In other words, how we set our monitor gain can affect our EQ and mix balance decisions. How to use equal loudness curves in mixing and masteringĪrguably the main takeaway here is that our perception of tonal balance is dependent on the sound pressure level at which we are listening. What’s more, the dip at 3–4 kHz is a good 5–6 dB, compared to the 2–3 dB at 80 phons.Īnd this is one of the key points, which leads us to… That’s a 25 dB increase, compared to the roughly 10 dB increase needed at 80 phons. For example, at 20 phons, 100 Hz would have to play at nearly 45 dB SPL to sound as loud as 1 kHz at 20 dB SPL. What about the dip around 3–4 kHz? That tells us our ears are more sensitive in that region, and a lower SPL would sound equally loud.Īnother interesting fact to point out is that although the shape of each curve is similar at different phon levels, the deviation increases noticeably. In other words, our ears are less sensitive to 100 Hz.
This tells us that in order for 100 Hz to sound as loud as 1,000 Hz at 80 dB SPL, it would have to be played at about 90 dB SPL. What if we go down to 100 Hz? Now our 80 phon line is closer to 90 dB SPL. That aligns with our definition of phons-so far, so good. Here are the contours from the 2003 revision of ISO 226 in red, with the original Fletcher-Munson curves underlaid in blue for comparison.įirst, notice that at 1,000 Hz, the 80 phon line aligns with 80 dB SPL. While this doesn’t change any of the fundamental concepts behind the original Fletcher Munson equal loudness contours, it does help refine our understanding of the human perception of pitch and loudness. The last revision was published in 2003 based on research in Japan, Germany, Denmark, the UK, and the US, and there is currently a subsequent revision under development. Believe it or not, since 1961 the ISO has published standard 226 as the benchmark for equal loudness contours. In the better part of the century since Fletcher and Munson’s original work, there have been numerous other studies aimed at taking similar measurements. Bringing equal loudness into the 21st century We’ll get into how to interpret these contours, and some of the complexities behind creating them shortly, but first it’s worth mentioning that although it’s still common to cite Fletcher and Munson when discussing equal loudness, their original work is now nearly 90 years old, and can hardly be said to be state of the art anymore.
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