# About Mix Chops > Mix Chops is EQ ear training in your browser, made by Melbourne mix engineer Dan Murtagh. What it trains, how it teaches, what's free and who's behind it. Page: https://mixchops.com/about **Short answer:** Mix Chops is EQ ear training in your browser. Short exercises train you to hear an EQ change, name the frequency band, find a ringing resonance and fix the one instrument that’s muddying a mix. It’s made by Dan Murtagh, a Melbourne mix engineer who has taught audio production at Collarts since 2016. The daily session and the first two levels of every exercise are free, with no account. ## What it trains EQ, by ear: hearing what’s too loud or too quiet in a range of frequencies, finding where it is, and fixing it. The exercises run from easiest to hardest, from pink noise to a full mix: - [Identify](https://mixchops.com/eq/identify): Hear a boost or cut and name the band. From level 2, sometimes nothing changed. 10 levels. - [Sweep](https://mixchops.com/eq/sweep): Something has been boosted. Sweep to find it, against the clock. 5 levels. - [Hunt](https://mixchops.com/eq/hunt): Sweep a boost to find a ringing resonance, then cut it out. 5 levels. - [Restore](https://mixchops.com/eq/restore): One EQ band changed the sound. Put it back with a single band of your own. 6 levels. - [Solo to Context](https://mixchops.com/eq/context): Fix an instrument while it plays alone, then bring in the mix and decide again. 4 levels. - [Cuts Only](https://mixchops.com/eq/cuts): It sounds dull, thin or buried and you want to boost. Fix it with cuts alone. 5 levels. - [Fix the Mix](https://mixchops.com/eq/fixmix): One instrument is making the mix muddy, boxy or harsh. Name it, find it, cut it. 4 levels. - [Daily Session](https://mixchops.com/eq/daily): Twelve questions a day, weighted toward the bands you miss. Mix Chops trains EQ only. It doesn’t train compression, reverb, or musical ear training such as intervals, chords and pitch. ## How it teaches - **Hear it, find it, fix it.** Every exercise trains one of the three things you do at a mix: notice a change, track it to a frequency, and put it right without hurting everything else. - **Music in separate instruments.** Most exercises move on from pink noise to music split into stems. In Solo to Context and Fix the Mix the problem sits on one instrument, and you fix it there. - **Fair comparisons.** In Cuts Only, and in the Learn demos where the point is tone, both sides of a comparison play at the same loudness, so a boost can’t win just by being louder. Identify and the Daily Session turn a boost down, roughly, to make up for it. - **A little, often.** The daily session is twelve questions, weighted toward the bands you miss, with a day streak. Mix Chops logs every answer against its band and shows you your weak spots. - **Plain words.** Every exercise, hint and explanation is written the way Dan teaches: around what you actually hear on real instruments. The [Learn](https://mixchops.com/learn) section has explainers and practice guides, each with a demo you can play. ## Who makes it Dan Murtagh has been making records in Melbourne for 20 years and has taught audio production at Collarts since 2016. Mix Chops grew out of the free EQ ear trainer that used to be on his website. He also makes [StemConsole](https://stemconsole.ai), an AI stem splitter with a live mixer. [More about Dan](https://danmurtagh.com/about). ## What’s free, and what’s Pro The daily session and the first two levels of every exercise are free, with ranks, streaks, badges and progress sync, and no card. [Mix Chops Pro](https://mixchops.com/pro) will open every level, focus drills on any band and the full track library. Pro isn’t on sale yet and has no price yet: you can join the founding list to hear first. While Mix Chops is in early access, every level is open to everyone. ## Where it runs In any modern browser, on a computer or a phone. There’s nothing to install and no app-store app. Use headphones or decent speakers: laptop and phone speakers can’t play the low bands, so 63 and 125 Hz turn into guesswork. Progress saves in your browser, and a free account (Google or an email link, no password) carries it to your other devices. ## Questions ### What is Mix Chops? EQ ear training in your browser, made by mix engineer Dan Murtagh. Short exercises train you to hear an EQ change, name the frequency band, find a ringing resonance and fix the instrument that’s muddying a mix. ### Is Mix Chops free? Yes, to start. The daily session and the first two levels of every exercise are free, with no account and no card. Pro, for every level, isn’t on sale yet. While Mix Chops is in early access, every level is open to everyone. ### Who made Mix Chops? Dan Murtagh, a Melbourne mix engineer with 20 years of making records, who has taught audio production at Collarts since 2016. ### Is there a Mix Chops app? It’s a web app. It runs in the browser on a computer or a phone, with nothing to download. There’s no App Store or Google Play app. ### Can I practise on my own music? Not yet. Practising on your own songs is planned for Pro. ### How do I get in touch? Email [info@danmurtagh.com](mailto:info@danmurtagh.com). ## Hear your first *EQ move.* Identify starts on pink noise with one band boosted and three to choose from. Name the band. It takes about two minutes, with no account. [Start with Identify](https://mixchops.com/eq/identify) Or: [today’s session](https://mixchops.com/eq/daily) · [all the exercises](https://mixchops.com/#path)