Mission 002
Frequency & Pitch
Why a bass note is low and a flute is high.
Pitch is just how fast a wave wiggles per second.
+40 XP
// WHAT IT DOES
Frequency is the number of complete wave cycles that happen in one second. We measure it in (Hz). 100 Hz means 100 full wiggles per second.
Your ear maps frequency onto pitch. Fast wiggles sound high (a flute). Slow wiggles sound low (a sub-bass). The relationship is fixed by biology.
Doubling the frequency = up one . Halving = down one . Every other interval in music sits between those boundaries.
Think of it like → Slow flapping = low. Fast flapping = high. Frequency is just the wing-beat rate of the air.
▸ WHY YOU CARE
- • EQ is just turning specific frequency ranges up or down — you can't use it without knowing where things live.
- • Knowing 'kick at 60 Hz, snare crack at 5 kHz, vocal air at 12 kHz' lets you carve space instead of guessing.
- • Tuning instruments is literally matching their frequency to a reference (A4 = 440 Hz).
// SEE & HEAR IT
EAR TRAINING
SoundGym-style musical drills. Train the ear producers actually need.
▸ HOW IT WORKS
▸ Signal flow — watch the dot
▸ SIGNAL FLOW
Glowing dot = your signal travelling through Live.
▸ LISTEN FOR
- • Sub energy as feeling, not pitch.
- • Mud around 200–400 Hz.
- • Harshness 2–5 kHz when boosted too much.
▸ WALKTHROUGH (5 steps)
- 1. DO: Load a sine generator and sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.▸ LISTEN: Note where it disappears at both ends — that's your monitoring range.
- 2. DO: Play A4 = 440 Hz then A5 = 880 Hz.▸ LISTEN: Same letter name, doubled frequency, one octave up.
- 3. DO: EQ-boost 4 kHz on a vocal.▸ LISTEN: Consonants and 'presence' jump forward.
- 4. DO: Lower a male vocal one octave with pitch shift.▸ LISTEN: Same identity, halved frequency — proves the 2:1 ratio.
- 5. DO: Sweep a high-Q EQ bell from 200 Hz to 4 kHz on a snare.▸ LISTEN: Body lives ~200 Hz; crack lives ~3–5 kHz.
▸ COMMON MISTAKES
- ✗ Boosting bass to fix a thin mix instead of cutting mud.
- ✗ Believing more highs = more clarity (it's often less mud).
- ✗ Mixing at one volume only — Fletcher-Munson tricks you.
// QUIZ (QUICK)
Question 1 / 40 correct
What unit measures frequency?