spectrum immediately. For example, in this classical music piece, I found weak bass below 200 Hz, and an elevated plateau between 1 kHz and 5 kHz.
In the effects menu there is an equalization function. I use this to test out various levels of equalization. After identifying a problem with the EQ I applied, I always undo the EQ, adjust the filter, and apply EQ again. That makes it easy to check what the original sounded like for a reference. In this case, my EQ looked like this:
As I test out prototype equalization filters, I use the waveform view to listen to different parts of the song/piece. I find that I focus almost exclusively on the loud parts, as errant spectral balance isn't nearly so offensive in the quiet parts.
I don't apply different EQ to different parts of the song, though that could be done. I mostly listen to classical music, so typically there's one transfer function for the whole piece, and it's something I object to regarding that function that I feel the need to correct, so my correction is universal for that piece. Studio mixes may not follow that trend.
In this case, my resultant spectrum looked like this:
It's a significant subjective improvement over the original, and it looks smoother as well. I export the equalized music to a new music file.
At that point I look to verify my work. I load the original song and the equalized version into foobar for AB comparisons. I like the interface foobar provides in their ABX testing module, which allows you to either continue the music when you switch, or return to a specific time and play from there. When I'm doing this listening, I'm asking myself which version sounds like it has been equalized. If I've done my job right, the equalized version sounds natural, and the original version sounds like it has had a bad EQ applied to it. I also ask myself if any change could make the music sound more natural or pleasant than my equalized version, and if so, I start the process over again with insight from my first attempt.
In the end I have a new version of the music that is about as natural/pleasant on my audio system as I can get it. From that point on, I listen to the EQed version and never touch the original again.
I have gone through this using my speakers as well as a nice set of studio headphones for playback. I've found that I can stray too far using headphones, and I'm more efficient / reliable using my speakers. I often do perform another check to make sure the result is good on my headphones as well, though.
I primarily use Audacity to do this, because it gives me an interface that is efficient. I start by using "plot spectrum" in the analyze menu. Often times I can identify issues with the spectrum immediately. For example, in this classical music piece, I found weak bass below 200 Hz, and an elevated plateau between 1 kHz and 5 kHz.
In the effects menu there is an equalization function. I use this to test out various levels of equalization. After identifying a problem with the EQ I applied, I always undo the EQ, adjust the filter, and apply EQ again. That makes it easy to check what the original sounded like for a reference. In this case, my EQ looked like this:
As I test out prototype equalization filters, I use the waveform view to listen to different parts of the song/piece. I find that I focus almost exclusively on the loud parts, as errant spectral balance isn't nearly so offensive in the quiet parts.
I don't apply different EQ to different parts of the song, though that could be done. I mostly listen to classical music, so typically there's one transfer function for the whole piece, and it's something I object to regarding that function that I feel the need to correct, so my correction is universal for that piece. Studio mixes may not follow that trend.
In this case, my resultant spectrum looked like this:
It's a significant subjective improvement over the original, and it looks smoother as well. I export the equalized music to a new music file.
At that point I look to verify my work. I load the original song and the equalized version into foobar for AB comparisons. I like the interface foobar provides in their ABX testing module, which allows you to either continue the music when you switch, or return to a specific time and play from there. When I'm doing this listening, I'm asking myself which version sounds like it has been equalized. If I've done my job right, the equalized version sounds natural, and the original version sounds like it has had a bad EQ applied to it. I also ask myself if any change could make the music sound more natural or pleasant than my equalized version, and if so, I start the process over again with insight from my first attempt.
In the end I have a new version of the music that is about as natural/pleasant on my audio system as I can get it. From that point on, I listen to the EQed version and never touch the original again.
I have gone through this using my speakers as well as a nice set of studio headphones for playback. I've found that I can stray too far using headphones, and I'm more efficient / reliable using my speakers. I often do perform another check to make sure the result is good on my headphones as well, though.