Hey, it's Keefe!
I've spent the last 13 years building teams and crafting mixes at churches, and one thing has always driven me nuts: so many of us (including myself) have learned to mix with our eyes instead of our ears.
One of the most common questions I get is, "What EQ settings do you use on this?" The truth is, I never have a great answer, because EQ is almost never one-size-fits-all. Every voice, instrument, microphone, room, and PA is different.
Over the last few years, I've also been asking myself what makes mixing on analog consoles so much fun. Every time I step behind the Gamble, I'm amazed by how little EQ and processing I actually use. Eventually, I realized it isn't just the circuitry - it's the workflow. There are no analyzers, no giant EQ curves, and no temptation to chase numbers. You turn a knob, listen, and trust your ears.
That's why I created ALL EARS.
I designed it to be a training tool for new engineers, a challenge for experienced ones, and a small tribute to what makes analog mixing so enjoyable. My hope is that it helps you build confidence in your ears, rely less on your eyes, and discover that you probably need a lot less EQ than you think.
At the end of the day, nobody hears your settings.
They hear your mix.
– Keefe