While our hearing encompasses this range, which we call “20 to 20K,” most of the sounds we hear only use a portion of it. Children can hear frequencies beyond this range, while older folks hear less. This range is typical for an 18-year-old adult. Normal human hearing is defined as a range of frequencies from 20 cycles (Hz) to 20,000 Hz. Whether we are listening to music, speech or noise, all human hearing is based on frequencies – the variations in the pitch of a sound – and volume. The first article covers Final Cut Pro X and the second article covers Adobe Premier Pro CC. NOTE: Since this article was released, I added two companion articles on boosting and smoothing audio levels. Once you understand how this technique works in one application you can use it anywhere, because all that changes is the interface.

In this article, I’ll show you how to improve the sound of a voice using FCP X, Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition. One of the sad facts of life is that as we get older, we lose the ability to hear high-frequency sounds, which means that it becomes harder to understand what people are saying. This is especially important when creating projects for older audiences who’s hearing may not be as good as you would like. However, I also use these techniques to warm up a voice or, more importantly, to improve the clarity of speech. Most of the time, we use this shaping capability to create ear-catching sound effects. Just as we can shape specific colors in our images to create a specific look, we can “shape” specific sounds in our audio to create a specific sound.

Audacity graphic eq presets